Exodus (Bob Marley & the Wailers album)

Exodus
Studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Released	3 June 1977
Recorded	Harry J. Studio, Kingston, Jamaica, 1976 and Island Studios, London, January–April 1977
Genre	Reggae
Length	37:24
Label	Island Tuff Gong (reissue)
Producer	Bob Marley and the Wailers
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology
Rastaman Vibration (1976) Exodus (1977) Kaya (1978)

Exodus is the ninth studio album by Jamaican reggae recording band Bob Marley and the Wailers, first released 3 June 1977 through Island Records following Rastaman Vibration (1976).

On 3 December 1976, an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley's life in which his chest was grazed and his arm was struck with a bullet, but he survived.^[1] Following the assassination attempt Marley left Jamaica and was exiled to London where Exodus was recorded.^[2]

Exodus is a reggae album, incorporating elements of blues, soul, British rock and funk. 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 Wailers, Exodus thematically moves away from cryptic story-telling; instead it revolves around themes of change, religious politics, and sex. The album is split into two halves: the first half revolves around religious politics while the second half is focused on themes of sex and keeping faith.

The album was a success both critically and commercially; it received gold certifications in the US, UK and Canada, and was the album that propelled Marley to international stardom.^[1] In 2017 Exodus was remastered and re-released for its 40th anniversary. Exodus has more tracks on Marley’s greatest hits album, Legend—the highest selling reggae album of all time—than any of his other records.^[1]

Background

In 1974, the Wailers disbanded with each of the three main members pursuing solo careers. Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Al Anderson and Junior Marvin on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals. In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, "No Woman, No Cry", from the Natty Dread album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which became the 48th best-selling album on the Billboard Soul Charts in 1978.^[3]

Conception

In December 1976, Jamaica was going through elections, generating substantial political discourse. In his campaign, Prime Minister Michael Manley used the campaign slogan "We know where we're going." In response Marley wrote "Exodus", which is the title track of the album. The song became a No. 1 hit in Jamaica as well as the United Kingdom and Germany.^[4]

On 3 December 1976, an attempt was made on Marley’s life. It was this attempt that drove him out of Jamaica. In addition to Marley's assassination attempt, "his wife Rita — one of the I Threes, whose singing on Exodus is first-rate"^[5] was also shot and survived.

Music

Exodus is a reggae album^[2][6] which features a "laid-back" production, that contains a "stoned atmosphere that's simultaneously funky and political" according to Cam, an Emeritus from Sputnikmusic.^[6]

Cam described the album's musical style as being "different," noting that Marley's style of reggae was not what was prominent in Jamaica during the time, and that the album's music sounds unlike any reggae that came before its release.^[6] Emeritus continued to describe the album's sound as being rooted in the blues and soul, with elements of British Rock with a reggae "façade thrown on top" however Emeritus praised this saying "if Exodus was straight reggae, it probably wouldn't be as good as it is."^[6]

Exodus contains elements of pulsating bass beats, pianos and funk along with a "liquid-y bass," drumming and guitars with the inclusion of trumpets in the title track.^[6] Unlike previous albums Exodus lyrical content moves away from cryptic story-telling and instead is clearer and more straight forward, the lyrics touch upon themes of change, religious politics and sex. Vocally, Marley provides a minimalist approach, trying not to reach his falsettos.^[6]

The album's track listing is split over two halves,^[5] the first half features songs of religious politics and opens with Natural Mystic which is a slow tempo "fade up" song, followed by "So Much Things To Say" which was described by the BBC as being "exuberant" and features a reggae-scat.^[1] The following two songs Guiltiness and The Heathen explore darker territory, before ending on the album's title track.^[1] The second half of the album features songs revolving around sex and keeping faith.^[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Billboard	(favorable)[7]
Pitchfork Media	(8.4/10)[8]
PopMatters	(favorable)[9]
Robert Christgau	B+[10]
Sputnikmusic	[6]

Cam from Sputnikmusic gave the album five out of five stars, calling it a "classic". Emeritus praised the album's "laid-back tones" and commended Marley's vocals and lyrical content.^[6] As described by Rolling Stone magazine, Exodus is an album with "the magnificent rhythm section of Aston Barrett, bass, and Carlton Barrett, drums, and the spidery lead guitar of Julian "Junior" Marvin — and the flatness of the material Bob Marley has given them to work with"^[5]

"Jamming", "Waiting in Vain", "One Love/People Get Ready", and "Three Little Birds" were all major international hits. Exodus peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and at number 15 on the Black Albums chart, as well as remaining in the UK charts for 56 consecutive weeks, where it peaked at number 8.

In 1999, Time magazine named Exodus the best album of the 20th century.^[11] 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.^[12]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bob Marley, unless noted.

Personnel

Technical personnel

• Bob Marley and the Wailers – Producer
• Karl Pitterson – engineer
• Robert Honablue – engineer
• Guy Bidmead, Terry Barham – assistant engineers
• Aston "Familyman" Barrett, Chris Blackwell, Karl Pitterson – mixing
• Adrian Boot, Neville Garrick – photos
• Neville Garrick – cover design, graphics
• Ted Jensen – mastering engineer

Performers and musicians

• Bob Marley – lead vocal, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
• Aston "Family Man" Barrett – Fender bass, guitar, percussion
• Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
• Tyrone Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
• Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
• Julian (Junior) Marvin – lead guitar
• I Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt) – backing vocals

Charts

Certifications

References

Further reading

• Goldman, Vivien (2006). The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 1-4000-5286-6.