Rastaman Vibration
The first Marley album to reach the American top ten.
Bob Marley and the Wailers, 1976
- Released
- 30 April 1976
- Studio
- Harry J and Joe Gibbs Studio, Kingston; mixed at Criteria Studios, Miami
- Label
- Island
- Producer
- Bob Marley and the Wailers
- Length
- 35:21
Rastaman Vibration was a great success in the United States. It reached number eight on the Billboard 200, the first Marley release to make the top ten, and number 15 in Britain. Its single Roots, Rock, Reggae reached number 51 on the Hot 100, the only Marley single to chart there. Synthesizers feature prominently. Pitchfork noted that it later became his biggest-selling American LP, certified gold in 1996.
Robert Palmer wrote in Rolling Stone in 1976 that Marley played a dual role as spokesman for the Third World's disadvantaged and as an avatar of a highly commercial brand of popular music. Robert Christgau heard the second side as calm and hard-won. It was one of three Wailers solo albums of 1976, alongside Bunny Wailer's Blackheart Man and Peter Tosh's Legalize It.
The liner notes credit several songwriters, including Vincent Ford for Positive Vibration and Roots, Rock, Reggae and Ford with Rita Marley for Crazy Baldhead. Marley, who was then in a contractual dispute with his former publisher Cayman Music, is said to have written all the songs. The Independent's obituary speculated that he put the songs in the names of friends and family to avoid its restrictions. A 1987 court decision favoured the Marley estate.
Track listing
- Positive Vibration3:20
- Roots, Rock, Reggae3:35
- Johnny Was3:35
- Cry to Me2:40
- Want More4:10
- Crazy Baldhead3:05
- Who the Cap Fit4:05
- Night Shift3:10
- War3:40
- Rat Race2:50
Personnel
- Bob Marley lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett bass, guitar, percussion
- Carlton Barrett drums, percussion
- Tyrone Downie keyboards, bass, percussion, backing vocals
- Earl "Chinna" Smith lead and rhythm guitar, percussion
- Al Anderson guitar
- Donald Kinsey lead guitar, overdubs on Johnny Was and Roots, Rock, Reggae
- Jean Alain Roussel Hammond organ on Positive Vibration, No Woman, No Cry and Roots, Rock, Reggae
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson percussion
- Tommy McCook saxophone on Roots, Rock, Reggae
- The I Threes backing vocals
- Errol Thompson and Sylvan Morris recording engineers
- Alex Sadkin and Jack Nuber mixing engineers
- Neville Garrick cover design
More from Bob Marley and the Wailers
The Wailing Wailers (1965), Soul Rebels (1970), Catch a Fire (1973), Burnin' (1973), Natty Dread (1974), Live! (1975), Exodus (1977), Kaya (1978), Babylon by Bus (1978), Survival (1979), Uprising (1980), Confrontation (1983), Legend (1984)
Sources
- Rastaman Vibration, Wikipedia
- Rastaman Vibration (Island ILPS 9383), Discogs
- Rastaman Vibration, master release, Discogs
- Legend, Pitchfork (2026-01-18)