The CRUCIAL REGGAE series faces something of an impossible task in its Bob Marley volume--that of summarizing the career of a performer who for many people is the only reggae artist they know. Here the strategy is one of compiling early versions of a dozen of Marley's best-loved songs, recorded in the early '70s with the legendary Lee Perry. Perry's production gives an early inkling of the Wailers' future sound, slowing down their previously sprightly ska rhythms and highlighting the rhythm section, while retaining the trio of Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Bunny Livingstone's sublime vocal harmonies. While the international success of albums such as CATCH A FIRE and BURNIN' was still a couple of years off, these recordings capture Marley and his bandmates in both relaxed and experimental moods.