KINGSTON, Jamaica — Albums by Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Lee Perry and Toots and The Maytals are among Rolling Stone’s Best 75 Albums of 1975.
Critically acclaimed albums by Lee “Scratch” Perry (Revolution Dub), Burning Spear (Marcus Garvey), Bob Marley & the Wailers (Live!) and Toots and The Maytals (Funky Kingston) are among the albums which decorate Rolling Stone magazine’s 75 Best Albums of 1975.
The list, which was revealed earlier this week, also features Abba by Abba (75), There’s No Place Like America Today by Curtis Mayfield (68), One of These Nights by The Eagles (62), Adventures in Paradise by Minnie Riperton (48), The Heat is On by The Isley Brothers (36), Feel Like Makin Love by Roberta Flack (43) and Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan (#1).
Revolution Dub by Lee Perry and his studio band The Upsetters ranks at #50 on the listing. The nine-track project was recorded at Perry’s Black Ark Studio in Kingston.
Critics have described it as one of Perry’s most important and exemplary albums. It features Woman’s Dub, Doctor on the Go, Bush Weed and Own Man.
It was released by Cactus Records locally and via Sanctuary Records in the United Kingdom.
Burning Spear’s 10-track Marcus Garvey, which was produced by Lawrence Lindo, is described as the most political reggae album released in America at the time.
The album features musicians including Tyrone Downie, Earl “Chinna” Smith, Leroy Wallace and Aston “Family Man” Barrett and was recorded at Randy’s Recording Studio at North Parade in downtown Kingston.
The album, which ranks at #21 on the Rolling Stone list, features the songs Marcus Garvey, Slavery Days, The Invasion and Red Green and Gold.
Live! by Bob Marley and the Wailers was recorded live in concert at the Lyceum Theatre, London in July 1975. It is #18 on the Rolling Stone list.
Released by Island Records, the project has live versions of No Woman, No Cry (which became a hit as a single), Trenchtown Rock, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), Get Up Stand Up and I Shot the Sheriff.
Carlton Barrett, Al Anderson and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson are the musicians featured.
Live! has been certified gold in America, Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland, while in the Netherlands it has been certified platinum.
Described by critics as the country soul of roots reggae at its creative peak, Funky Kingston by Toots and The Maytals ranks at #6.
Recorded at Dynamic Sounds in Kingston and at Island Records studio in London, the album was produced by Chris Blackwell, Warwick Lyn and Dave Bloxham.
Funky Kingston peaked at #164 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in 1975 and is ranked at #344 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.
It was Jazz and Pop magazine’s 11th Best Album of 1975.
Its musicians include Neville Hinds (keyboards), Jackie Jackson (bass) and Paul Douglas (drums).
The featured tracks include Pressure Drop, Country Road, Pomps and Pride, Louie Louie and Time Tough.
— Kevin Jackson