Survival (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)
| Survival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 October 1979 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1979 | |||
| Studio | Tuff Gong Recording Studio, Kingston, Jamaica | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 38:02 (original) 44:25 (2001 remastered) | |||
| Label | Island/Tuff Gong | |||
| Producer | Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin | |||
| Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Survival | ||||
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Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.
Survival is an album with an outwardly militant theme. Some critics speculate that this was due in part to criticism Marley received for the laid-back atmosphere of his previous release, Kaya, which seemed to sidetrack the urgency of his message.[1] In the song "Africa Unite", Marley proclaims Pan-African solidarity. The song "Zimbabwe" is a hymn dedicated to then white-dominated Rhodesia. The song was performed at Zimbabwe's Independence Celebration in 1980, just after the official declaration of Zimbabwe's independence.
Survival was originally to be called Black Survival to underscore the urgency of African unity, but the name was shortened to prevent misinterpretations of the album's theme.[1] The album was partially censored in South Africa because of their apartheid regime.[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B[4] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10[5] |
Track listing
[edit]Original Tuff Gong LP
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Trouble in the World" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Babylon System" | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Survival" | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Africa Unite" | 2:54 | |
| 7. | "One Drop" | 3:51 | |
| 8. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:12 | |
| 10. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 4:58 |
Original Island Records LP
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Africa Unite" | 2:54 | |
| 3. | "One Drop" | 3:51 | |
| 4. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 5. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "So Much Trouble in the World" | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 |
| 9. | "Babylon System" | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Survival" | 3:53 |
Tuff Gong cassette
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 4:58 |
| 2. | "One Drop" | 3:51 | |
| 3. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 4. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:12 | |
| 5. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Africa Unite" | 2:54 |
| 7. | "So Much Trouble in the World" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:51 |
| 9. | "Babylon System" | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Survival" | 3:53 |
Island Records LP re-issue
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted. Issued by Island Records with a Tuff Gong disc label. Track list revised, all tracks on side A move to side B and vice versa
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Trouble in the World" (Bob Marley) | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Babylon System" | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Survival" | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Africa Unite" | 2:50 | |
| 7. | "One Drop" | 3:50 | |
| 8. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:10 | |
| 10. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 5:10 |
The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)
[edit]All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Trouble in the World" | 4:00 | |
| 2. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:51 | |
| 3. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 | |
| 4. | "Babylon System" | 4:21 | |
| 5. | "Survival" | 3:53 | |
| 6. | "Africa Unite" | 2:54 | |
| 7. | "One Drop" | 3:51 | |
| 8. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:12 | |
| 10. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 4:58 |
| 11. | "Ride Natty Ride" (12-inch mix) | 6:23 | |
| Total length: | 44:25 | ||
Front cover
[edit]The album's front cover depicts 48 African flags, 15 of which (in italics) are now obsolete. Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Rhodesia at the time of the album's release) is represented by two political flags instead of a national flag. The cover also depicts the flag of Papua New Guinea, the only non-African country in the artwork.
- ^ Now the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- ^ Now Burkina Faso.
- ^ Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- ^ Now Eswatini.
- ^ Now the Republic of the Congo.
- ^ The flag is shown upside-down on the front cover and bears a darker shade of blue.
Four states already sovereign by the time of the album's release didn't have their flags featured in its cover art, though they were featured in a poster that came with the album:[6]
Cape Verde
Comoros
Libya
South Africa (which was under apartheid at the time).
Two non-sovereign regions that didn't have their flags included in the cover art are also featured in the bonus poster:
Three states only came to sovereignty after the album's release and thus didn't have their flags included neither in the cover art nor in the bonus poster:
The album's title appears in white (City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
[edit]- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, rhythm guitar, percussion
- Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
- Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums on "Africa Unite"
- Mikey "Boo" Richards – drums on "Wake Up And Live"
- Val Douglas – bass on "Wake Up and Live"
- Earl "Chinna" Smith – rhythm guitar and percussion on "One Drop"
- Headley Bennett – alto saxophone
- Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone
- Melba Liston – trombone
- Luther Francois – trombone
- Junior "Chico" Chin – trumpet
- Jackie Willacy – trumpet
- Micky Hanson – trumpet
- Lee Jaffe – harmonica[7]
Production
[edit]- Producers – Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin
- Mastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[9] | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[10] | 14 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 17 |
| UK Albums Chart[12] | 20 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape | 70 |
| US Top Soul LPs (Billboard) | 32 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[13] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[14] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 60,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Tribute to Bob Marley The Daily Star.
- ^ "Survival". Bob Marley. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Review: Survival Bonus Track". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (1–14 November 1979): 29.
- ^ "Bob Marley's Survival: An Album for Zimbabwe!". 2 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ Roger Steffens and Leroy Pierson, Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Definitive Discography (Cambridge, MA: Rounder, 2005)
- ^ 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.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Bob Marley & the Wailers | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Survival". Music Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "French album certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Survival" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish), Iberautor Promociones Culturales, 2005, ISBN 8480486392, retrieved 25 April 2018
- ^ "British album certifications – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Survival". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
