Bob Marley & The Wailers: Survival - 1979

 

After the laid-back, chilled-out and romantic ambience, both musically and lyrically, of the previous year's Kaya album, Bob Marley went back to a more roots approach with this potent, politically-motivated album. 

After Kaya and the blatant commercial feel of much of Exodus, Survival would be Marley's most "roots" and "Conscious" album since 1976's Rastaman Vibration. 

So Much Trouble In The World is a strong, memorable and meaningful opener, which is followed by a contemporaneously-relevant song in support of the emerging African nation of Zimbabwe. 

Top Rankin' is a tuneful, wah-wah guitar-driven number, full of brassy breaks and righteous lyrics and then we get a gospelly rasta song condemning the Babylon System, featuring a rather dated-sounding acoustic piano, such as that used on the early Wailers recordings. Survival is a tuneful, upbeat black consciousness track in the vein of Exodus (particularly in the vocal stylings) that sees the black diaspora as "black survivors" on a seemingly never-ending, tortuous journey. Another song with an irresistible hook. 

The catchy hook (again) of Africa Unite has Marley addressing the African continent again, using a plaintive, Kaya style vocal, while the likeable, rhythmic One Drop, with its unique drum sound, would have made a good single. It is my favourite track on the album. Marley's vocal on this is both sad and uplifting at the same time. Ride Natty Ride is a fine I-Threes backed rasta consciousness anthem, while Ambush In The Night has Marley directly referencing his personal experience with an armed intruder at his house.

Strong, vibrant kicking horns introduce the exhortation to Wake Up And Live, which also has vibes of the track Exodus, even more so than Survival - an insistent, urgent beat, prominent I-Threes backing vocals, some excellent horn solo pieces and a general anthemic, rousing feel to end the album on. One of the best tracks from an impressive collection. Whereas the message in Kaya had been to take it easy, here it was to get up and stand up once again and make your feelings known. A quality album. No question.

Non-album track

The non-album track around from the time is a 12" version of Ride Natty Ride. It is pretty much just a longer version of the original track. 


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