Survival (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)
| Survival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Bob Marley and The Wailers | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Smash Hits | 5/10[2] |
Survival is a reggae album by Bob Marley & 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, ganja-soaked atmosphere of his previous release, "Kaya", which seemed to sidetrack the urgency of his message.[3] In the song "Africa Unite", Marley proclaims Pan-African solidarity. The song "Zimbabwe" is a hymn dedicated to later-independent 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.[3]
Track listing
Original Tuff Gong LP
All tracks written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| ILPS 9542 (1979) Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| Jamaican pressing 7910 DP (circa 1984) Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 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..
| ILPS 9542 (i) or ILPM 9542 (1986) Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| Current CD Version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
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"
- Peter Griffin – tenor and alto saxophone
- 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[4]
Production
- Producers – Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin
- Mastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Front cover
The album's front cover depicts 48 African flags, 15 of which (in italics) are now obsolete, as well as the flag of Papua New Guinea:
- ↑ Now the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- ↑ Now Burkina Faso.
- ↑ Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- ↑ Now the Republic of the Congo.
- ↑ The flag is shown upside-down on the front cover.
Four states already sovereign by the time of the album's release didn't have their flags featured in its cover art: Cape Verde, Comoros, Libya and South Africa (which was under apartheid at the time).
Three states only came to sovereignty after the album's release and thus didn't have their flags included: Eritrea, South Sudan and Namibia.
The album's title appears in white (City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[5] | N/A | 487,400 [6]* |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[7] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ Planer, Lindsay. "Review: Survival Bonus Track". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (November 1–14, 1979): 29.
- 1 2 Tribute to Bob Marley The Daily Star.
- ↑ Roger Steffens and Leroy Pierson, Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Definitive Discography (Cambridge, MA: Rounder, 2005)
- ↑ "French album certifications – BM – Survival" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ https://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Albums_Tout_Temps.php?debut=550
- ↑ "Spanish album certifications – Bob Marley – Survival" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select album under "Chart", enter 1980 in the field "Year". Select the certification month in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
