One Love – The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Concert: B

 

 

Tribute concerts are a tricky thing, especially if the guests butcher each and every song done, but one tribute that went very well was One Love – The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute, taped back in Jamaica in December 1999.  The line-up of stars is very impressive and runs as follows:

 

1)     Lauren Hill – Turn Your Light Down Low

2)     Chrissie Hynde – Waiting In Vain

3)     Chrissie Hynde & Jimmy Cliff – Jammin’

4)     Erykah Badu – No More Troubles

5)     Erykah Badu & Jimmy Cliff – No Woman No Cry

6)     Queen Latifah – Who The Cap Fit

7)     Darius Rucker – War

8)     Tracy Chapman – Three Little Birds

9)     Busta Rhymes & Julian Marley – Rasta Man Chant

10)  Chris Robinson & Damian Marley – Kinky Reggae

11)  Ben Harper – Get Up, Stand Up

12)  Toots Hibbert & The Wailers – Lively Up Yourself

13)  Tracy Chapman, Steven Marley & Ziggy Marley – Trenchtown Rock

14)  Eve & Stephen Marley – Rat Race

15)  Marley Family Band, Melody Makers & The Wailers – Africa Unite

16)  Lauren Hill & Ziggy Marley – Redemption Song

17)  Marley Family – Could You Be Loved

18)  Melody Makers – Pass It On

19)  One Love as finale with all the stars, available in multi-angle form too.

 

This turned out to be a very electric evening of music and the entertainers were all in exceptional form, something that should always be the case in a tribute, but too often is not.  Even non-fans of Marley can appreciate the excitement in the air.  This is the same program originally broadcast on the TNT Network, but this DVD goes much further.

 

The full screen image is professional analog videotape in the NTSC format and shows it’s age somewhat, but looks good and is very clean.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 multi-channel mix is a bit better than the 16bit/48kHz PCM 2.0 stereo, but the PCM is not bad either.  Too bad there is no DTS, as the bass would have been smoother and more pronounced.  Extras include a Bob Marley photo montage & discography, Marley Family bonus songs (Natural Mystic, Sun Is Shining, Kaya, High Tide Or Low Tide, Stir It Up), a 39-minutes long Behind The Scenes segment that has some great reflections on Marley and his legacy, and trailers for four other related Palm Pictures DVD titles.  One Love works and especially if you like Reggae music, you should get your hands on this disc.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo