The Wailing Wailers
| Bob Marley
The Wailing Wailers
The Wailing Wailers is the debut album by The Wailers published on the Studio Onelabel. Originally released in very late 1965 and compiled from various recordings made over the years 1964-1965 by Neville Bunny Livingston, Robert Bob Nesta Marley and Peter Tosh McIntosh, it compiles what Clement Coxsone Dodd considered the best Wailers recordings from this period. They were accompanied by the Studio One backing band, The Soul Brothers. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Pitchfork
Not only does The Wailing Wailers highlight the first major recordings of Bob Marley, but the happy, bouncy, optimistic sound is also the sound of post-independence Jamaica.
-
All Music
The Wailing Wailers is a snapshot of the Wailers as they were first finding their feet from 1964 to 1966, and if the grand vision hadn't quite cohered for them yet, the talent was clearly there, and it's a fun listen as well as documenting a handful of legends when they were young and eager.
-
Reggae Vibes
Listen to the 1965 released single “Lonesome Feeling” and hear how the vocals of the six singers are bouncing around, which – although it seemingly creates some chaos – makes the song so special. Also included here is the awesome “Love & Affection” and a great early version of “One Love”, their most famous song with inspiring lyrics, played and sung and loved all over the world.
-
Sputnik Music
The Wailing Wailers was recorded between 1963 and 1965 at Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd studio, so don't expect a clean and smooth post-1973 sound. Nevertheless, it's still very interesting to listen to the first versions of 'One Love', 'Put It On' or 'When Your Well Runs Dry' and to understand how they evolved through time. Furthermore 'Rude Boy', 'Love or Affection' or 'Simmer Down' are excellent Ska tracks.
-
New York Public Library
The common thread binding these genres to Reggae is that unmistakable guitar chop on the upbeat, denoted by perhaps my favorite musical term: the 'skank'. There is simply no better example of a culture internalizing external influences and making it their own than when Jamaican artists took the shuffle of American Rhythm & Blues, turned the beat on its head, and came up with Ska!
-
Ultimate Classic Rock
There's not much focus here (which isn't too surprising since the songs weren't originally made for an LP) and some of the song choices are odd (like Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "What's New Pussycat?"). But there are signs of things to come – most directly on the early version of Marley's "One Love," which he'd later rework on 1977's 'Exodus' into one of his best songs. The tracks here are more period ska than pure reggae, but the best of them – like "Rude Boy" and "Simmer Down" – paved the way for his legacy.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments