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Bob Marley & The Wailers

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9:53

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers · 1974

Natty Dread is Bob Marley & The Wailers' seventh album, released in October 1974. It is their first without Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and their first with the I-Threes. All songs were written by Marley. Jean Roussel arranged 'No Woman No Cry', 'Natty Dread', and 'Lively Up Yourself'. Personnel included Aston and Carlton Barrett, Al Anderson, Bernard 'Touter' Harvey, Lee Jaffe, and the I-Threes. Engineers were Sylvan Morris and Phil Ault; Sid Bucknor mixed it; Chris Blackwell and The Wailers produced it. The original demo of 'Lively Up Yourself' was recorded in 1973. The original version of 'No Woman, No Cry' was in gospel style, featuring Peter Tosh and unknown female backing vocals, cut for Island in 1973. The album contains 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Lively Up Yourself', and the politically charged 'Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)'.

10:38

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers · 1977

Exodus is a reggae album recorded in London in early 1977 by Bob Marley & The Wailers, following their relocation after an assassination attempt in Kingston. Its production is laid-back, featuring pulsating bass beats, piano, trumpet and guitar. It departs from cryptic storytelling in favour of clear themes: religious politics in the first half, making love and keeping faith in the second. Musically, it fuses blues, soul and British rock beneath a reggae façade — sounding unlike contemporaneous Jamaican reggae. The title and title track respond to Michael Manley’s campaign slogan ‘We Know Where We’re Going’.

8:39

Kaya

Bob Marley & The Wailers · 1978

Kaya is a compact, mid-tempo reggae album built for warmth, not weight. Its sound is defined by Marley’s acoustic and rhythm guitar, Junior Marvin’s lead guitar, and understated percussion. Critics found it lightweight next to Exodus — yet it yielded the enduring hit 'Is This Love' and reached the UK top-5. It contains three re-recordings from Soul Revolution Part II and was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound. The album offers intimacy over ideology, ease over insistence.

9:52

Uprising

Bob Marley & The Wailers · 1980

Uprising is the final Bob Marley & The Wailers album released in Marley's lifetime — June 1980. It affirms Marley's Rastafarian beliefs. It contains 'Forever Loving Jah', 'Redemption Song' (described as solo acoustic and folk-based), and 'Could You Be Loved' (a successful single). 'Redemption Song' is the only track with verified sonic description: solo, acoustic, folk-based. The record is framed externally by the concept of rebellion as organized resistance against government — but no source verifies how the music itself enacts that idea.