Burnin' glows even hotter; "Get Up, Stand Up" backs its activist message with an itchy, motivating beat. "I Shot the Sheriff" (covered by Eric Clapton in 1974) and "Small Axe" show Marley's verbal and melodic skills growing by leaps and bounds. 

 Emerging as a fiery topical songwriter and spiritually compelling frontman, Marley led the Wailers to international acclaim with the release of two startling albums in 1973. 

 Tosh and Livingston left for solo careers after that album and were effectively replaced by the "I-Threes" trio: Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley (Mrs. Bob), and Judy Mowatt. Natty Dread captures the refurbished Wailers at an ambitious peak. 

 Live! documents a thrilling, tight-as-a-drum 1975 London performance of highlights from the first three albums. 

 On Rastaman Vibration, Marley starts to fall back on pat formulas and ganja-stoked rhetoric. But the grimly prophetic "War" and the deceptively feel-good "Positive Vibration" stand out on an album that holds up to repeated listening. 

 Marley opted for a lighter touch on Exodus and Kaya, adding lead guitars to the bass-defined reggae pocket. These two albums don't command the same attention as the earlier ones, but either effort will grow on a committed fan.  

 Babylon by Bus is probably Marley's flattest and least-inspiring effort; this live set isn't bad, but the loose readings of Wailers classics can't compare to the marvelously succinct Live! 

 Marley opted for a lighter touch on Exodus and Kaya, adding lead guitars to the bass-defined reggae pocket. These two albums don't command the same attention as the earlier ones, but either effort will grow on a committed fan.  

 Marley ups the political ante on the impassioned Survival: "Wake Up and Live" and "Ride Natty Ride" recast familiar messages in fresh musical surroundings, while "Zimbabwe" and "Africa Unite" confidently extend the Wailers' sphere of influence.  

 If Marley hadn't been fatally stricken with cancer in 1980, Uprising would most likely have ushered in a productive new decade for the world reggae ruler. The final Wailers album deftly summarizes Marley's revolutionary career. 

 Confrontation includes rare tracks and outtakes, most notably the minor hit "Buffalo Soldier."  

 For newcomers, the best place to hear what Marley is all about is the best-of compilation Legend, which has sold more than 10 million copies since 1984. 

 Rebel Music and Natural Mystic collect some of the Wailers' most overtly radical statements in listenable agit-pop broadsides.  

 Posthumous Marley releases have maintained a fairly high standard of quality. The Heartbeat issues cover Marley and the Wailers' early days at Studio One, when ska, which had emerged as Jamaica's homegrown interpretation of stateside rock & roll, ruled. 

 From rock-steady crooner to dreadlocked Rasta, this four-disc box set is a fitting testament to Marley's transformative career. 

 Africa Unite: The Singles Collection, repeats 11 of Legend's tracks.