"I guess it's the island culture — I grew up listening to Marley," says Oahu native Jack Johnson. "He's royalty here." Like all true Marley freaks, Johnson has no time for Legend: "There's just so much other good stuff."
- "Mellow Mood" 1970 It's one of the earlier recordings, and there's a real rawness to it that I love.
- "Concrete Jungle" 1973 This is one of the greatest album-opening tracks ever. There's a looseness at the beginning, then they land in the pocket.
- "Natural Mystic" 1977
- "Three Little Birds" 1977 I performed this with Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal in Hawaii this year. It's such a simple song, but Marley was the master of singing simple messages with all this heart, making them real.
- "Easy Skanking" 1978
- "Don't Rock My Boat" 1973 It's like "Satisfy My Soul," on Legend, but it has no backing vocals and less of a dance beat, so I prefer it.
- "So Much Trouble in the World" 1979 He took big issues head-on, and the way his music felt has a way of giving you hope.
- "Trench Town Rock (Live at the Roxy)" 1976
- "Bend Down Low" 1967
- "War" 1976 Marley was able to dive into politics and take on the darkest issues. That's what made him amazing. The thing is, he had sweetness in his voice, but he also had fire, and when he opened up, nobody could do it better.
