Bob Marley & The Wailers: Rastaman Vibration - 1976

The previous year’s live album had put Bob Marley fully into the “mainstream” and his releases now catered for not only a Jamaican audience, but a predominantly white “rock” group of followers in the UK, the USA and Europe. 

He was now on the way to becoming a global music figure. Rastaman Vibration, however, is a surprisingly uncommercial, often low-key album. It is fervent in its roots approach and is still pretty credible in its roots authenticity. Indeed, the album’s opener, the laid-back rasta exhortation to be positive in the name of Jah, Positive Vibration, is hardly the commercial lead-off many were expecting. It was a call-out to the faithful, a call to prayer. Roots, Rock, Reggae continued this theme, this time bringing reggae music into the mix, Marley asking the radio stations in the USA to “play I on the r’n’b”. Johnny Was, later covered successfully by Northern Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers is far less anthemic than that version, here it is a justifiable sad lament. 

Dating from the early Wailers era are remakes of Cry To Me and Who The Cap Fit (once called Man To Man). They are both ok, but, like Aston Barrett's funky-ish groover Want More, they are not the bedrock upon which the album is built. 

The album’s militant songs - the pro-Rasta, anti-military Crazy Baldhead (using some verses from 1967’s Freedom Time), Night Shift, the anti-arms race Rat Race and the obviously-themed War are the cornerstones of the album, showing once again that alongside the Rasta devotional material, a fighting soul healthily co-exists. This would never change, despite the commercial, more poppy success that some later songs would bring. 

Non-album tracks

The sessions for the album's non-album tracks include one of my all-time favourite Marley tracks in the sumptuous, moving Jah Live. It has a mid-pace, attractive skank, a sad Marley vocal and some fine backing vocals. The guitar solo from Al Anderson is great too. 

The song has a nice, rhythmic dub version entitled Concrete. The dub version of Roots, Rock, Reggae is a killer as well, just check out that rubbery bass line and groovy saxophone. 

Smile Jamaica, which was also included on re-releases of 1978's Kaya album dates from this period too. Here is is presented in its original acoustic, folky groove, together with a melodic dub version, which again, unsurprisingly, features some sumptuous bass.