Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising Live! (2014)

Less than a year after the June 13, 1980 Bob Marley and the Wailers performance recorded and originally broadcast on the German TV program Rockpalast, the king of reggae would succumb to his long fight with cancer. Consequently, the DVD/CD set Uprising Live! that revives this superb showing represents not only Marley and his 10-piece band at its latter-day height, but also the legend’s final tour. At nearly two hours, with 23 songs including four from the I Threes, the collection is a definitive portrait of a resilient Marley valiantly staring down his fate.

Opening with the Wailers band backing the I Threes for a quartet of tracks including Marcia Griffiths' classic Steppin’ Out of Babylon, it isn’t until the pulsing intro Marley Chant that Marley’s arrival on stage becomes imminent. Perhaps slightly gaunt, there are otherwise no indicators of his waning health. Like a leaf in the grasp of the island breeze, unencumbered he dips and sways to the backbeat of the Barrett brothers; the late Carly on drums and Family Man on bass. There’s a full supply of masterworks in the set, the guitars of Al Anderson and Junior Marvin both present to provide their signatures to No Woman, No Cry and Is This Love, respectively.

Never content to remain in place, Marley and crew push his seminal brand of roots reggae into then-contemporary territory, the dual keyboard attack of Tyrone Downie and ‘Wire’ Lindo elevating Could You Be Loved and Exodus each to a funky frenzy. The Dortmund audience loves it all, roaring with every Marley movement, as the Rasta shaman implores the faithful on an impassioned, set-closing Get Up, Stand Up. Hinting back to Marley Chant the “Lively Up Yourself” finale has the dreadlocked dynamo bounding offstage, a rapturous crowd pleading for more as band introductions call an end to the festivities.

Rockpalast is a preeminent music program known worldwide and has been running strong since 1974. A hallmark of the era, and proud of its concert recordings, its effort certainly does Marley and the Wailers justice. Filmed for television, the quality of the source material, both visually and sonically, was strong from the outset, still retaining the onscreen titles generated by the broadcast. It’s sharp, in a relative sense, if at times hindered by stage lighting, with a boosted audio mix that more than exemplifies the airtight Wailers’ road-tested arrangements. Lacking any bonus footage, a quibble for those wanting more Marley, the DVD appears to present the show as it aired, including in its original screen proportions.

Over three decades since his passing, there remains tremendous historical significance to any recording of Bob Marley & The Wailers. However, not all recordings are created equally, and while the historical significance measures their value in one regard, the ability to effectively convey Marley’s majesty or simply entertain at times falls short. Gratefully, not so with Uprising Live!. Captured with some of the better technology available to its time, this is a wonderfully spirited performance from a man and a group that sadly would be gone far too soon.by Larson Sutton