Exodus (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)

In 1974, two of the original Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, left the band. The band continued releasing material as "Bob Marley & The Wailers," as had sometimes been the case in the Lee Perry era (as with the Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution LPs). His current 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 Marley 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. ==Conception==

Marley had conceived "Exodus" as the album title before even writing the song. 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. On 3 December 1976, while he was in his house in Jamaica, an assassination attempt on Marley's life drove him out of his native country: two days after the assassination attempt, Marley performed in the previously scheduled Smile Jamaica concert, then subsequently fled to England where he later recorded the song "Exodus". In addition to the assassination attempt on Marley, his wife Rita was also shot and survived. ==No. 1 hit single==

The song "Exodus" became a No. 1 hit in Jamaica as well as a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom where it reached number 14, and Germany. ==Music==

Exodus is a reggae album that features a "laid-back" production and a "stoned atmosphere that's simultaneously funky and political" according to Cam, an Emeritus from Sputnikmusic. 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. 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." 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. 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. The album's track listing is split over two halves; 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. The following two songs "Guiltiness" and "The Heathen" explore darker territory, before ending on the album's title track. The second half of the album features songs revolving around sex and keeping faith. ==Critical reception==

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. 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, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, and re-ranking at number 48 in a 2020 revised list. ==Track listing==

All tracks written by Bob Marley. 1977 original release 2001 Deluxe edition Tracks 12 and 14 are previously unreleased. Tracks 1–5 and tracks 8, 9, and 10 are previously unreleased. 2004 Definitive remastered edition 2017 Exodus – 40th anniversary edition: Exodus – The Movement Continues On 3 June 2017, The Marley Family, Island Records and UMe capitalised on the 40th anniversary of the Exodus album with a series of four reissues, three of which – titled Exodus – The Movement Continues – featuring the special release Exodus 40, son Ziggy Marley's newly curated "restatement" of the original album: • a two-CD package including a CD of the original album and the bonus CD Exodus 40, • a three-CD set including the above CDs and an extra CD Exodus Live (recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre the week of the original album's release) and • a super deluxe vinyl limited edition including a gold vinyl version of the original LP plus vinyl LPs & singles. CD editions Disc one Exodus (1977 original release) (37:24) Disc two Disc three Super Deluxe Vinyl limited edition box set The Super Deluxe, four-LP, two-7" single vinyl version includes the original LP, Ziggy Marley's Exodus 40 restatement, the Exodus Live set (minus the track "Burnin And Lootin"), the Punky Reggae Party LP (which includes a previously unreleased extended mix of "Keep On Moving"), and a pair of vinyl 7" singles, including "Waiting in Vain" b/w "Roots" and "Smile Jamaica (Part One)" b/w "Smile Jamaica (Part Two)." Vinyl LP 1 Exodus (1977 original release) (37:24) Vinyl LP 2 Exodus 40 (36:55) Vinyl LP 3 Exodus Live (Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, June 1, 3 & 4, 1977) (47:15) Vinyl LP 4 – Punky Reggae Party (31:25) • A1. Punky Reggae Party – 9:18 • A2. Punky Reggae Party Dub – 8:47 • B1. Keep On Moving – 13:20 (previously unreleased extended mix) Vinyl single 1 – Waiting in Vain (8:31) • A1. Waiting in Vain Alternate version – 4:49 (previously unreleased) • B1. Roots – 3:42 Vinyl single 2 – Smile Jamaica (8:15) • A1. Smile Jamaica Part One – 3:13 • B1. Smile Jamaica Part Two – 5:02 "2023 Analog Productions UHQR released February 2023" A limited edition, custom pressing. Limited to 3500 copies. Ultra high-quality record from analog productions. Pressed on Clarity vinyl. Direct from analog. Produced in Salina, Kansas by Chad Kassem. ==Musicians==

;Bob Marley and the Wailers • Bob Marley: lead and backing vocals, guitars • Junior Marvin: electric guitars • Aston Barrett: basses • Carlton Barrett: drums • Tyrone Downie: synthesizer, electric piano, organ and backing vocals • Alvin "Seeco" Patterson: percussions ;Additional personnel: • Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt: backing vocals • David Madden: trumpet, horn arrangements • Vin Gordon: trombone • Glen Da Costa: saxophone • Neville Garrick: art direction ==Charts==

Original release Deluxe edition ==Certifications==