Natty Dread rides again!
Started Friday's Sound Travels with a cut from the soon to be released Legend Remixed, a sonic revision of Bob Marley's iconic 1984 album, Legend. Though this isn't the first time the visionary reggae prophet has been remixed, I can tell you it is probably the best. Due out on Island/Tuff Gong/Universal on June 25, Sound Travels was blessed with a copy and I thought I'd share the news as well.
First, thought I'd share some facts about the album that I seem to recall was owned by nearly everyone:
- Bob Marley and The Wailers' LEGEND is the world's best-selling reggae album with global sales exceeding 40 million copies, including more than 14 million in the U.S. alone.
- The RIAA Diamond®-certified album holds the distinction of being the second longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine, second only to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon.
- In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked LEGEND at No. 46 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.
Needless to say, a proper remix of this timeless album is a big deal. And for the most part it succeeds despite my initial doubts. A few things struck me when I took it in for the first time: the album is creatively controlled by his family and you'll be surprised to hear adeptly Marley's sons take to remixing his originals. Both Stephen and Ziggy feature their own take on Bob's classics and they're joined by some of the biggest names on the EDM scene like Pretty Lights, Thievery Corporation, Jason Bentley, Z-Trip with Lee "Scratch" Perry, Photek, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Roni Size, RAC, Beats Antique as well as Nickodemus & Zeb.
Really, this thing could snowball into something very popular. The fourth track on the album, "Three Little Birds," was remixed by Stephen Marley and DJ/producer Jason Bentley and is already the anthem for Hyundai's new Assurance Connected Care Program. Prior to its television debut, "Three Little Birds" made its television debut on May 14 with free downloads available to the first 15,000 fans through Hyundai's Facebook and YouTube channels and is also available for sale through all digital retailers.
Hyundai also supported the creation of the "Making of Legend Remixed" documentary, a short film about the creation of the new album including interviews with the Marley family and the musicians and remixers involved.
