[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item and related links to our attention.] Hugh McIntyre (Forbes) writes that Bob Marley and The Wailers have scored a new U.K. chart success with Roots Rock Reggae – Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, a previously unreleased live collection recorded in London in 1976. The project debuts at No. 38 on the Official Physical Albums chart and No. 42 on the Official Albums Sales ranking, giving Marley another bestseller more than 40 years after his death.
More than 40 years after his passing, Bob Marley stands alone in the minds of millions as the most successful reggae musician of all time. The Jamaican superstar helped popularize the genre decades ago, introducing listeners far beyond his home country’s shores to the style.
Legend, a compilation released with the Wailers, is one of the most successful musical projects of all time and one of only a handful of titles that never seems to disappear from the charts in nations like the United States and United Kingdom. For many Marley fans, Legend may be enough to keep them satisfied, but the late artist’s estate occasionally shares previously unreleased tunes or even entire collections.
One such offering, Roots Rock Reggae – Live at the Hammersmith Odeon with The Wailers, was released in early August. The live project earns Marley another bestseller in the U.K. this week as it launches on multiple rankings.
Roots Rock Reggae debuts on two purchase-focused charts in the United Kingdom. The live collection opens at No. 38 on the Official Physical Albums chart and a few spaces lower, at No. 42, on the Official Albums Sales ranking.
The former focuses specifically on purchases of albums on physical formats, such as CD, cassette and vinyl, which have all grown in popularity in the past decade. The bigger sales tally also includes digital downloads, and Roots Rock Reggae narrowly misses the top 40 on that busier list.
Roots Rock Reggae outperformed several other Marley favorites as it arrives. Catch a Fire, Kaya and another version of Legend peaked at Nos. 56, 59 and 61, respectively. [. . ]
Read the full article at https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2026/08/25/bob-marley-scores-a-new-bestselling-album-decades-after-his-passing
[Photo above by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images: Bob Marley’s new live set ‘Roots Rock Reggae’ debuts on multiple sales charts in the U.K. more than four decades after his passing. Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter Bob Marley (1945 – 1981), 27th November 1979.]
For a review of the album, see
https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/new-music/bob-marley-the-wailers-roots-rock-reggae-reviewed (Jim Irvin, Mojo)