Critics have described the discovery of 23 songs as the artistic equivalent of stumbling on the complete works of Pablo Picasso's cubist period.

The newly discovered material comes from 1967-1972, generally agreed to be his best as a recording artist.

The fact that his work from that period has never been fully available inspired three music archivists to try to find everything recorded by the singer and his backing band, the Wailers.

Music archivist Jeremy Collingwood: "Great songs"

One of the archivists, Jeremy Collingwood, says the discovery shows how prolific and hardworking Marley was during such an intense period.

He said: "Lots of them are just great songs. You can feel that he's got his early pop sensibilities coming through and you can just feel that vibe of a powerful performer.

"You can see this young artist looking around to what's happening in America, listening to Motown sounds and reinterpreting them in a Jamaican way."

Throughout his life, Marley pioneered and popularised a form of modern music that remains hugely influential.