In conjunction with the upcoming biopic Bob Marley: One Love, which is based on the life of global icon, Island/UMe will be releasing a new limited edition of Bob Marley’s timeless album, Exodus, on May 24, 2024. Including an exclusive 10” LP of rare bonus tracks on vinyl for the first time in decades and an essay by Jamaican historian Herbie Miller.
Cited by Time Magazine as the Best Album of the 20th Century (“Every song is a classic, from the messages of love to the anthems of revolution”) and the BBC as the “album that defined the 20th Century,” the legacy of Exodus extends beyond genres, eras, and continents, whose impact propelled Third World culture and politics into the global spotlight.
“Exodus is a timeless document that publicly reveals the contemplations and reflections on the life of one of the 20th century’s most revered artists and revolutionaries,” Miller writes in the new liner notes. “It shows Bob’s fears and vulnerability, his steadfast commitment to making humanity as equitable and ideal as imaginable and spreading his Rastafari spirituality to the four corners of the earth.”
As depicted in a critical scene in the One Love film, this special edition will feature the original cover design of the album created by longtime Marley family friend, creative designer, and lighting director Neville Garrick. Originally conceived in the context of flight, depicting a green, gold, and red-winged migrating bird, with Marley and the Wailers enclosed in a global sphere overseen by Haile Selassie, the design was symbolic of the parting of the Red Sea. Garrick’s final and now-classic album art will adorn the back of this package.
Now released on vinyl for the first time in decades, the 10” includes dub versions of “Exodus,” “Jamming,” and “Punky Reggae Party” – the latter associated with Exodus as the B-side of “Jamming” – plus the rare “Roots,” first issued as the B-side of “Waiting In Vain.”
Tracklist
Original LP
Side A
1. Natural Mystic 3:28
2. So Much Things to Say 3:08
3. Guiltiness 3:19
4. The Heathen 2:32
5. Exodus 7:40
Side B
1. Jamming 3:31
2. Waiting in Vain 4:16
3. Turn Your Lights Down Low 3:39
4. Three Little Birds 3:00
5. One Love/People Get Ready 2:52
Bonus 10” LP
Side A
1. Exodus (Version) 3:10
2. Jamming (Dub) 3:07
3. Roots 3:45
Side B
- Punky Reggae Party (Dub) 8:50
In 2017 I spoke with broadcaster, author, and reggae scholar Roger Steffens about Marley and Exodus.
I witnessed Bob Marley & The Wailers cosmic California shows with Steffens numerous times in the mid and late 1970s, and interviewed the band members for Melody Maker.
Steffens is the curator of the world's largest collection of Wailers memorabilia and recordings.
“Marley recorded the Exodus album in exile having escaped an assassination attempt in Jamaica. He arrived in London during the first week of ‘77 and set to work recording his fifth studio LP. The album revealed Marley at the height of his most introspective, rebellious and creative periods after relocating in London for 14 months. Exodus later stayed on the UK chart for 56 consecutive weeks and generated four top ten hits.
“Exodus established Marley as the first Third World superstar and Exodus as an audio life raft of spiritual exploration and quest. Songs like “The Heathen” are indicative of the biblical themes that permeate Exodus.
“Exodus was a turning point for Marley because he had just lost his band. Two Wailers’ lead guitarists Earl “Chinna” Smith and Donald Kinsey had just split after the shooting in Jamaica. A new animated guitarist then joined the ranks. Junior Marvin was introduced to Marley in the spring of 1977 in London by Chris Blackwell, Marvin had played with Stevie Winwood, Ike & Tina and Billy Preston. During the Exodus mixing process, Marvin helped substantially to alter the arrangements of the Exodus material developed and consequently waxed.
“Junior Marvin told me this story that Chris (Blackwell) decided to start the album with ‘Natural Mystic’ just kind of fading up and so people would think it wasn’t loud enough, and turn the stereo up, so that when the music really punched in it would hit them so hard, they’d be taken aback. That was a conscious decision,” maintains Roger Steffens.
“It’s someone singing with more confidence and aggressiveness than before. ’Natural Mystic’ is Bob’s way of saying we can’t really know what is going on in the world but it protected him from dying,” Steffens continues.
“All these tracks were made 2 or 3 months after he was shot. ‘Waiting In Vain’ poet/performer Lynton Kwesi Johnson says this is the most beautiful love song ever written. This my all-time favorite Bob Marley song. Because it’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
‘“Turn Your Lights Down Low’ is one of Bob’s gentle love songs that allegedly was written for Cindy Breakspeare. He used to sing it to her. ‘Three Little Birds’ supposedly was written about these three little birds that would fly down every morning and sit on Bob’s window sill and he would see them when he would wake up early in the morning. But, it’s also a metaphor many people feel for the I Three, the three women who sang behind him.”
The “One Love/People Get Ready” medley underscore that Bob and the Wailers adored Curtis Mayfield and he adored them. The group saw Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions at a theater in Kingston Jamaica in the ‘60s. It was one of the songs they would sing privately and made a beautiful medley with “One Love.”
“The relationship (Bob) Marley had with Lee Perry was tenuous,” mused Steffens.
“Bob realized he had a writing relationship also with Perry, because a lot of the Trojan Records tracks (they did) really were co-compositions. I have a copy of ‘Small Axe’ signed by Perry. ‘I Upsetter write this song. I am the small axe. Bob was not even there when I write this song.’ I’ve also heard from a member of the Wailers that there were times during those sessions when they were looking for songs, and Bob would go into the back room with ‘Scratch’ and they would emerge with a song that they did together.”
Bob Marley and the Wailers — One Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack comprises 17 of the late reggae luminary’s best-known recordings, which will be featured in director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biographical drama. The film debuts in theaters nationwide on Feb. 14.
The music on the Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack is drawn from several of the Island albums that launched Marley to stardom: Catch a Fire (1973), Burnin’ (1973), Rastaman Vibration (1976), Exodus (1977), Kaya (1978), and Uprising (1980).
Several of the songs are featured prominently on the multiplatinum 1984 hits compilation Legend. Recognized as the bestselling reggae album of all time, it has spent over 800 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart and recently surpassed sales of 18 million copies in the U.S.
Bob Marley: One Love soundtrack is now available in Dolby Atmos®, mixed by Nick Rives, who also mixed the albums Legend, Exodus, Catch A Fire, and Burnin’ in Dolby Atmos in collaboration with the Marley estate. With Dolby Atmos, fans will experience every detail of their favorite Marley classics as they are revealed with incredible depth and clarity.
Produced by Paramount Pictures in partnership with the Marley family, Bob Marley: One Love stars Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami, Barbie, Peaky Blinders) as Marley, Lashana Lynch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, No Time to Die) as his wife Rita, and James Norton (Little Women, Mr. Jones) as Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.
Bob Marley: One Love explores the life and legacy of the magnetic singer-songwriter Marley, whose Island recordings of the ‘70s established both the musician and Jamaican reggae on the international stage. Focusing on a pivotal and tumultuous period in his life, the film encompasses the December 1976 assassination attempt at his Kingston home amid a period of intense political violence in Jamaica that left Marley, his wife, and his manager wounded; his stunning appearance at the free Smile Jamaica concert two days after the attack; his sojourn in England, where he recorded his bestselling album Exodus; and his dramatic return to the stage in Jamaica at the April 1978 One Love Peace Concert. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.
“Bob’s music is filled with consciousness and messages of unity and love.” Ziggy Marley reflects, “His words and how he lived his life have always inspired people to be better. We’re proud to share my father’s story with this film and continue to spread his messages with his music.”
On Feb. 14, Tuff Gong/Island Records released Bob Marley: One Love (Music Inspired by the Film), a seven-song EP of fresh recordings of Marley’s compositions by Daniel Caesar, Kacey Musgraves, Wizkid, Leon Bridges, Jessie Reyes, Bloody Civilian, and Marley’s grandson Skip Marley.
Bob Marley And The Wailers – One Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
“Get Up, Stand Up”
"Roots, Rock, Reggae"
“I Shot The Sheriff”
“No More Trouble”
“War/No More Trouble (Film Version)”
“So Jah S’eh (Film Version)”
“Natural Mystic”
“Turn Your Lights Down Low”
“Exodus”
“Jamming”
“Concrete Jungle”
“No Woman, No Cry (Live at the Rainbow, 4th June, 1977)”
“Three Little Birds”
“Redemption Song”
“One Love/People Get Ready”
“Is This Love”
“Rastaman Chant”
Visit the One Love movie website.
ABOUT BOB MARLEY
Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put Reggae on the global map but also as a statesman in his native Jamaica; he famously brought together the country’s warring factions. Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley’s lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity. The official Bob Marley Facebook page draws more than 74 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and Top 10 among celebrity pages. Marley’s music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide. His iconic collection ‘LEGEND’ holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard Magazine’s Catalog Albums chart and remains the world’s best-selling reggae album. Marley’s accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001). For more information, visit bobmarley.com and facebook.com/bobmarley.
(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon and 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972. He has written titles on Leonard Cohen and Neil Young.
Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In2021 they wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. On October 16, 2023, ACC ART BOOKS LTD published THE ROLLING STONES: ICONS. 312 pages. $75.00. Introduction is penned by Kubernik).
