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Bob Marley and the Wailers: Roots, Rock, Remixed

By Keith Hannaleck

Artist: Bob Marley and the Wailers
Title: Roots, Rock, Remixed
Genre: Reggae-Electronica
Label: Tuff Gong/Rockr
Purchase this CD: iTunes Store

Bob Marley’s importance goes beyond that of any other reggae artist past or present. Now I’m not, nor have I ever have been a big reggae fan, but Bob Marley is a big exception. He left his mark in music and put an indelible mark upon the consciousness of an entire generation because of what his music stood for – smokin’ a spliff and chillin’ with good friends.

Now we have another remix of legendary tracks, which makes any purist suspicious right from the beginning. Roots, Rock, Remixed, while an ambitious project, falls short in many areas. It starts strong with “Soul Shakedown Party” (see free download link provided), a very cool mix-down that preserves and accentuates the Lion of Zion’s legend with a modern twist. In fact, all the way through to track 8, I was hanging with this. I noticed there was a progression of dilution that emerged with each passing track after that and for a number of reasons that pointed directly to an overstating of today’s technology (too much knob turning). I have to be honest, as track 10 droned on, the monotony of the trance beats kicked in and I shut it down - I was finished with this.

There is an audience for this recording; it’s the Red Bull guzzling 20 something crowd that gets into a groove listening to electronic and dance music - with some psychoactive drug experimentation mixed in. Now there has been plenty of techno/turntable music that I have found very interesting in the past, however with Marley’s music I found it to be a sacrilege and an affront to his art and memory. There are plenty of people who will feel otherwise, but after hearing this CD I am not amongst them.

Reviewed - July 23, 2007

Tracks:

01. Soul Shakedown Party (Afrodisiac Sound System Remix) (4:02)
02. Lively Up Yourself (Bombay Dub Orchestra Remix) (4:11)
03. Duppy Conqueror (Fort Knox Five Remix) (4:28)
04. Sun Is Shining (Yes King Remix) (5:16)
05. Soul Rebel (Afrodisiac Sound System Remix) (4:36)
06. African Herbsman (King Kooba Remix) (4:36)
07. Don't Rock My Boat (STUHR Remix) (4:39)
08. Small Axe (Paul & Price Remix) (4:50)
09. Rainbow Country (DJ Spooky's Subliminal Funk Remix) (4:20)
10. Trenchtown Rock (Trio Electrico Remix) (4:51)
11. 400 Years (Jimpster Remix) (6:18)
12. One Love (Cordovan Remix) (5:17)

About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.

Hannaleck built and maintained his own website in 1998 while networking and building his reputation through thousands of reviews and interviews, creating a special niche for himself. Through many years of dedication and hard work, he has reached a respected level of competence and knowledge that is frequently sought by the music industry today. Known for his speaking from the heart interpretations of music and being able to put it in layman’s terms for music fans, his work is found everywhere in cyberspace and in traditional print media, from press kits to quotes from reviews in magazine advertisements.