On December 11, twelve limited-edition Bob Marley vinyl LP’s, each numbered and pressed exclusively at the legendary Tuff Gong International headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, will be available, featuring nine original studio albums and two original live albums, plus the world’s best-selling reggae album, Legend, all including a highly-desirable Tuff Gong stamp. Additionally, Catch A Fire, originally recorded by The Wailers in Jamaica and eventually released with overdubs and a mix overseen by Island founder Chris Blackwell at the label’s London headquarters, will be available in its original Jamaica-recorded version, with two extra tracks from the sessions and some tracks with longer fades. Produced entirely by Bob Marley & the Wailers and mixed by longtime Marley associate Errol Brown, this Jamaican version will be on vinyl for the first time.
The limited-edition albums were pressed at Tuff Gong’s newly refurbished vinyl pressing plant, which re-opened in summer 2020 and will have an annual capacity of 250,000 units. Each album was mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters in Los Angeles.
On November 20, the twelve titles will also be available on premium half-speed mastered vinyl. This specialist artisan process results in a more detailed representation of the original sound source cuts, with a far superior high-frequency (treble) response, and richer and fuller low to middle frequencies. All tracks were mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Drawing exclusively on images from the Marley family archives, Bob Marley: Portrait of the Legend showcases over 150 photographs in celebration of the life of one of the greatest musical and socio-political icons of twentieth-century pop culture. Making the most of its oversize pages, the book is designed as a monument to Marley’s influence, mixing the iconic and the intimate, bringing together striking images of his on-stage performances, along with glimpses into his creative process in and out of the studio, and family life in Jamaica.
About the release, Ziggy Marley said, “I am blessed to present to you this very special collection of photographs from our archives. There is a cliché term, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” From my experience of looking through hundreds and hundreds of photos for this book, I will say, yes, it is true.”
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