372. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus (1977)

















Track Listing

1. Natural Mystic
2. So Much Things To Say
3. Guiltiness
4. Heathen
5. Exodus
6. Jammin'
7. Waiting In Vain
8. Turn Your Lights Down Low
9. Three Little Birds
10. One Love/People Get Ready

Review

If you don't know at least half the tracks in this album you've been living under a rock for the past 30 years. This is probably Marley's most famous album and for good reason. He doesn't put a foot wrong here, it is an infectious piece of Reggae and sounds almost like a Bob Marley greatest hits album.

Of course some could say that his is produced for a European/ North-American audience and tailored to their tastes, but this is not a fair assessment. Marley was as influenced by the music scene as anyone else, he didn't live in a cave and just because he was Jamaican it doesn't mean that he owed anyone some kind of primeval music. Marley makes Reggae into some perfect pop tracks.

Of course other people did it after him, and the words UB40 come to mind, but obviously they never reached the level of quality that you hear here. This is the founding Daddy of the popularisation of Reggae around the world developing his skill. And the political message is still there as is the whole Rastafarian outlook. An essential album.

Track Highlights

1. Three Little Birds
2. Waiting In Vain
3. Exodus
4. One Love/People Get Ready

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Much of Exodus was recorded in London, while Marley recuperated from an assassination attempt. It is widely considered to be one of Marley's best albums.

"Jamming," "Waiting in Vain" and "One Love/People Get Ready" were all huge international hits. Exodus peaked at #20 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, and #15 on the Black Albums chart. Other stand-outs include "Natural Mystic" and "The Heathen," which excel both musically and lyrically.

In 1998, TIME magazine named Exodus the best music album of the 20th century. In 2001, the TV network VH1 named it the 26th greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 169 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time

The 80's visually interprets Marley for America with this video for Three Little Birds... what's with the hula girls? And it is clearly America because the girl is trying to bounce a football (yes football not soccer ball or whatever you heathens call it):