Producers include: Bob Marley & The Wailers, Chris Blackwell, Steve Smith, Alex Sadkin.

Reissue producer: Bill Levenson.

Includes liner notes by Neil Spencer.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

When Bob Marley brought the sounds of reggae to a worldwide stage, he did so on a platform of Rastafarian beliefs with songs that addressed social injustice. REBEL MUSIC is a collection of Marley's songs that simultaneously speaks of the oppressed masses and calls for justice. Examples of Marley's more overtly religious material include "War/No More Trouble" (inspired by a speech made by the Emperor Haille Selassie, Rastafarian spiritual leader) and "Crazy Baldhead" (the term used for non-believers).

Marley also turns to the past, whether it is the injustices of slavery over hundreds of years ("Slave Driver") or witnessing firsthand the abject poverty around him during a childhood spent in the impoverished Trenchtown section of Kingston ("Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)." All this was accomplished with the help of a select group of crack musicians including the I-Threes (whose harmonies are prominent in the title track) and the Barrett Brothers rhythm section, who soldiered on after the departures of Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Along with the surprisingly upbeat title track, REBEL MUSIC is made complete with a live version of "Get Up, Stand Up," the quintessential protest song.

What the critics say...

Q (8/02, p.145) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A resume of MArley's more politically-inclined anthems..."
Uncut (8/02, p.123) - 3.5 out of 5 - "...The tougher side of The Wailers output..."