Rastaman Vibration | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 30 April 1976 | |||
Recorded | late 1975–early 1976 | |||
Studio | Harry J. Studios, Joe Gibbs Studio, Kingston, Jamaica Mixed at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida | |||
Genre | Reggae, roots reggae | |||
Length | 35:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers | |||
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rastaman Vibration | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [2] |
Rolling Stone | [3] |
Rastaman Vibration is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976.
Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1976, Robert Palmer said that on the album Marley consummately performs "a dual role as spokesman for the Third World's disadvantaged and avatar of a highly commercial brand of popular music". While lacking the forceful, intricate quality of the Wailers' past line-up, "the sensitive, careful listener will learn from Rastaman Vibration something of the pain, rage and determination of Shantytown, Jamaica, and perhaps something of the community's political and cultural fragmentation as well", Palmer concluded. [4]
Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said if the record's first side "makes it seem that reggae has turned into the rasta word for boogie—even to a Trenchtown tragedy recited with all the toughness of an imprecation against litter—the unimpassioned sweetness of most of side two sounds like a function of reflective distance, assured in its hard-won calm. Some of it's even better." [2]
Rastaman Vibration was a great success in the US, becoming the first Bob Marley release to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart (peaking at number eight), in addition to releasing Marley's most popular US single "Roots, Rock, Reggae", the only Marley single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 51. Synthesizers are featured prominently on Rastaman Vibration, adding a breezy embellishment to otherwise hard-driving songs with strong elements of rock guitar. This is one of the three Wailers solo albums released in 1976, along with Blackheart Man by Bunny Wailer and Legalize It by Peter Tosh.
Although the album's liner notes list multiple songwriters, including family friends and band members, all songs were written by Marley. Marley was involved in a contractual dispute at the time with his former publishing company, Cayman Music. Marley had not wanted his new songs to be associated with Cayman and it was speculated, including in his obituary in The Independent , that he had put them in the names of his friends and family members as a means of avoiding the contractual restrictions and to provide lasting help to family and close friends. [5]
Vincent Ford, a childhood friend from Jamaica, is credited as the songwriter for "No Woman, No Cry" on the 1974 album Natty Dread , as well as the songs "Crazy Baldheads" (with Marley's wife Rita), "Positive Vibration" and "Roots Rock Reggae" from Rastaman Vibration, along with "Inna De Red" and "Jah Bless" with Marley's son, Stephen. [5] [6]
Marley's widow and his former manager Danny Sims sued to obtain royalty and ownership rights to the songs, claiming that Marley had actually written the songs but had assigned the credit to Ford to avoid meeting commitments made in prior contracts. A 1987 court decision favored the Marley estate, which assumed full control of the songs. [6]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 3:34 |
2. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
3. | "Johnny Was" | Rita Marley | 3:48 |
4. | "Cry to Me" | Rita Marley | 2:36 |
5. | "Want More" | Aston Barrett | 4:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Crazy Baldhead" | Rita Marley, Vincent Ford | 3:12 |
2. | "Who the Cap Fit" | Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett | 4:43 |
3. | "Night Shift" | Bob Marley | 3:10 |
4. | "War" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett | 3:36 |
5. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 2:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 3:34 |
2. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
3. | "Johnny Was" | Rita Marley | 3:48 |
4. | "Cry to Me" | Rita Marley | 2:36 |
5. | "Want More" | Aston Barrett | 4:14 |
6. | "Crazy Baldhead" | Rita Marley, Vincent Ford | 3:12 |
7. | "Who the Cap Fit" | Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett | 4:43 |
8. | "Night Shift" | Bob Marley | 3:10 |
9. | "War" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett | 3:36 |
10. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 2:50 |
11. | "Jah Live" | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 4:16 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 3:34 |
2. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
3. | "Johnny Was" | Rita Marley | 3:48 |
4. | "Cry to Me" | Rita Marley | 2:36 |
5. | "Want More" | Aston Barrett | 4:14 |
6. | "Crazy Baldhead" | Rita Marley, Vincent Ford | 3:12 |
7. | "Who the Cap Fit" | Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett | 4:43 |
8. | "Night Shift" | Bob Marley | 3:10 |
9. | "War" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett | 3:36 |
10. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 2:50 |
11. | "Jah Live" (original mix) | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 4:16 |
12. | "Concrete" (b-side of "Jah Live") | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 4:24 |
13. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" (unreleased single mix) | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
14. | "Roots, Rock, Dub" (unreleased single dub mix) | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
15. | "Want More" (unreleased alternate album mix) | Aston Barrett | 5:10 |
16. | "Crazy Baldhead" (unreleased alternate album mix) | Rita Marley, Vincent Ford | 3:08 |
17. | "War" (unreleased alternate album mix) | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett | 4:03 |
18. | "Johnny Was" (unreleased alternate album mix) | Rita Marley | 3:41 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Introduction" | Bob Marley | 0:38 |
2. | "Trenchtown Rock" | Bob Marley | 4:55 |
3. | "Burnin' and Lootin'" | Bob Marley | 4:53 |
4. | "Them Belly Full (but We Hungry)" | Leon Cogill, Carlton Barrett | 4:12 |
5. | "Rebel Music (3 o'Clock Road Block)" | Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | 5:54 |
6. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | 6:27 |
7. | "Want More" | Aston Barrett | 6:55 |
8. | "No Woman, No Cry" | Vincent Ford | 5:18 |
9. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Bob Marley | 5:44 |
10. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" | Vincent Ford | 5:32 |
11. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 7:46 |
12. | "Smile Jamaica" (part one, a-side) | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 3:18 |
13. | "Smile Jamaica" (part two, b-side) | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 3:07 |
with:
Source: The Jamaica Observer [7] [8]
Chart (1976) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [9] | 68 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [10] | 32 |
France (IFOP) [11] | 12 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [12] | 20 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [13] | 26 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [14] | 14 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [15] | 45 |
UK Albums (OCC) [16] | 15 |
US Billboard 200 [17] | 8 |
US R&B Albums [17] | 11 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [19] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Natty Dread is the seventh album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1974. Previously Marley had recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer as the Wailers, and this was his first record without them.
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.
Legalize It is the debut studio album by Jamaican singer-songwriter and former Wailer Peter Tosh, released in June 1976. It was recorded at Treasure Isle and Randy's, Kingston.
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".
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.
Vincent Ford, known as "Tata" or "Tartar", was a Jamaican songwriter best known for receiving writing credit for "No Woman, No Cry", the reggae song made famous by Bob Marley & The Wailers, as well as three other Bob Marley songs. However, controversy persisted as to whether the compositions had actually been written by Marley himself, and had been credited to Ford to allow Marley to avoid contractual obligations, resulting in a legal battle that ended with the Marley estate being granted control of the songs.
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.
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.
Tyrone Downie was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and the Wailers.
"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 United Nations General Assembly on 4 October 1963.
"Jah Live" is a song by Bob Marley & The Wailers, released as a single in 1975. The song was recorded and released within days following the announcement of the death of Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia whom Rastafarians see as the reincarnation of God, whom they call Jah. The song was written as a message to the world that Haile Selassie I had not died as the Ethiopian government of the time and detractors of the Rastafarian religion claimed. When the song was released, Selassie was claimed dead by the Ethiopian authorities but there was no body. Marley was prescient in response to the news that no body had not been found saying, "Yuh cyant kill God".
Gold is a two-disc compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers that was released on the Island Records label in 2005. The compilation is intended to be a career-spanning retrospective, and no fewer than two songs are selected from each of Bob Marley and the Wailers' albums with the company. Songs range from his first album for the label, Catch a Fire, and span all the way through to the last album Marley would live to see released in his lifetime, Uprising, concluding with the posthumous releases "Iron Lion Zion", and tracks from Confrontation.
Most of Bob Marley's early music was recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who together with Marley were the most prominent members of the Wailers. In 1972, the Wailers had their first hit outside Jamaica when Johnny Nash covered their song "Stir It Up", which became a UK hit. The 1973 album Catch a Fire was released worldwide, and sold well. It was followed by Burnin', which included the song "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton's cover of the song became a hit in 1974.
Earl "Chinna" Smith, a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.
Blackheart Man is the debut album by Bunny Wailer, originally released on 8 September 1976, in Jamaica on Solomonic Records and internationally on Island Records.
Robert Nesta Marley was a Jamaican reggae singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of the genre, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide and made him a global figure in popular culture. He became known as a Rastafarian icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. Marley is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms. Marley also supported the legalisation of cannabis and advocated for Pan-Africanism. In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was believed to be politically motivated.
"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.
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.
Neville O'Riley Livingston, known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. He was also known as Jah B, Bunny O'Riley, and Bunny Livingston.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bob Marley: