Bob Marley Album Reviews (1976-1980)

Today is the 78th birthday of Robert Nesta, better known as Bob Marley.  I've been on a Marley kick (again) & felt the need to review his last 5 albums.  Why these?  Because they mark one of the most tumultuous, eventful periods in not only Marley's short life but reggae & music history as a whole.  During this time Marley & his wife were shot inside their home by CIA-backed assassins; he was exiled to London, made a baby with a Jamaican beauty queen, fulfilled his dream of performing in his spiritual homeland of Africa, returned to Jamaica to unite opposing political parties onstage (including one whose henchmen shot him) & died of melanoma at age 36.  Among other things.  These albums chronicle these events in subtle ways while still remaining true to his message of love, unity, revolution, Black empowerment & Rasta faith.

As I stated in a previous article, Marley was no saint in his personal life & I disagree with people who paint him as a Jesus-like figure.  I don't think he'd appreciate the idol worship or use of his likeness on so many commercial products either.  But his timeless music and commitment to maintaining a humble life of service without becoming materialistic or burned out on (hard) drugs like many other stars is noteworthy, especially in the freewheeling '70s.  

Without further ado, let the countdown begin.

RASTAMAN VIBRATION

First up is Rastaman Vibration which was already the 8th studio album under Bob's belt.  Many music critics consider this the pinnacle offering of Marley's career.  It opens with the upful "Positive Vibration" which contrasts with the fiery "War," the speech by Rasta god Haile Selassie set to music ("Until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes/me say war") as well as Bob's biggest and only U.S. charting single, "Roots, Rock, Reggae".  You'll also find the line that potentially got him marked for death:  "Rasta don't work for no CIA" in "Rat Race," the angry screed against man's endless paper chase.  

This period in Bob's life was pretty positive:  he was building a worldwide following by touring outside the island of Jamaica, where he was already a household name.  The original Wailers had broken up & he replaced Bunny & Peter with the lovely vocal stylings of the I-Threes (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt & Marcia Griffiths).  He'd even had one of his songs covered by rock superstar Eric Clapton.  But what goes up must come down as we'll soon see.

EXODUS

Next we have Exodus, Bob's 1977 album made in England.  Time magazine ranked this as the Best Album of the 20th Century while it consistently makes Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Albums of All Time list.  It contains a number of songs later found on the posthumous Legend compilation album including "Three Little Birds," "Jamming," "One Love/People Get Ready" & "Waiting in Vain" which was allegedly about Cindy Breakspeare who would have nothing to do with him until he became a well-off superstar.  (Hence the "waiting" part).  Of course he was already married with many kids by this point, a fact the former Miss World claims not to have known until his mom told her later when she was pregnant with his child.  And can't forget the title track, an upbeat 'return to Africa' march taken straight out of the Bible.  But "The Heathen" & "Guiltiness" are my picks for best songs on this album & maybe in his entire discography. 

Exodus was made during Bob's exile in London after the shooting in his Jamaica home.  Between making music & cozying up to Miss World, he played a lot of soccer.  It was during this time he discovered the melanoma skin cancer that would later claim his life due to his Rasta beliefs that amputation is off-limits.  He also hung out with the Punk crowd after hours, checking out bands like The Clash, The Damned & The Slits, several of which he name-checked in "Punky Reggae Party".  If Bob ever got in touch with his English roots, this was that time.  

KAYA

Kaya was Bob's 10th album & a continuation of the themes seen on Exodus.  The songs were recorded at the same time & have the same laid back feel.  While it was very "pop" & easier to digest than his earlier work, he was criticized by hardcore fans for a lack of message or militancy.  Indeed, the critics have a point.  "Easy Skanking" & "Kaya" are both about pot (the only weed songs in this heavy smoker's discography) while the rest are about love or the weather ("Sun Is Shining," "Misty Morning").  Many a child was named after the title track if nothing else.

Bob's head was clearly in the clouds during the recording of this album, though he would also make his grand return to Jamaica for the One Love Peace Concert during this era.  It was at this concert that he would call Prime Minister Michael Manley (Peoples National Party) & his opponent Edward Seaga (Jamaican Labour Party) to the stage to hold hands.  While this event was "a spiritual t'ing" for Bob, it was more of a photo op for the politicians, both of whom had tried for years to get the singer's endorsement.  Nobody's ever mentioned how big it was of Bob to have any dealings with them after being nearly killed by JLP assassins when the PNP made it appear he was endorsing them by playing at the Smile Jamaica concert in 1976.  In truth, both parties did Bob wrong but he put that aside to try & bring peace to his homeland.  Irie.

🇲🇼 SURVIVAL 🇪🇹

After the heady vibes of the last 2 albums, it was time to get back to business.  If Exodus was Bob subconsciously exploring his European roots, Survival sees him speaking directly to Africans.  From the album cover, which features 48 African flags, to tracks like "Zimbabwe" and "Africa Unite," Survival goes hard for Mama Africa.  The result is an album bursting with revolutionary energy.  "Survival (aka Black Survivors)" is my personal favorite from this album but "Top Ranking" isn't far behind.  In it he pleads with the "top ranking" members of Jamaica's political gangs, who had promised to call a truce after the One Love Peace Concert but failed to follow through.  And "Ambush in the Night" appears to be, at least in part, about the attempt on Marley's life.  (Funny how these "angry" songs were whitewashed right out of his legacy after death in favor of the more palatable pop tunes, innit?)

While some say Bob made this album as a response to critics panning Kaya's lovey dovey vibe, I tend to think it was deeper than that.  I suspect he knew his time was growing short & wanted to get his message out in case this was his last project.  Survival was actually meant to be part 1 of a 3-part series:  Survival, Uprising & Confrontation.  Unfortunately Bob only lived long enough to personally complete the first 2.  (Confrontation exists but is a compilation of unreleased older tracks that sound less timeless than his other work due to the production).  He was able to perform songs from this album at Zimbabwe's Independence Celebration in 1980 which was a dream fulfilled to him since Rastas consider Africa to be Zion, or heaven on Earth.  The mood got dark & tear gas was released into the crowd but the band just kept right on playing, a testament to their dedication.

UPRISING

This brings us to our last stop: Uprising.  By this point Marley had won over crowds from Germany to Brazil to Japan, becoming a bonafide World Music superstar.  But there was one demographic he'd failed to reach:  Black Americans, who were too busy bumpin' Michael Jackson, Kurtis Blow and Kool & The Gang to give him a chance.  Even British imports Queen, with their flamboyantly gay frontman, were getting more spins among Black folk with their bass-heavy single "Another One Bites the Dust" than Marley's sunny Caribbean riffs.  

Whenever Bob performed stateside his audiences were largely white.  For whatever reason, his message of African unity & Rasta livity didn't resonate--probably because the hedonism of disco & the capitalist rat race had Black people in a chokehold.  Whatever it was, it ate Bob alive.  He felt he HAD to conquer this final frontier so he scheduled several key American stops on his 1980 tour, which ended in Pittsburgh after he became too sick to continue.  He'd collapsed in Central Park a few days earlier, but not before completing a pair of New York shows that did exactly what he set out to do.  While he opened for The Commodores, he blew them out of the water & made their set look like cheap karaoke by comparison.  Many big names in U.S. pop & R&B were in attendance and he was all anyone could talk about.  The audience demanded an encore & he happily obliged.  

Uprising itself was a mixed bag, gaining varying reviews from critics.  Its contents were strongly religious/spiritual, with songs like "Zion Train" and "Forever Loving Jah" dominating.  "Could You Be Loved" was the only real radio hit but it was a big one in the UK.  By far the most haunting, impactful song was its closer: "Redemption Song," which was done acoustically with only guitar.  (The only song of this style in Bob's career).  The lyrics hinted at the fact that Bob knew he wasn't long for this world as did the unique styling of the song.  Lines like "How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?" and "Redemption songs/All I ever have" make it clear he was looking back on his life & legacy in these final months, though he never let on that he was ill until the cancer felled him in the park that day. 

It's crazy to think about where he would've gone after winning over the Black American market, and where roots reggae as a genre could've gone.  Son Stephen Marley talks about this in the sleeve of his 1999 Chant Down Babylon album which includes remixed songs featuring some of the day's biggest artists. Would it have been as big as Hip Hop, which was also in its infancy at that time?  We'll never know for sure.  The rise of Dancehall reggae in the early '80s, which is essentially rap or "toasting" over a beat, suggests music tastes were following similar trajectories on the mainland and the island, so maybe it was time for a change.  The death of other roots reggae singers like Jacob Miller, Peter Tosh & Garnett Silk put the final nail in the coffin for the Golden Era of the genre. 

The Commodores broke up shortly after their New York show with Bob.  He died on May 11th, 1981 & received a state funeral in Jamaica on May 21 at which Edward Seaga (the JLP politician who ordered his bodyguard Lester Coke to be present for Bob Marley's shooting) gave a phony speech Bob probably would've hated.  

"Never make a politician/grant you a favor

they will always want to/control you forever"    

--- "Revolution" (Natty Dread)

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Editor's Top song picks from Bob Marley's early career:  Send Me That Love, Hammer, Caution, I'm Still Waiting, Mr. Brown, Mellow Mood, Stand Alone, Fussin' & Fightin', Rainbow Country & There She Goes.