This collection of early Wailers tracks is comprehensively everything the true reggae/ Jamaican music collector needs. A virtually infinite number of Marley cd's have come out with seemingly hundreds of versions of songs unreleased on the major Island recordings, making it impossible to own all the non-Island songs. This box from JAD captures (in much, much better quality) almost every song being sold off on shady labels. I've yet to find any songs on the "All the Best of..." albums that's not on one of the volumes of this series. Another MAJOR added bonus is the collection of never before available Lee "Scratch" Perry "versions" of the original Wailers recordings. (A "version" is the instrumental track of the song, often mixed up a little bit with sound effects and other miscellaneous knick knacks (including beautiful rasta drumming on some tracks in Vol. 2 of the series), which eventually led to the breathtaking genre of dub.) Perry's productions are amazing and essential to reggae, rocksteady, and especially dub fans alike. These version tracks are certainly not filler on the album. They are worth the price of the album alone. This album is far from Babylon capitalism; it is a creative, comprehensive look at the ska and rocksteady beginnings of the Wailers, not only in style, but also in the very same songs they would record as reggae tracks a few years later, as well as a look at the dub production beginnings of Scratch Perry. With the original roots of classic Marley cuts, personal religious non-reggae hymns, covers of classic funk and soul songs, and killer proto-dub, this album is crucial.

Put a handsome wrapper around a horrible ripoff and all you've done if try to deceive. These are substandard rehearsal cuttings all musicians accumulate and no artist would take seriously or want to share with a trusting or respectful public. This marketing scam marks a new lowpoint in disrespect of Marley's memory.

I spent good money on this and two other Marley sets thinking they were a big special thing from the packaging, and I could've cried at the money I wasted. It's not fair to put these leftovers out as mainline recordings. They sound awful and depress you to be around. I'm sure Bob felt likewise.

There's too many Marley packages and boxes and what-have-you in stores that are glaringly there to hustle people who don't know his best work. And this is way too expensive to justify the odd peek yet get at his weakest sessions. Save your money for "Songs of Freedom."

This extremely primitive mishmash of fourth-rate Marley worktapes and studio scraps is a sad exercise in exploitation and should be avoided. Babylon capitalism at its worst.