Babylon by Bus

Last updated

Babylon by Bus
BobMarley-BabylonByBus.jpg
Live album by
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Released10 November 1978 (1978-11-10)
Recorded25–27 June 1978 (Paris)
1975, 1976 (London)
Genre Reggae
Length73:39
Label Tuff Gong/Island
Producer Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell and Jack Nuber
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology
Kaya
(1978)		Babylon by Bus
(1978)		 Survival
(1979)

Babylon by Bus is a live album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing. [1]

Contents

Like the 1973 album Catch a Fire , the first release had something of a novelty cover. The windows of the bus on the front cover were cut out, revealing part of the inner sleeve. As this was a double album, the listener had a choice of four different scenes to view through the windows.

Set list

"Heathen", "Lively Up Yourself" and "Concrete Jungle" were not as common as the rest of the album on the tour, with 2 of the 3 more than likely played on any given night, but not always, and were only ever all played on the same night twice: at the Pinecrest Country Club in Shelton, Connecticut, 14 June and the Music Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts 18 June, which was one of the longest shows ever played by the band with 22 songs, but none were played at the Paris concerts. "Rebel Music", "Positive Vibration", "Jamming", "Exodus", "War / No More Trouble" and "Punky Reggae Party" were nearly always played at some point of each concert, though were mixed up some times with other songs like "Get Up, Stand Up", which does not appear on this album. The song "Is This Love" was also not common on this tour, though was played in Paris. The track "Kinky Reggae" was not played on the Kaya tour and in fact had not been played since the 1976 Rastaman Vibration tour, so it is unclear which concert this version is from. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [3]

Rolling Stone wrote: "From the raucous invocation of Selassie's divinity that kicks off 'Positive Vibration' on side one to the unabashed good cheer of side four's wrap-up rendition of 'Jamming', we hear a new side of Bob Marley—fanciful, lovelorn, vulnerable—that's as riveting as any of his sulfurous early tirades." [4]

Track listing

Original album (1978)

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Positive Vibration"Vincent Ford5:50
2."Punky Reggae Party"Bob Marley, Lee Perry5:51
3."Exodus"Marley7:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Stir It Up"Marley5:17
5."Rat Race"Rita Marley3:41
6."Concrete Jungle"Marley5:37
7."Kinky Reggae"Marley4:46
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Lively Up Yourself"Marley6:18
9."Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)"Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart5:20
10."War / No More Trouble"Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley5:28
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Is This Love"Marley7:27
12."The Heathen"Marley4:29
13."Jamming"Marley5:54

The Definitive Remasters edition (2001)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Positive Vibration"Vincent Ford5:50
2."Punky Reggae Party"Bob Marley, Lee Perry5:51
3."Exodus"Marley7:41
4."Stir It Up"Marley5:17
5."Rat Race"Rita Marley3:41
6."Concrete Jungle"Marley5:37
7."Kinky Reggae"Marley4:46
8."Lively Up Yourself"Marley6:18
9."Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)"Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart5:20
10."War / No More Trouble"Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley5:28
11."Is This Love"Marley7:27
12."The Heathen"Marley4:29
13."Jamming"Marley5:54

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Babylon by Bus
Chart (1978–1979)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [5] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [6] 4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [7] 21
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [8] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [9] 44
UK Albums (OCC) [10] 40
US Billboard 200 [11] 103
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [12] 58
2001 chart performance for Babylon by Bus
Chart (2001)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [13] 115

Certifications

Certifications for Babylon by Bus
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [14] Platinum300,000*
Germany (BVMI) [15] Gold250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [16] Platinum100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [17] Gold100,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Uprising</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1980 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Uprising is the twelfth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers and the final studio album released during Marley's lifetime. Released on 10 June 1980, the album is one of Marley's most directly religious, with nearly every song referencing his Rastafarian beliefs, culminating in the acoustic recording of "Redemption Song".

<i>Exodus</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1977 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Exodus is the ninth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, first released in June 1977 through Island Records, following Rastaman Vibration (1976). The album's production has been characterized as laid-back with pulsating bass beats and an emphasis on piano, trumpet and guitar. Unlike previous albums from the band, Exodus thematically moves away from cryptic story-telling; instead it revolves around themes of change, religious politics, and sexuality. The album is split into two halves: the first half revolves around religious politics, while the second half is focused on themes of making love and keeping faith.

<i>Catch a Fire</i> 1973 studio album by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Catch a Fire is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers, released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had started laying down tracks for JAD Records when a disputed CBS contract with Danny Sims created tensions. The band did not have enough money to return to Jamaica, so their road manager Brent Clarke approached producer Chris Blackwell, who agreed to advance The Wailers money for an album. They instead used this money to pay their fares back home, where they completed the recordings that constitute Catch a Fire. The album has nine songs, two of which were written and composed by Peter Tosh; the remaining seven were by Bob Marley. While Bunny Wailer is not credited as a writer, the group's writing style was a collective process. For the immediate follow-up album, Burnin', also released in 1973, he contributed four songs. After Marley returned with the tapes to London, Blackwell reworked the tracks at Island Studios, with contributions by Muscle Shoals session musician Wayne Perkins, who played guitar on three overdubbed tracks. The album had a limited original release under the name The Wailers in a sleeve depicting a Zippo lighter, designed by graphic artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner; subsequent releases had an alternative cover designed by John Bonis, featuring an Esther Anderson portrait of Marley smoking a "spliff", and crediting the band as Bob Marley and the Wailers.

<i>Survival</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1979 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.

<i>Confrontation</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1983 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Confrontation is the thirteenth and final studio album by Bob Marley & the Wailers and the only one to be released posthumously in May 1983, two years after Marley's death. The songs were compiled from unreleased material and singles recorded during Marley's lifetime. Many of the tracks were built up from demos, most notably "Jump Nyabinghi" where vocals from the I-Threes were added, which were not there when Marley released the song as a dubplate in 1979. In addition the harmony vocals on "Blackman Redemption" and "Rastaman Live Up" are performed by the I-Threes in order to give the album a consistent sound – on the original single versions they are performed by the Meditations. The most famous track on the album is "Buffalo Soldier".

<i>Rastaman Vibration</i> 1976 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Rastaman Vibration is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976.

<i>Kaya</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Kaya is the tenth studio album by the Jamaican band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1978. The album consists of tracks recorded alongside those released on the Exodus album. It was produced by the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Marley and the Wailers</span> Jamaican reggae band

Bob Marley and the Wailers were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Marley</span> American musician (born 1972)

Stephen Robert Nesta Marley is a Jamaican-American musician. The son of Bob Marley, Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of his younger paternal half-brother Damian Marley's Halfway Tree and Welcome to Jamrock albums, and a further three times as a member of his older brother Ziggy Marley's group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.

<i>Live!</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1975 live album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Live! is a 1975 album by Bob Marley and the Wailers which was recorded live in concert during July 1975 at the Lyceum Theatre, London. "No Woman, No Cry " was released as a single.

<i>Legend</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1984 greatest hits album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Legend is a compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released on 7 May 1984 by Island Records. It is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format and is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with more than 12 million copies sold in the US, more than 3.3 million in the UK and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally. In 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revised list, but dropping to number 48 in the 2020 revised list.

<i>Throw Down Your Arms</i> 2005 studio album by Sinéad OConnor

Throw Down Your Arms is the seventh studio album by Sinéad O'Connor, also known as her reggae album. O'Connor sings cover versions of classic roots reggae songs, with production by Sly and Robbie.

<i>Chant Down Babylon</i> 1999 remix album by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Chant Down Babylon is a remix album by various hip hop and rock artists covering songs by Bob Marley & The Wailers, released in 1999, produced by Stephen Marley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiting in Vain</span> 1977 single by Bob Marley & the Wailers

"Waiting in Vain" is a song written by reggae musician Bob Marley and recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, for their 1977 album Exodus. Released as a single, it reached number 27 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Could You Be Loved</span> 1980 single by Bob Marley and the Wailers

"Could You Be Loved" is a 1980 song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released as the first single from their twelfth and last album, Uprising (1980), and is also included on their greatest-hits album Legend (1984). It was written in 1979 on an aeroplane while The Wailers were experimenting on guitar. In the middle of the song, background singers quote a verse from Bob Marley's first single "Judge Not": "The road of life is rocky; And you may stumble too. So while you point your fingers, someone else is judging you". Instruments used on the original record of this song are guitars, bass, drums, acoustic piano, the Hohner Clavinet and an organ, as well as the Brazilian cuíca. "Could You be Loved" was very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Sweden and West Germany.

<i>One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers</i> 2001 compilation album by Bob Marley and Wailers

One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers is a compilation album of Bob Marley and the Wailers songs that was released on the Island Records label in 2001.

<i>Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On</i> 1995 compilation album by The Wailers

Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On is a collection of album tracks by Bob Marley, and is an addendum to the 1984 compilation album, Legend.

<i>Welcome to Jamrock</i> 2005 studio album by Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Welcome to Jamrock is the third studio album by Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. The album was released on September 12, 2005, in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bob Marley:

<i>Easy Skanking in Boston 78</i> 2015 live album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Easy Skanking in Boston '78 is the fifth live album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released on February 3, 2015, by Island Records and Tuff Gong. It was recorded at the Boston Music Hall on June 8, 1978, as part of the band's Kaya Tour in support of their 10th studio album, Kaya.

References

  1. 1 2 BobMarleyconcerts.com
  2. ↑ "Babylon by Bus Review by Lindsay Planer". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 4 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ White, Timothy (29 December 1982). "Babylon by Bus". Rolling Stone.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 192. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Charts.nz – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Bob Marley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Bob Marley Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 28 June 2019. (select "Bob Marley & the Wailers" from drop-down list)
  15. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bob Marley and the Wailers; 'Babylon by bus')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  16. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Babylon by bus" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Babylon by bus in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  17. ↑ "British album certifications – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Babylon by bus". British Phonographic Industry.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.