Description
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Easy Skanking In Boston ’78 – Double Vinyl Record
Live At Music Hall, Boston, MA 1978
Easy Skanking In Boston ’78 is a powerful live album by Bob Marley & The Wailers, recorded on June 8, 1978, at the Boston Music Hall, and released in 2015 through Tuff Gong and Universal Music Enterprises. Capturing the group during the Kaya Tour, which followed the release of Marley’s more mellow and love-centered Kaya album, this performance reveals the band in a dynamic balance between spiritual serenity and political urgency. While Kaya showcased a softer, more introspective Marley, the Boston concert proves that his stage presence remained electrifying and that his music, even in its gentlest moments, still carried the weight of resistance and the call for unity.
The performance features Marley backed by a world-class version of The Wailers, including Aston “Family Man” Barrett on bass, Carlton Barrett on drums, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on guitars, Tyrone Downie on keys, and Seeco Patterson on percussion, along with the iconic harmonies of The I Threes (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths). This lineup had become a finely tuned machine by the late ’70s, and it shows throughout the concert—grooves are deep and unshakable, solos are sharp but soulful, and Marley’s vocals are passionate, clear, and commanding. The setlist blends songs from Kaya like “Easy Skanking” and “Kaya” with politically charged anthems like “Slave Driver,” “Burnin’ and Lootin’,” and “Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock),” creating a concert experience that moves fluidly between relaxation and revolution.
Highlights include the tender and communal “No Woman, No Cry,” which draws audible emotional participation from the crowd, and a fiery finale with “War/No More Trouble” and “Get Up, Stand Up,” where Marley’s activist spirit comes fully alive. Despite the more laid-back studio tone of Kaya, the live versions gain muscular energy and spiritual urgency, demonstrating Marley’s unparalleled ability to unify a crowd not just through music but through message. The concert was originally captured by a fan with Marley’s permission and later released with animated visuals to fill gaps in the video, though the audio stands strongly on its own as a compelling live document.
Easy Skanking In Boston ’78 is more than just a concert recording—it’s a snapshot of Marley at a vital point in his artistic and political journey, blending messages of peace, love, and resistance into a soulful and energizing live performance. It reminds listeners that Marley was not only a masterful songwriter and singer, but also a mesmerizing live performer, capable of turning every song into a shared spiritual experience.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Slave Driver
Burnin’ + Lootin’
Them Belly Full
The Heathen
Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock)
I Shot The Sheriff
Easy Skanking
No Woman, No Cry
Lively Up Yourself
Jamming
War / No More Trouble
Get Up Stand Up
Exodus
