Bob Marley & The Wailers - The Unreleased Studio Sessions 1972 - 1980

Bob Marley And The Wailers - The Unreleased Studio Sessions 1972 - 1980.
  
Greetings and welcome as we kick off Sweet Rare Reggae Music with this epic collection of rarities from Bob Marley And The Wailers entitled "The Unreleased Studio Sessions 1972 - 1980".
  
This is a collection of studio demo's, rehearsals and unreleased songs from the groups years with Island Records. Recorded at studios such as Harry J's, Dynamic, Joe Gibbs, The Black Ark and Bob's own Tuff Gong studios, all in Kingston Jamaica, and at Island's Basing Street Studios in London, England.

These fantastic recordings showcase 'bare-bones' versions of songs that we would eventually know and love when the finished songs became available on the groups albums from 1972's "Catch A Fire" right up to Bob's final studio albums "Uprising" and the posthumous release "Confrontation" of 1981.

  
This is Bob Marley and The Wailers in the studio, creating some of the finest reggae music that ever came out of the tiny island of Jamaica.

 Demo's, rehearsals and even songs that didn't make release on the finished projects are gathered here, possibly for the first time!

A lot of these recordings have floated about for years on various bootlegs and tapes, passed from person to person and then with the rise of music downloads on blogs and torrents they became even easier to get hold of - but there is no official release of many of the recordings here.

These recordings are usually found scattered about, on a number of separate bootleg releases, many of which are missing songs or have been poorly compiled, so it's handy that finally the best of these bootleg recordings are available in one remarkable 10 disc set.

So if, for instance, you've been searching for the wonderful 'Exodus/Kaya' sessions of 1977, or the 'Survival Demos' of 1979, or the lost 'Black Ark' sessions of the late 1970's or the rare unreleased studio songs of Bob's final recording sessions, they are all included here in this package.

A 2001 deluxe re-release of the album "Catch A Fire" did, finally, contain the original Jamaican version of the album and the difference is amazing! No overdubs of lead guitar on tunes like "Stir It Up" and "Concrete Jungle", it doesn't have that ultra polished sound that label owner Chris Blackwell had added to sell the album to a white rock audience, to many, including myself, these were better than the final mixes.

  

Unfortunately they didn't follow this trend on the remaining re-releases, which is a shame because as you will hear on this collection a lot of the early studio versions are superior to the mixes put out on the Island records releases.

Take for instance the "Exodus" and "Kaya" album sessions from Island's studio in London England, sessions that were overseen by legendary reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry.
These sessions certainly have "Scratch" written all over them on tracks like "Easy Skanking", "My Woman Is Gone" and early takes of "Jamming" and of course "Punky Reggae Party".

The mixes presented on this album are noticeably different at times with alternate lyrics or harmonies, for example on the song "Guiltiness" the lyrics change from "Woe to the downpresser, who eats the bread of sorrow" to "Woe to the Oppressor...". Fans with a keen ear may well notice a lot more changes on many of these well known songs.

The original studio demo of what would become "Slogans" is very basic here, using a drum machine with live instruments and Bob's original third verse which was cut from the released version on the "Africa Unite - Singles Collection".

There are also multiple takes of songs, like "Lively Up Yourself", "Exodus", "Is This Love" and "Turn Your Lights Down Low" so you can hear how the songs evolved in the studio, with lyric changes, chord changes, horns and harmonies being added or removed along the way.

 A great song from the Kaya sessions is the remake of Bob's earlier hit "Sun Is Shining" which feels far more trippy and surreal on this early studio take.

"Could You Be Loved" became one the bands biggest hits in the late 70's but early studio versions appeared very different indeed, sounding more disco influenced and funky.

Sessions for the 'Survival' album have a darker, more edgy feel about them. Certainly more rootsy than what appeared on the finished album, have a listen to the "Babylon System" early takes and compare them to the album version and the difference is amazing.

Unreleased songs from Bob's final sessions including "Babylon Feel This One", "She Used To Call Me" and "Real Good Time (aka Confrontation)" seem to show that he was working on quite a powerful record.

Overall this collection is a superb insight into the workings of  Bob Marley and The Wailers in the studio environment, before the mixing and the major label influences got a hold of the music.

Note that the sound quality is fantastic on the majority of these recordings, but the occasional track does have lower quality sound due to the nature of demos and rehearsals. All attempts have been made to improve sound quality on these tracks and I believe this collection has the best versions available.

Enjoy! 

Tracklisting:

Disc One: The "Catch A Fire" Sessions:


1) Concrete Jungle (Studio Demo)
2) Slave Driver (Studio Demo)
3) 400 Years (Studio Demo)
4) Stop That Train (Studio Demo)
5) Baby We've Got A Date (Studio Demo)
6) Stir It Up (Studio Demo)
7) Stir It Up (Acappella Vocal Mix)
8) Kinky Reggae (Studio Demo)
9) No More Trouble (Studio Demo)
10) Midnight Ravers (Studio Demo)
11) Stop That Train (Alternative Studio Demo)
12) Concrete Jungle (Studio Rehearsal)
13) Slave Driver (Studio Rehearsal)
14) Stop That Train (Studio Rehearsal)
15) Stir It Up (Studio Rehearsal)
16) Kinky Reggae (Studio Rehearsal)
17) No More Trouble (Studio Rehearsal)
18) Midnight Ravers (Studio Rehearsal Take One)
19) Midnight Ravers (Studio Rehearsal Take Two)


Disc Two: The "Burnin'" Sessions:


1) Get Up Stand Up (Studio Demo)
2) Get Up Stand Up (Alternative Studio Demo)
3) Get Up Stand Up (Original Un-Edited Version)
4) Get Up Stand Up (Acappella Vocal Mix)
5) Burnin' And Lootin' (Studio Demo)
6) I Shot The Sheriff (Studio Demo)
7) Put It On (Studio Demo)
8) Duppy Conqueror (Studio Demo Take One)
9) Duppy Conqueror (Studio Demo Take Two)
10) You Can't Blame The Youth (Studio Demo Take One)
11) You Can't Blame The Youth (Studio Demo Take Two)
12) Walk The Proud Land (Studio Demo)
13) No Sympathy (Studio Demo)
14) Rastaman Chant (Studio Demo)
15) Rastaman Chant (Studio Rehearsal)
16) The Oppressed Song (Studio Demo)
17) Reincarnated Souls (Studio Demo)
18) Iron Lion Zion (Studio Demo)

Disc Three: The "Natty Dread" Sessions:


1) Lively Up Yourself (Studio Demo)
2) Lively Up Yourself (Acappella Vocal Mix)
3) Lively Up Yourself (Alternative Studio Demo)
4) Lively Up Yourself (Studio Jam Rehearsal)
5) No Woman No Cry (Studio Demo Take One)
6) No Woman No Cry (Studio Demo Take Two)
7) No Woman No Cry (Piano Rehearsal)
8) Them Belly Full (Studio Demo)
9) Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)(Studio Demo)
10) So Jah Seh (Studio Demo)
11) Natty Dread (Studio Demo)
12) Bend Down Low (Studio Demo Take One)
13) Bend Down Low (Studio Demo Take Two)
14) Bend Down Low (Acappella Vocal Mix)
15) Revolution (Studio Demo Take One)
16) Revolution (Studio Demo Take Two)
17) Am A Do (Studio Demo Take One)
18) Am A Do (Studio Demo Take Two)
19) Talkin' Blues (Studio Demo)
20) Talkin' Blues Version (With I-Roy)
21) Keep The Faith (Unreleased Studio Demo)


Disc Four: The "Rastaman Vibration" Sessions:


1) Positive Vibration (Studio Demo)
2) Johnny Was (Studio Demo)
3) Want More (Studio Demo)
4) Want More (Studio Rehearsal)
5) Night Shift (Studio Rehearsal)
6) Who The Cap Fit (Studio Rehearsal)
7) Rat Race (Studio Demo)
8) War (Studio Demo)
9) Natural Mystic (Black Ark Studio Original)
10) Rainbow Country (Black Ark Studio Original)
11) Jungle Fever (Unreleased Studio Demo)
12) Soul Shake Up Party (Unreleased Studio Demo)
13) Can't Take Your Slogans No More (Studio Demo)
14) Running Away/Crazy Baldhead (Medley Studio Rehearsal)
15) Studio Jam Session (With The Sons Of Jah)


Disc Five: The "Exodus" Sessions:


1) Natural Mystic (Studio Demo)
2) So Much Things To Say (Studio Demo)
3) Guiltiness (Studio Demo)
4) Exodus (Studio Demo Take One)
5) Exodus (Studio Demo Take Two)
6) Jamming (Studio Demo Take One)
7) Jamming (Studio Demo Take Two)
8) Waiting In Vain (Studio Demo)
9) Turn Your Lights Down Low (Studio Demo Take One)
10) Turn Your Lights Down Low (Studio Demo Take Two)
11) One Love/People Get Ready (Studio Demo)
12) Punky Reggae Party (Studio Demo)
13) Roots (Studio Demo)
14) Exodus (Studio Rehearsal)
15) Jamming (Studio Rehearsal)
16) Three Little Birds (Studio Rehearsal)
  

Disc Six: The "Kaya" Sessions:


1) Easy Skanking (Studio Demo Take One)
2) Easy Skanking (Studio Demo Take Two)
3) Easy Skanking (Studio Demo Take Three)
4) Kaya (Studio Demo)
5) Is This Love (Studio Demo Take One)
6) Is This Love (Studio Demo Take Two)
7) Is This Love (Studio Demo Take Three)
8) Is This Love (Acappella Vocal Mix)
9) Sun Is Shining (Studio Demo)
10) She's Gone (Studio Demo)
11) Misty Morning (Studio Demo Take One)
12) Misty Morning (Studio Demo Take Two)
13) Satisfy My Soul (Studio Demo)
14) Crisis (Studio Demo)
15) Crisis (Studio Rehearsal)
16) Running Away (Studio Demo Take One)
17) Running Away (Studio Demo Take Two)
18) Time Will Tell (Studio Rehearsal)
  

Disc Seven: The "Survival" Sessions:


1) So Much Trouble In The World (Studio Demo)
2) Zimbabwe (Studio Demo)
3) Top Rankin' (Studio Demo Take One)
4) Babylon System (Studio Demo Take One)
5) Babylon System (Studio Demo Take Two)
6) Babylon System (Studio Demo Take Three)
7) Survival (Studio Demo)
8) Africa Unite (Studio Demo)
9) One Drop (Studio Demo Take One)
10) One Drop (Studio Demo Take Two)
11) Ambush In The Night (Studio Demo)
12) Soul Rebel (Unreleased Studio Demo 1978)
13) So Much Trouble In The World (Early Studio Rehearsal)
14) Top Rankin' (Studio Rehearsal)
15) Survival (Short Studio Rehearsal)
16) Zimbabwe (Studio Rehearsal)


Disc Eight: The "Survival/Uprising" Sessions:


1) Ride Natty Ride (Studio Demo Take One)
2) Ride Natty Ride (Studio Demo Take Two)
3) Ride Natty Ride (Studio Demo Take Three)
4) Ride Natty Ride (Alternative Studio Take)
5) Wake Up And Live (Studio Demo)
6) Real Situation (Studio Demo)
7) Bad Card (Studio Demo Take One)
8) Bad Card (Studio Demo Take Two)
9) Work (Studio Demo Take One)
10) Work (Studio Demo Take Two)
11) Zion Train (Studio Demo Take One)
12) Zion Train (Studio Demo Take Two)
13) We And Dem (Studio Demo Take One)
14) We And Dem (Studio Demo Take Two)
15) We And Dem (Studio Demo Take Three)
16) Pimper's Paradise (Studio Demo)
17) Redemption Song (Acoustic Studio Demo)


Disc Nine: The "Uprising/Confrontation" Sessions:


1) Could You Be Loved (Studio Demo Take One)
2) Could You Be Loved (Studio Demo Take Two)
3) Forever Loving Jah (Studio Demo Take One)
4) Forever Loving Jah (Studio Demo Take Two)
5) Redemption Song (Band Version) (Studio Demo Take One)
6) Redemption Song (Band Version) (Studio Demo Take Two)
7) Redemption Song (Band Version) (Studio Demo Take Three)
8) Redemption Song (Alternative Band Studio Demo Take One)
9) Redemption Song (Alternative Band Studio Demo Take Two)
10) Burn Down Babylon (Studio Demo Take One)
11) Burn Down Babylon (Studio Demo Take Two)
12) Stiff Necked Fools (Studio Demo)
13) Buffalo Soldier (King Sporty's Demo)
14) Buffalo Soldier (King Sporty's Mix)
15) Jump Nyabinghi (Studio Demo)
16) Mix Up Mix Up (Studio Demo Take One)
17) Mix Up Mix Up (Studio Demo Take Two)


Disc Ten: The "Confrontation/Black Ark/Final" Sessions:


1) Rastaman Live Up (Don't Give Up) (With The Meditations) (Original Version)
2) Blackman Redemption (With The Meditations) (Original Version)
3) Give Thanks And Praises (Studio Demo Take One)
4) Give Thanks And Praises (Studio Demo Take Two)
5) Trench Town (Studio Demo Take One)
6) Trench Town (Studio Demo Take Two)
7) I Know A Place (Black Ark Studio Original)
8) I Know A Place (Alternative Mix)
9) Who Colt The Game (Black Ark Studio Original)
10) Who Colt The Game (Alternative Mix)
11) Babylon Feel This One (Unreleased Studio Demo Take One)
12) Babylon Feel This One (Unreleased Studio Demo Take Two)
13) She Used To Call Me Dada (Unreleased Studio Demo)
14) Real Good Time (Bass Is Heavy)(AKA Confrontation)(Unreleased Studio Demo)
15) Wounded Lion (Unreleased Studio Demo Take One)
16) Wounded Lion (Unreleased Studio Demo Take Two)
17) You Talk Too Much (Let The Music Play) (Unreleased Studio Demo)

Bonus Tracks:
  
18) Real Good Time (Bass Is Heavy) (AKA Confrontation) (Full Length Studio Demo)
19) Wounded Lion (Full Length Studio Demo)
20) You Talk Too Much (Full Length Studio Demo)
21) Unknown Instrumental #One
22) Unknown Instrumental #Two
23) Unknown Instrumental #Three
24) Unknown Instrumental #Four
  

Bob Marley And The Wailers - Unreleased Studio Sessions 1972 - 1980:



Let us know what you think of this collection, leave a comment below or email us at either

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Please be aware that all download links are currently unavailable as of January 2023.
    


UPDATE 2016:

This excellent collection has been given extensive sound improvements and is available in 320kbps MP3. It also includes additional songs that were unavailable on the previous edition.

This collection has been a popular post on Sweet Rare Reggae Music since it was first released back in 2012 and we always encourage people to pass on the good vibes and share the music.

This collection has since appeared on a number of other blogs and websites (there is even a site that is selling physical copies of this collection for over $120!!) but don't be fooled people, although much of this material has been floating about for years this particular collection was created and compiled by Sweet Rare Reggae Music.

It's great that these rare recordings are getting heard and we work hard to make them available :-)