''Survival'' is the eleventh studio album by

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as the Wailers and prior to that the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and the Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

, 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 Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

. The song was performed at

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

'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 Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

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.

( Zimbabwe Rhodesia at the time of the album's release) is represented by two political flags instead of a national flag. 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 Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Two non-sovereign regions that didn't have their flags included in the cover art are also featured on the poster: *

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

Two nations' flags are grayed-out and are represented by numbers rather than names on the poster. * * Zimbabwe Rhodesia The album's title appears in white ( City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.

Personnel

Musicians

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

– 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 Melba Doretta Liston (January 13, 1926 – April 23, 1999) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and composer. Other than those playing in all-female bands, she was the first woman trombonist to play in big bands during the 1940s and 1960s, ...

– 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 Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

at Sterling Sound, NYC

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Survival (Bob Marley and The Wailers album) Bob Marley and the Wailers albums Island Records albums Albums produced by Alex Sadkin 1979 albums Tuff Gong albums