Survival (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)
1979 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers
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Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.
| Survival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 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
Original Tuff Gong LP
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
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
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
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)
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
The album's front cover depicts 48 African flags and one Oceanian flag. Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Rhodesia at the time of the album's release) is represented by two political flags instead of a national flag.
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]
Two non-sovereign regions that didn't have their flags included in the cover art are also featured on the poster:
Two nations' flags are grayed-out and are represented by numbers rather than names on the poster.[7]
The album's title appears in white (City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.
- The flag is shown upside-down on the front cover and bears a darker shade of blue. The flag is correctly oriented on the poster.
- The flag used is a rectangular version of the flag of the Minister of Overseas France.[7]
Personnel
Musicians
- 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[8]
Production
- Producers – Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin
- Mastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[10] | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[11] | 14 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[12] | 17 |
| UK Albums Chart[13] | 20 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape | 70 |
| US Top Soul LPs (Billboard) | 32 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[14] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[15] | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[16] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae)[17] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | Gold | 100,000* |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||