2. The Wailers-”Sun is Shining” (1973)
The Wailers originally recorded “Sun is Shining,” one of the group’s greatest and most distinctive tunes, sans melodica, for Lee “Scratch” Perry, appearing on 1971’s Soul Revolution album. And Bob Marley would later record the song again, with the 1978 edition of The Waliers, for Kaya, in what is probably the best known version of the song. But the “Sun is Shining” that appeared on 1973’s African Herbsman album is the genuine article, the original Wailers trio of Bob, Bunny and Peter at their peak. Peter Tosh’s hypnotic melodica playing answers Marley’s lead vocals, adding another level of etherealness to an already brilliant, otherworldly song. —Jesse Serwer