Bob Marley: Uprising Live!

Bob Marley's superstar status owes something to his trademark fiery performances. Uprising Live!, a former bootleg finally making its home video debut, hails from Marley's final tour—a 1980 concert recorded at Dortmund's Westfalenhalle for the German music series Rockpalast. The Uprising tour would continue that fall, but ended when Marley fell ill. In cooperation with the Marley estate, Eagle Vision presents a restored version of the recording which still looks somewhat soft and dark, possibly because of an under-lit stage, although the colors are vibrant, and there are ample close-ups. Marley's singing sounds strained at times, which is why this concert, despite a generous selection of hits (including “No Woman, No Cry,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” and “Jamming”) and two encores, still feels like a cut below his usual high-quality performances. The 23-song set begins with four tunes from Marley's backing singers, the I Threes (Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita). Afterwards, he enters to the hypnotic “Marley Chant,” joining band members Al Anderson and Junior Marvin (guitars), Aston Barrett (bass), Tyrone Downie (keyboards), Earl Lindo (electric piano), Carlton Barrett (drums), and Alvin Patterson (congas). It's a strong ensemble, and he works well with them (when he isn't dancing, Marley adds a third guitar to the mix). Highlights include “Coming in From the Cold” and an especially impassioned “I Shot the Sheriff.” All told, this is a solid show, but Marley newcomers might want to familiarize themselves with his 1970s material first, or watch Kevin Macdonald's documentary Marley, which provides a fuller context for this tour. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, this is recommended. (K. Fennessy)