African Herbsman

Reviewed by:
David Peisner

There are tons of shady bootlegs, shoddy recordings, and shameful repackagings of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ music floating around. This is not one of them. For years, African Herbsman was only available as an import or a bootleg, so it’s often been confused as a throwaway, but it’s anything but. Originally released in 1973, it features some of the Wailers initial studio forays with legendary producer/madman Lee Perry. It also marks the first appearance of future Marley favorites such as “Lively Up Yourself,” “Trenchtown Rock,” and “Keep on Moving.” But in sharp contrast to the more rock-oriented direction the Wailers often navigated toward, Perry concentrates on the tunes’ languorous rhythms and hypnotic grooves. The 10 previously unreleased bonus tracks, which feature alternate takes of “Small Axe,” “Duppy Conqueror,” “Kaya,” and others, accentuate Perry’s rhythm-go-forward approach, and while they may only be of interest to reggae diehards, taken on its own, the record is an unimpeachable classic.

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