I could never figure out which was the best of the Marley albums, so eventually I bought all the Island era albums and a few more too... then I bought this one. Now I know which is the best--it's this one!

I love both of the other live albums, Live and Babylon By Bus. They are both great, with fine song selections, and raucous, thumping performances of favorite concert numbers. But they are stadium rock, I mean reggae, and the clapping, singing crowds are out there in the distance. With this one it feels like a club atmosphere. It may have been more that a quarter century ago, but this CD set takes you RIGHT THERE. You are right in the audience, but close to the stage. The sound quality is awesome, the performances are glowing, and the finale on the second CD makes you wish it would go on for ever.

I assume that if you are reading this that you are broadly familiar with Mr. Marley's songs, so I won't even attempt to describe them, All I will say is that if you like this line up of songs, you are going to love this album.

I would buy this even before Legend. In fact I did, come to think of it.

Here is the key to my star ratings.

* A really worthless CD...

Although I never had the pleasure to see Bob live, I have seen enough archival footage to know what an electric performer he was. Listening to this CD I can almost feel myself in the audience. This is a reggae sonic explosion. There is so much going on musically from great guitar solos to the incredible backing and harmonies of the I-Threes that I find myself listening to 20-30 second sections over and over again, they are that good. I put this in my car about 5 days ago and it has not come out. The medley on disc two is just mesmerizing. This would make it to the desert island with me and I am sure that I would never get sick of it. Truly an amazing performance by an incredible man(band) that should be cherished. Natty Dread!

This was the concert that launched Marley in the US. In it he plays the songs from Rastaman Vibration, his breakout album. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as one of the greatest concerts of all time. It was important for many reasons, but probably the main reason was the star-studded audience that was there to see him. He had already made himself known in America, but this concert would cement his reputation. His songs of freedom spoke of an embattled nation but at the same time reached people in a way no other music had before from the developing world. The Wailers were anchored by Marley, Tosh and Bunny Wailer, but also included the I-Threes, those "three little birds" that included Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and his wife Rita. They literally filled the stage not only with their voluminous presence but with the joyful music they sang. As a result of this concert, Rastaman Vibration rose to the top of the charts, and Marley became a household name. It really doesn't get any better than this.

For great artists, the live performance is always better than studio recordings and the Marley live recordings always deliver. Live at the Roxy is great because it has a real nice tight feel, most likely from the club setting. The sound quality is great, the crowd noise actually adds somehow to the listening experience instead of disturbing it. Live at the Roxy is a great buy and a must have for any Marley fan, however, it is not as powerful as Babylon by Bus. Babylon by Bus, in my humble opinion, is still the high watermark for available Bob Marley live recordings and is probably one of the greatest albums one could possibly own.

I read the reviews. I went out and bought the CD. They got it right. (At least all the 5 star reviews!) This is an awesome CD, great sound, great songs, great groove, just plain great. One guys says the show is SLOW. (??) Come on mon! It'sa reggae-mon! Got no hurries and no worries.

I've only listened a couple times so far, but this is one of my fav Marley discs. I also recommend the Deluxe Edition of Exodus. With those two and of course the ever present Legend, you pretty much have a complete view of Bob Marley.