Remixes can go one of two ways: They can be fresh and exciting or they can foul up your favorite song. Reworking the music of legendary artists is risky business, and when it comes to the late great Bob Marley the phrase "Why mess with perfection?" is to be taken seriously. There's no reason to even bother unless you can truly make an old song new, bringing it to life for another audience with fresh voices in the mix.
The new album Legend: Remixed reinterprets 15 Bob classics for the electronic dance music era. This bold new version of the most popular reggae album ever includes new mixes from Stephen and Ziggy Marley and such producers as Jason Bentley, Thievery Corporation, and Roni Size. Although Bob Marley might not have specialized in making "club bangers," his songs stand up well to beats heavy enough to keep the dance floor packed with raving ravers.
With Legend: Remixed dropping this week, the time seemed right to round up our favorite Bob remixes over the years. Though they represent many different genres the best of them have one thing in common: they all take something and flip it in unexpected ways without losing the integrity of the original. So here they are, from house to hip-hop to ambient to good old Jamaican dub, the toughest remixes of the Tuff Gong.
Written by Reshma B (@ReshmaB_RGAT)
RELATED: The 100 Best Bob Marley songs
RELATED: Do Androids Dance - The Best Remixes of 2013
RELATED: Pigeons & Planes - Awesome Remixes of 90s Songs
RELATED: Do Androids Dance? - The 10 Best Remixes of Bob Marley Songs That Aren't on "Legend Remixed"
Bob Marley "Exodus (Remix)" (2008)
Remix by: Lewi White & Smasher
Album: N/A
Exodus was one of Bob Marley's most complicated records, representing a time in his life when he was forced to flee Jamaica and spend a couple of years chilling in England following an assassination attempt in his homeland. The seven-minute-long song draws on diverse influences including Ernest Gold's score for the film Exodus. The British DJs and producers Lewi White and Smash drew on a whole different set of influences—including dubstep sounds and grime cadences—while putting together their 2008 remix of the title track to the album Time magazine called the best of the 20th century. It's a testament to the power of the original that it retains its timeless power after all this time.
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "Exodus" (1977)
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" (1997)
Remix by: Bill Laswell
Album: Dreams of Freedom
A master of cutting-edge audio experimentation, Laswell is the former bassist for Material, founder of Celluloid Records who collaborated with a wide range of renowned musicians, from Iggy Pop and Herbie Hancock to John Zorn, Brian Eno and David Byrne. Laswell brought an avant-garde sensibility to Dreams of Freedom his "ambient translations" of 11 Bob Marley classics into one nonstop musical dreamscape. In the album’s opening track, he transforms a militant cut about a police stop and search into a swirling atmosphere of subconscious tension that might resemble "chill-out music" if it weren't so ominous.
Original: "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" (1974)
Bob Marley & The Wailers "African Herbsman" (Remixed by Sen Dog of Cypress HIll) (2002)
Remix by: Sen Dog
Album: Hyper Remix
The title track from an early Wailers album started out as a cover of Richie Havens' psychdelic jam "Indian Ropeman." Besides substituting "herbs" for "rope" and "Africa" for "India," Bob added a wistful lyric about how "The remembrance of today is the sad feeling of tomorrow." Sen Dog of Cypress Hill lets the smoothness of the Wailers' original harmonies show, but roughs things up with some playful sampling and a pounding dance beat.
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "African Herbsman" (1971)
Bob Marley & The Wailers ft. Lee "Scratch" Perry "Punk Reggae Party" (Z-Trip Remix) (2013)
Remix by: Z-Trip
Album: Legend:Remixed
In the late 1970s British punks and dreads were mingling at local “blues dances” as bands like The Clash drew inspiration from Jamaican music, releasing covers like "Pressure Drop" and "Police and Thieves." During that same era Lee "Scratch" Perry linked with Bob in London to record the original version of this song. "Every musician that he worked with was just dumping out this great energy," says master DJ and remixer Z-Trip. "Top choice players and it was all music first." His new version features Scratch, a.k.a. The Upsetter, on vocals, who was willing to join the project despite his sometimes controversial remarks about his past dealings with the Wailers. Or maybe that’s just how he rolls. "He was extremely cavalier about what he did in the studio," says Z-Trip, who worked with Perry to maintain the same sort of energy on this new version.
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "Punky Reggae Party" (1977)
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Soul Shakedown Party" (Steve "Silk" Hurley Remix) (2002)
Remix by: Steve "Silk" Hurley
Album: N/A
Chicago house music pioneer Steve "Silk" Hurley has won numerous awards for his remix work. When he put a four-on-the-floor beat behind this early Leslie-Kong produced Wailers cut, he gave the dusty groove a second life. Silk’s Chitown dance floor spin on the track highlights The Wailers’ harmonies, which sound more ethereal than ever. The beat never drags as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer extend a musical invitation to a party you don't want to miss.
Original: The Wailers "Soul Shakedown Party" (1969)
Bob Marley ft. Busta Rhymes & Flipmode Squad "Rastaman Chant" (1999)
Remix by: Stephen Marley
Album: Chant Down Babylon
Putting Busta Rhymes on a new version of the Wailers classic "Rastaman Chant" was a stroke of genius. Busta brings an approachability to a lyrically powerful song that can be somewhat threatening to ears less used to the Rasta way of life. Busta seems to be thriving on this spiritual energy and the end result was one of strongest cuts on the whole Chant Down Babylon album as the dreadlocked hip-hop star sings "Babylon your throne gone down” and drops ferociously precise rhymes over a blend of breakbeats and Niyabinghi drums. Rarely do old tracks and new artists mesh so perfectly.
Original: The Wailers "Rastaman Chant" (1973)
Bob Marley "Three Little Birds" (Remix) (2013)
Remix by: Stephen Marley & Jason Bentley
Album: Legend:Remixed
"It's a song about hope," says Stephen Marley about "Three Little Birds," a standout cut off one of his father's best-loved albums, Exodus. Handling Bob's work with maximum respect for the Legend: Remixedproject, Stephen and Jason Bentley employed a less-is-more approach. "On this particular track I changed the drums," Marley explains. "Me put in some acoustic guitar to give it that breezy feel." You can call it "old school meets new school," but Stephen thinks of it as "shedding a different shade of light on it." He's not worried about a thing, just making sure "every little thing is gonna be alright."
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "Three Little Birds" (1977)
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Waiting In Vain Dub" (2010)
Remix by: Unknown
Album: In Dub Vol. 1
There are surprisingly few dub versions of Bob Marley songs in circulation. Apart from the flip sides of Tuff Gong 45s, no official Marley dub album has ever been released. But back around 2000 a collection of 15 cuts known in certain circles as "The Blackwell Dubs" began to make the rounds among Marley collectors. Little is known about the release—which was finally gjve an official release in 2010 as In Dub Vol. 1—but there’s no doubt that the mystery dub mixer was working with Bob’s original multitrack recordings. This sublime mix of "Waiting In Vain" reveals the song's melodic beauty by stripping the original down to its essence then building the vibes back up to higher heights.
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "Waiting In Vain" (1977)
Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe "Sun Is Shining" (Remix) (1999)
Remix by: Funkstar De Luxe
Album: Keep On Moving (It's Too Funky In Here)
Leave it to Martin Ottesen, aka DJ Funkstar Deluxe from Brussels, Belgium to turn this quirky Wailers gem into the original party anthem. First released on Club Tools Records the single has taken on a life of its own, hitting the Top 10 all across Europe. Talk about flipping a track: the original features a plastic melodica and reminds ganja-puffing listeners to move their dancing feet in the sunshine while the synthesizer-driven remix gets pill-popping revelers amped up for the summer party season. No telling how many people have booked tickets to Ibiza after hearing the tune but our guess is a lot. Of course some reggae purists are horrified by the whole thing, which explains the following YouTube video comment: “For all the whiny turds that complain about the title, I've added the word ‘Remix.’ So don't squirt your pants!” Excellent advice.
Original: The Wailers "Sun Is Shining" (1971)
Bob Marley ft. Lauryn Hill "Turn Your Lights Down Low" (1999)
Remix by: Stephen Marley
Album: Chant Down Babylon
Bob was inspired to write "Turn Your Lights Down Low" by his love for Cindy Breakspeare, the mother of his youngest son Damian. Somehow it seemed fitting for Lauryn to sing this duet with Bob given her ongoing romance with Rohan Marley, infusing the song with a whole new female perspective, and a next level of anticipation and hype. Rohan even co-starred in the video for the song, which hit the U.S. charts at a time when Lauryn was one of the biggest stars in pop music and speculation about her private life had reached an all-time high. These realities only made the song’s romantic yearning for privacy seem all the more genuine. The new version adds just enough boom-bap to the drums as L-Boogie rhymes and sings, paying due respect to Bob's original while still making the song very much her own.
Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers "Turn Your Lights Down Low" (1977)
