Confrontation (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)

Last updated

Confrontation
BobMarley-Confrontation.jpg
Studio album by
Released23 May 1983
Recordedca. 1977-80, April–May 1982
StudioTuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
Genre Reggae
Length37:47
Label Tuff Gong/Island [1]
Producer Bob Marley & the Wailers and Errol Brown
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology
Chances Are
(1981)
Confrontation
(1983)
Legend
(1984)
Singles from Confrontation
  1. "Buffalo Soldier"
    Released: 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Robert Christgau B+ [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Select U+25A0.svgU+25A0.svgU+25A1.svgU+25A1.svgU+25A1.svg [5]

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".

Contents

The album cover depicts Bob Marley taking the role as the military saint Saint George slaying the dragon which symbolizes Babylon. Perhaps not coincidentally, this motif was also displayed on the reverse of the imperial standard of Rastafari icon Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, though the direct model for the album art is a British recruitment poster from World War I. Inside the album sleeve is an artist's depiction of the Battle of Adowa where Ethiopian forces defeated Italy in 1896.

Track listing

Original album (1983)

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where stated

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chant Down Babylon" 2:36
2."Buffalo Soldier"Bob Marley, N.G. Williams 4:17
3."Jump Nyabinghi" 3:44
4."Mix Up, Mix Up" 5:02
5."Give Thanks and Praises" 3:16
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Blackman Redemption" 3:33
7."Trench Town" 3:12
8."Stiff Necked Fools" 3:25
9."I Know" 3:21
10."Rastaman Live Up!"Bob Marley, Lee "Scratch" Perry 5:26

The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where stated

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chant Down Babylon" 2:36
2."Buffalo Soldier"Bob Marley, N.G. Williams 4:17
3."Jump Nyabinghi" 3:44
4."Mix Up, Mix Up" 5:02
5."Give Thanks & Praises" 3:16
6."Blackman Redemption" 3:33
7."Trench Town" 3:12
8."Stiff Necked Fools" 3:25
9."I Know" 3:21
10."Rastaman Live Up!"Bob Marley, Lee "Scratch" Perry 5:26
11."Buffalo Soldier" (12-inch mix) 7:37

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Confrontation
Chart (1983)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [6] 11
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [7] 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [8] 26
French Albums (SNEP) [9] 199
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] 31
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [11] 6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [12] 12
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 16
US Billboard 200 55
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)31

Certifications

Certifications for Confrontation
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [14] Gold7,500^
United States (RIAA) [15] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments 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>Burnin</i> (Bob Marley and the Wailers album) 1973 studio album by the Wailers

Burnin' is the sixth album by Jamaican reggae group the Wailers, released in October 1973. It was written by all three members and recorded and produced by the Wailers in Jamaica, contemporaneously with tracks from the Catch a Fire album with further recording, mixing and completion while on the Catch a Fire tour in London. It contains the song "I Shot the Sheriff". It was the last album before Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer decided to pursue solo careers, while continuing their local releases through their company Tuff Gong Records. A commercial and critical success in the United States, Burnin' was certified Gold and later added to the National Recording Registry, with the Library of Congress deeming it historically and culturally significant.

<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>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.

<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>Babylon by Bus</i> 1978 live album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

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.

<i>Talkin Blues</i> 1991 live album by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Talkin' Blues is a live album by Bob Marley & The Wailers, released in 1991. It contains live studio recordings from 1973 and 1975 intercut with interview segments of Bob Marley. The majority of tracks are taken from the recordings Bob Marley & The Wailers did on 31 October 1973, at The Record Plant in Sausalito, California, for San Francisco radio station KSAN. They include "You Can't Blame the Youth", sung by Peter Tosh, and "Get Up, Stand Up" with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh alternatingly taking lead vocals. The remaining tracks are taken from recordings made before the release of 1974's Natty Dread album, a performance at The Lyceum Theatre in London and interview segments from Jamaican radio in 1975.

<i>Soul Revolution Part II</i> 1971 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Soul Revolution Part II is the third album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. While the name on the album cover for all the original releases was Soul Revolution Part II, some releases had the name Soul Revolution printed on the album label, leading to uncertainty over what name was intended. A "dub" version with the vocals removed was released as Soul Revolution Part II Dub; both versions were released as one set in 1988. The album was repackaged with additional material as African Herbsman in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wailers Band</span> Jamaican reggae band

The Wailers Band is a Jamaican reggae band formed by former members of Bob Marley and the Wailers after Marley's death in 1981. It was led by bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett until 2016, when he passed the role onto his son, Aston Barrett Jr.

"War" is a song recorded and made popular by Bob Marley. It first appeared on Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1976 Island Records album, Rastaman Vibration, Marley's only top 10 album in the USA. The lyrics are almost entirely derived from a speech made by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I before the Eighteenth Session of UN General Assembly on 4 October 1963. The speech was reminsicent of the one he made in 1936 to the League of Nations. The previous year 1935, two years after Hitler's rise to power, Ethiopia had been invaded by Italy and he had been living in exile at the time.

<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.

<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>Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marleys 50th Anniversary</i> 1995 studio album by Bunny Wailer

Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary is an album by Bunny Wailer, released through RAS Records in November 1995. In 1997, the album won Wailer the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

<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 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 510.
  2. "Confrontation - Bob Marley & the Wailers, Bob Marley | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  3. "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 2258". www.robertchristgau.com.
  4. Schruers, Fred (2 September 1987). "Confrontation". Rolling Stone .
  5. Cook, Richard (September 1990). "Return of the Saint". Select . No. 3. p. 101.
  6. 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.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation" (in German). Hung Medien.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  9. "Lescharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation". Hung Medien.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  11. "Charts.nz – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation". Hung Medien.
  12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation". Hung Medien.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Confrontation". Hung Medien.
  14. "New Zealand album certifications – Bob Marley – Confrontation". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  15. "American album certifications – Bob Marley – Confrontation". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 19 November 2019.