34. Bob Marley and the Wailers, ‘Live!’ (1975)


34. Bob Marley and the Wailers, ‘Live!’ (1975)
Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1975 Natty Dread tour began in America, where some 15,000 fans watched the reggae band perform in Central Park. By the time they crossed the Atlantic, the verdict was in: After two sold-out shows at London's Lyceum, a Melody Maker cover story pronounced Bob "possibly the greatest superstar to visit these shores since the days when Dylan conquered the concert halls of Britain." Neither of these gigs were intended to be recorded, but when Island Records founder Chris Blackwell witnessed the madness of the first, he made sure that the Rolling Stones' mobile studio was parked outside the venue for the second. The result was a song collection of pointed lyrics, political chants and funk grooves enlivened by new guitarist Al Anderson. The seven-minute "No Woman, No Cry" reached the U.K. Top 10 and remains the definitive version of the classic song, eventually appearing as track two of the 15-times-platinum Legend set. Even the mic feedback that echoes over the first verse has become imbued with emotion. Nick Murray