#74 Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers
The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time
- 2025 Album Rank
- 74
- 2011 Album Rank
- 60
- Total Points
- 846
- Year Released
- 1984
- Billboard 200 Chart Peak
- 54
- Weeks at #1
- N/A
- RIAA Sales Certification
- 18,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)
- Buy Album
- Apple Music Amazon
Legend Album Details
Released on May 8, 1984, three years after Bob Marley's death, Legend is the definitive greatest hits compilation of Marley and the Wailers' Island Records years. Curated to appeal to a wide international audience, the album distilled Marley's spiritual message, political activism, and smooth reggae rhythms into a digestible and timeless format. It became not only the best-selling reggae album of all time but also a gateway to the genre for millions of listeners around the world.
With iconic tracks like No Woman, No Cry, One Love, Redemption Song, and Three Little Birds, Legend showcases the full emotional and philosophical range of Marley's work. The compilation balances political urgency with universal uplift, spirituality with sensuality. Its global success helped cement Marley as a posthumous international symbol of peace and resistance. Though it omits early Wailers material and some deeper album cuts, Legend remains a touchstone that introduced reggae to the mainstream and immortalized Marley's legacy.
Other Bob Marley and the Wailers albums on the chart: Exodus.
Interesting Facts about Legend
- Legend is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 25 million copies worldwide. In the UK, it spent more than 1,000 weeks on the Albums Chart.
- Many of the tracks on Legend are remixed or presented in alternate versions. For example, the version of No Woman, No Cry comes from the live 1975 performance at the Lyceum in London, which Marley himself preferred over the studio take.
- Legend was compiled and produced by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who wanted the album to reach beyond reggae fans and introduce Marley to rock and pop listeners.
- The album cover was photographed by Adrian Boot and is one of the most iconic portraits of Bob Marley, calm, thoughtful, and resolute.
- The running order was carefully designed for maximum accessibility, placing familiar and upbeat tracks like Is This Love and Three Little Birds early to immediately hook listeners unfamiliar with reggae.
- Despite its wide acclaim, some critics and longtime fans lament that Legend excludes earlier, more militant Wailers tracks from the pre-Island era such as Trenchtown Rock or Small Axe.
- In 2014, for its 30th anniversary, Legend was remastered and reissued in high-resolution audio and on vinyl, reaffirming its status as a perennial best-seller even in the streaming era.
- The inclusion of Redemption Song, recorded with just acoustic guitar and vocals, provides a stark and powerful contrast to the full-band arrangements and highlights Marley's introspective depth.
- Though Bob Marley died in 1981, Legend helped launch his posthumous global fame. For many, it remains the most accessible and enduring entry point into his catalog and reggae music as a whole.
Legend Tracklist
- Is This Love
- No Woman, No Cry (Live)
- Could You Be Loved
- Three Little Birds
- Buffalo Soldier
- Get Up, Stand Up
- Stir It Up
- One Love / People Get Ready
- I Shot the Sheriff
- Waiting in Vain
- Redemption Song
- Satisfy My Soul
- Exodus
- Jamming
