Survival (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)
1979 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1979 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.
| 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 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] |
| 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 |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| 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 |
| 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 |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| 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 |
| 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 |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
| 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 |
| 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 |
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 | 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 |
| 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 | ||
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted
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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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. | ||
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