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The Wailing Wailers

by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Released: November 19, 1965

Ska

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Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Debut Album.

The Album

"The Wailing Wailers" is the 1965 debut studio album by the Wailers, later known as Bob Marley and the Wailers. Released on the Studio One label, the album compiles various recordings made between 1964 and 1965 by Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh. Though not a conventional studio album, it was the first full-length LP of the band's work.

Inside the Recording

It features what producer Clement Coxsone Dodd considered the best Wailers recordings from that period, with accompaniment from the Studio One backing band, The Soul Brothers. The songs "Simmer Down" and "Rude Boy," recorded in 1964 and 1965, became youth anthems, establishing the Wailers as leaders of a new movement. The album has remained in print since its release, but subsequent editions included new overdubs to align with musical trends.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The band photo on the front cover of…

The band photo on the front cover of the 1971 reissue, featuring Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh, inspired the Walt Jabsco logo for 2 Tone Records, created by Jerry Dammers and Horace Panter, based on Peter Tosh.

The original track listing and cover were not…

The original track listing and cover were not released on CD until May 2016.

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Explore the Album

Bob Marley and the Wailers - The Wailing Wailers

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The Complete Album Story

"The Wailing Wailers" is the 1965 debut studio album by the Wailers, later known as Bob Marley and the Wailers. Released on the Studio One label, the album compiles various recordings made between 1964 and 1965 by Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh. It features what producer Clement Coxsone Dodd considered the best Wailers recordings from that period, with accompaniment from the Studio One backing band, The Soul Brothers.

Though not a conventional studio album, it was the first full-length LP of the band's work. The album has remained in print since its release, but subsequent editions included new overdubs to align with musical trends. The original track listing and cover were not released on CD until May 2016.

The songs "Simmer Down" and "Rude Boy," recorded in 1964 and 1965, became youth anthems, establishing the Wailers as leaders of a new movement. The band photo on the front cover of the 1971 reissue, featuring Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh, inspired the Walt Jabsco logo for 2 Tone Records, created by Jerry Dammers and Horace Panter, based on Peter Tosh.