History YMMV / BobMarley

*** Further expansion: Bob sang lead on, and wrote, most of The Wailers' 60s and early 70s material. By 1970, the band were being credited as Bob Marley And The Wailers even when Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer sang and contributed their own material. Chris Blackwell insisted that ''Music/CatchAFire'' and ''Music/{{Burnin}}'' be credited to The Wailers in order to give all the members equal credit, but Trojan and Studio One's releases from the same time period credited Bob Marley And The Wailers. When Peter and Bunny left a couple of years later, the band officially became Bob Marley And The Wailers again and it made almost no difference to their sound (female vocalists, I-Threes, replaced them on harmonies and none of Peter or Bunny's songs were used, with the exception of previously recorded ones being played live). Most people didn't know they were in the band.

** Subverted with "I Shot The Sheriff." Most people know that Music/EricClapton's version is a cover, but said cover was also a much bigger hit than Marley's. This is also true of Music/JohnnyNash's Stir It Up; the Wailers 'Catch A Fire' version was never released as a single but it was included on ''Legend'' due to familiarity.

* EarWorm[=/=][[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Crowning Music of Awesome]]

** "My Cup", one of the most famous Lee Perry era tracks, is a cover of the obscure James Brown track "I've Got To Cry Cry Cry".

** Subverted with "I Shot The Sheriff." Most people know that Music/EricClapton's version is a cover, but said cover was also a much bigger hit than Marley's. This is also true of Johnny Nash's Stir It Up; the Wailers 'Catch A Fire' version was never released as a single but it was included on Legend due to familiarity.

** Subverted with "I Shot The Sheriff." Most people know that Music/EricClapton's version is a cover, but said cover was also a much bigger hit than Marley's.

* NewerThanTheyThink: Although "One Love (People Get Ready)" was included on the 1977 album ''Music/{{Exodus}}'', it wasn't released as a single during Marley's lifetime. In fact, it was only released as a single in 1984, in order to promote the posthumous compilation ''Music/{{Legend}}'' on which it appears. Yet it is always included alongside the ''"Exodus"'' singles on compilations, despite the fact that the average listener would not have heard of the song in 1977.

* AcceptableTargets: The police and anyone in government authority, collectively identified as "Babylon." The term itself continues to this day.

* FaceOfTheBand: Of course.

* NewerThanTheyThink: Although "One Love (People Get Ready)" was included on the 1977 album ''Music/{{Exodus}}'''', it wasn't released as a single during Marley's lifetime. In fact, it was only released as a single in 1984, in order to promote the posthumous compilation ''Music/{{Legend}}'' on which it appears. Yet it is always included alongside the ''"Exodus"'' singles on compilations, despite the fact that the average listener would not have heard of the song in 1977.

* CoveredUp: "One Love (People Get Ready)" is this of "People Get Ready" by The Impressions. Whilst "People Get Ready" is a relatively famous song in its own right, "One Love" is much more famous.

* NewerThanTheyThink: Although ''"One Love (People Get Ready)"'' was included on the 1977 album ''Music/{{Exodus}}'''', it wasn't released as a single during Marley's lifetime. In fact, it was only released as a single in 1984, in order to promote the posthumous compilation Legend on which it appears. Yet it is always included alongside the ''"Exodus"'' singles on compilations, despite the fact that the average listener would not have heard of the song in 1977.
* SignatureSong: ''One Love (People Get Ready)'', ''No Woman No Cry'' (in the version of ''[[Music/LiveBobMarleyAlbum Live!]]'').
* TearJerker: ''Redemption Song,'' partly due to its status as the final track placed on the last album he performed in while alive (Uprising), partly due to the song itself.
* ToughActToFollow: ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-works-art-so-good-they-ruined-their-whole-genre/ 5 Works of Art So Good, They Ruined Their Whole Genre]]" calls ''Music/ExodusAlbum'' and ''Music/{{Legend}}'' a tough act to follow in reggae.

* ToughActToFollow: ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-works-art-so-good-they-ruined-their-whole-genre/ 5 Works of Art So Good, They Ruined Their Whole Genre]]" calls ''Music/ExodusBobMarleyAlbum'' and ''Music/{{Legend}}'' a tough act to follow in reggae.

** Interestingly this wasn't the case during 1966 when he temporarily left the Wailers to work in America. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were the face of the band for several songs each during this period.
*** Further expansion: Bob sang lead on, and wrote, most of The Wailers' 60s and early 70s material. By 1970, the band were being credited as Bob Marley And The Wailers even when Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer sang and contributed their own material. Chris Blackwell insisted that "Catch A Fire" and "Burnin" be credited to The Wailers in order to give all the members equal credit, but Trojan and Studio One's releases from the same time period credited Bob Marley And The Wailers. When Peter and Bunny left a couple of years later, the band officially became Bob Marley And The Wailers again and it made almost no difference to their sound (female vocalists, I-Threes, replaced them on harmonies and none of Peter or Bunny's songs were used, with the exception of previously recorded ones being played live). Most people didn't know they were in the band.

* NewerThanTheyThink: Although ''"One Love (People Get Ready)"'' was included on the 1977 album ''"Exodus"'', it wasn't released as a single during Marley's lifetime. In fact, it was only released as a single in 1984, in order to promote the posthumous compilation Legend on which it appears. Yet it is always included alongside the ''"Exodus"'' singles on compilations, despite the fact that the average listener would not have heard of the song in 1977.
* SignatureSong: ''One Love (People Get Ready)'', ''No Woman No Cry''

* ToughActToFollow: ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-works-art-so-good-they-ruined-their-whole-genre/ 5 Works of Art So Good, They Ruined Their Whole Genre]]" calls ''Exodus'' and ''Legend'' a tough act to follow in reggae.

* TearJerker: ''Redemption Song''

* MisattributedSong: Every reggae song (and even some dancehall songs) in existence has probably been attributed to him (this is mostly a problem on YouTube and file-sharing sites).

* EarWorm[=/=]SugarWiki/CrowningMusicOfAwesome

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: He was popular in France considerably before his mid 70s breakthrough, so many of his older recordings can be found there that can't be found in most places outside of Jamaica. France was even the first country where an attempt was made to collect all his 1967-1972 material, hence The Complete Wailers LPs have French liner notes (there are US CD versions which don't).

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: In 1976, Bob, his wife and his manager were attacked by gunmen in his home two days before a scheduled concert, "Smile Jamaica," organized by then-Prime Minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley to cool tensions between two rival political factions. Despite being injured in the attack, Marley went right ahead and performed in the concert two days later.
--> "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?"

--> "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?"

* CoveredUp: One Love (People Get Ready) is this of People Get Ready by The Impressions. Whilst People Get Ready is a relatively famous song in its own right, One Love is much more famous.
** Wailers related, but actually sung by Bunny Wailer: Dreamland is a cover of a song called My Dream Island from 1962 by an obscure band called El Tempos. Somewhat egregiously, Bunny would credit himself as the writer of the song on every release from that point on. The original artist was not noted by reggae historians until the 1990s.

*** Further expansion: Bob sang lead on, and wrote, most of The Wailers' 60s and early 70s material. By 1970, the band were being credited as Bob Marley And The Wailers even when Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer sang and contributed their own material. Chris Blackwell insisted that Catch A Fire and Burnin be credited to The Wailers in order to give all the members equal credit, but Trojan and Studio One's releases from the same time period credited Bob Marley And The Wailers. When Peter and Bunny left a couple of years later, the band officially became Bob Marley And The Wailers again and it made almost no difference to their sound (female vocalists, I-Threes, replaced them on harmonies and none of Peter or Bunny's songs were used, with the exception of previously recorded ones being played live). Most people didn't know they were in the band.