Bob Marley & the Wailers - Live at the Roxy: The Complete Concert (2003)

Bob Marley and the Wailers were on tour promoting their newly released album, Rastaman Vibration, when they arrived at the Roxy nightclub in Hollywood, CA, for a performance on May 26, 1976. At the height of their early American fame -- Rastaman Vibration would become their only Top Ten album in the U.S. -- they were also a seasoned concert act. They played the same songs featured on their compelling album Live! (a U.K. hit not yet released in America at that time), plus songs from their new record, before a small audience that combined acolytes with industry figures. In 2002, when Island Records issued its Rastaman Vibration (Deluxe Edition), the ten songs that made up the main part of the show were included as part of the package's second disc; a notable addition that gave a good sense of the band playing the new material. Of course, you had to buy the whole set to get the show. Here, in a move to alleviate that situation, and also create yet another piece of Marley product, Island put out the Roxy show separately; expanding it to two discs by including the encore, which consists of a performance of "Positive Vibration," and a 24-minute medley comprising "Get Up Stand Up," "No More Trouble," and "War." Completists will have to buy it to get the second disc, while others will have another Marley concert on disc. So, the release addresses both Marley's rabid fan base and, potentially, newcomers. It's good marketing, but you can't help thinking that at this point, Island is tipping over the edge of exploiting consumers by repeatedly repackaging the same material instead of serving the public. Still, the encore is the hottest part of the show and, once you've heard it, it's hard to imagine the concert without it. (William Ruhlmann. AllMusic)