Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.
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.Tribute to Bob Marley The Daily Star. 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. The album was partially censored in South Africa because of their apartheid regime.
Track listing
Original Tuff Gong LP
Original Island Records LP
Tuff Gong cassette
Island Records LP re-issue
The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)
Front cover The album's front cover depicts 48 African flags and one Oceanian flag (Papua New Guinea). Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Rhodesia at the time of the album's release) is represented by two political flags instead of a national flag. Second Nigerian Republic Democratic Republic of Madagascar Zimbabwe African People's Union Democratic Republic of Sudan Zimbabwe African National Union Republic of Mauritania (1960–1978)
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:
State of the Comoros Libya Jamahiriya Namibia
Two non-sovereign regions that didn't have their flags included in the cover art are also featured on the poster:
Réunion Western Sahara
Two nations' flags are greyed-out and are represented by numbers rather than names on the poster. An early, unused version of the poster included these flags.
Zimbabwe Rhodesia
The album's title appears in white (City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.
The cover was designed by Neville Garrick.
Personnel Musicians Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, rhythm guitar, percussion Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion Junior Marvin – lead guitar, backing vocals Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards Al Anderson – lead guitar Rita Marley – backing vocals Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals Judy Mowatt – backing vocals Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums on "Africa Unite" Mikey "Boo" Richards – drums on "Wake Up And Live" Val Douglas – bass on "Wake Up and Live" Earl "Chinna" Smith – rhythm guitar and percussion on "One Drop" Headley Bennett – alto saxophone Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone Melba Liston – trombone Luther Francois – trombone Junior "Chico" Chin – trumpet Jackie Willacy – trumpet Micky Hanson – trumpet Lee Jaffe – harmonicaRoger Steffens and Leroy Pierson, Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Definitive Discography (Cambridge, MA: Rounder, 2005)
Production Producers – Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin Mastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts + Chart performance for Survival Chart (1979) PeakpositionAustralian Albums (Kent Music Report)32Norwegian Albums Chart 10New Zealand Albums Chart 14Swedish Albums Chart 17UK Albums Chart 20 US Billboard Top LPs & Tape 70 US Top Soul LPs (Billboard) 32
Certifications
References