Captured live in 1977 while on tour for the Exodus album, {=Live! At the Rainbow} captures the Wailers, sans Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, at an ambitious stage of their career. Offering a more driven and tense show than the 1979 Santa Barbara concert that was released on DVD as {=Legend Live}, {=Rainbow} is as exhausting as it is rousing. Hits like "I Shot the Sheriff," "Jamming," and "Get Up, Stand Up" are more urgent than they would become in their later, more languid performances, and the difference is worth experiencing. Not that Bob Marley & the Wailers were ever complacent or lazy, but the rebellious fire that the English punks were being called to is evident here. The way Bob twitches like a puppet on a string would soon be replaced by a more easy skanking, and background singers the I-Threes would become more soulful sisters than the horn section-emulating trio they are here. The excitement generated by this more driven Wailers could start a discussion on whether all the maturation was really better for the band, but for those who come to Bob Marley through the Clash and the punkier side of ska, this show is most certainly gold. The between-song applause sounds canned and it feels like some of the original concert has been edited out, but the short documentary on Marley's home given by Jamaican tour guides is an excellent DVD-only bonus and cancels out the concert portion's few shortcomings. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide