That, "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Exodus" are good candidates for funky tracks that Bob did IMO.

Ooooooweeeee. . . that was a sexy lil man. Get Up Stand Up is funkay as hell, so is Crisis.


[Edited 4/16/08 10:40am]

I really like Exodus, too.

400 years

That man's entire catalog is ferocious, but there is something about Exodus that just immediately comes to the fore in my mind.

Could You Be Loved was the one that came to mind All his stuff is funky, but that one has a great energy. You could play it at a club.

NDRU said:

Exactly. You wouldn't really expect tracks like "I Shot The Sheriff" to fill a dance floor, but hell, even Madonna fans would probably have to get up for this one.

I Shot The Sheriff is probably one of the funkiest tracks I've ever heard. Those bass riffs throughout the song, especially at the end, just knocks my boots off. I haven't payed a lot of attention to Bob's stuff lately, but I'm going to get back into it though. But I Shot The Sheriff has been getting a lot of plays often.
[Edited 4/16/08 11:02am]

Lammastide said:

Agreed 'Exidas', as they sing it on the record , has one of the truly monster bass lines in all music. Aston 'Family Man' Barrett is probably my favourate bass player of all time, and that is perhaps his main calling card. Him and his late brother Carly had something very special going down in the Wailers. Brothers in rhythm from the womb, they were.

I'm also partial to 'The Heathen' and 'Natural Mystic' for their funky, loping grooves.

I love funk and its relations, but some of the baddest basslines and riddims of all surely come from roots reggae.

Miles said:

True indeed! Have you heard the dubbed out version on Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub? Its the dub album that Bill Laswell did a while back. Its amazing!

stuff on the first two albums is pretty fierce too.

Maybe I need 2 re-listen. I could never get into this cat. I have not listen 2 his stuff in 20 years. I do like I shot the sheriff. My cousin released a cover version of that many moons ago in Chicago.

Could You Be Loved, Exodus, Satisfy My Soul and Jah Will Be Waiting There!

Man, I love watching Bob perform. The brother was intense. Check out this performance of "I Shot The Sheriff". It's great all the way through, but at the 2.20 mark Bob puts the guitar aside and things really start heating up. From then on, it's high octane stuff. That's a real performer. No dancers, no gimmicks, just naked power.


[Edited 4/16/08 15:19pm]

Graycap23 said:

Wow. I thought everyone loved Bob. If you have a really divirse group and need a crowd pleaser, its a no-brainer.

I vote for Trenchtown Rock (Live)-Play it and feel no pain.

I got another funky candidate:

"Lively Up Yourself" (early 1970s):

Forgot about "Crazy Baldheads". Serious groove, that one is.

"Satisfy My Soul", "I Shot The Sheriff", "Jamming", "Could You Be Loved", "Positive Vibration" and "Exodus" are the one's that come to mind right away for me.

unkemptpueblo said:

Yes. I have this album, and it's pretty good overall. I like the extended dub-outs on there, particularly Laswell's mix of 'Exodus' and of course 'The Heathen' especially.

I would now add 'Burnin' and Lootin' - another cool one, that. And 'Sun is Shining' (the Lee Perry Wailers original of this is just eerie) and 'Concrete Jungle'.
[Edited 4/17/08 13:56pm]

I don't usually like messing with an artists work, but the Chant Down Babylon CD is superb, and well funky. Worth checking out.

Damn, that vid of Lively Up Yourself is gone now but I remember them playing a super funky version in a little club in Sausalito, CA back in the late 70's.

That tune and Kinky Reggae are two of the funkiest in Bob's catalog.