As reported in February, the Marley family allowed unprecedented access to UMe, a division of the Universal Music Group, together with Tuff Gong International, to cherry pick from their personal and private collections of unreleased material in order to compile a special release in honor of what would have been Bob Marley‘s 70th birthday year.
Last week, Ume announced the release of two new box sets, The Complete Island Recordings and The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition. These two vinyl collection sets, which will be released on September 25th, will feature eleven albums on 180-gram vinyl spanning a decade’s worth of Bob Marley & The Wailers releases on Island Records.
[Related: Bob Marley’s 70th Birthday Celebration]
The Complete Island Recordings will include 11-LPs packaged in a rigid card box with lift top lid, and wrapped in silver paper that simulates the brushed metal finish of a hinged zippo lighter. The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition will include 11-LPs, a 70th anniversary slip mat and two photos in glassine envelopes, all packaged in a unique metal box set, numbered and lined with velvet and connected 
to emulate a hinged lighter. Both boxes will include Bob’s 70th Birthday logo and all nine Bob Marley & The Wailers studio albums recorded for Island Records, featuring some of their most celebrated releases, including Catch A Fire, their 1973 label debut, and Rastaman Vibration, their 1976 breakthrough album in the United States, along with two live albums Live! and Babylon By Bus.
LP’s in The Complete Island Recordings and The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition include:
– Catch A Fire
– Burnin’
– Natty Dread
– Live!
– Rastaman Vibration
– Exodus
– Babylon By Bus
– Kaya
– Survival
– Uprising
– Confrontation
Apart from the actual disc labels, which will feature more recently reissued artwork, the LP’s will faithfully replicate the original album pressings. The Live! album will include the original poster with the vinyl, while the Exodus album will feature the original gold metallic jacket with embossed lettering. The Babylon By Bus album will feature the die-cut cover with the color printed inner sleeves showing through.
Be sure to get up, stand up, and head to your local music retailer on September 25th to get your hands on this unique collection. However if you don’t want to wait, both collections are available for pre-order by clicking HERE, with The Complete Island Recordings selling for $235.98 and The Complete Island Recordings: Collector’s Edition selling for $649.98.
No matter which option you choose, you’re sure to own the most envious collection of Bob Marley & The Wailers music to date.
Related Links:
Bob Marley Website
Bob Marley Facebook
Tuff Gong Website
Tuff Gong Facebook
Article By: Andrew Aroche
Watch: The Island Years Box Set – Bob Marley & The Wailers