Masterpiece: Exodus

[Today: Bob Marley and the burning bush...]

Bob Marley is the single most important artist to emerge from the impoverished, but musically rich, island of Jamaica. This charismatic rastaman became reggae’s first international superstar, and almost single-handedly made its riddims a worldwide commodity. While previous Marley albums had chipped away at an international audience, Exodus represented a breakthrough on many fronts – it spent 56 weeks on the UK charts, and the title track found heavy rotation on black radio stations in the US – opening up lucrative new markets for reggae.

The songs here were recorded while Marley was in exile in London, having fled Kingston after a would-be assassin put a bullet in his chest. In December of 1976, gunmen stormed his home and opened fire, wounding Marley, his wife Rita, and manager Don Taylor. Marley was shaken by the attack, and his subsequent music is marked by pensive calm and a simmering, biblical fury. But like many of his previous albums, Exodus is deeply spiritual, fiercely political, and genuinely romantic. Album opener ‘Natural Mystic’ sets the tone with a shuffling rhythm and haunting lyrics about the spirits blowing around in the breeze. ‘So Much Things To Say’ offers encouragement to stand strong in the face of detractors. ‘Jamming’, ‘Waiting In Vain’, ‘Three Little Birds’, ‘One Love/People Get Ready’, and the title track became instant staples of Marley’s live act, and together formed a significant chunk of the posthumous 1984 best-of Legend.

Exodus is not coincidentally the name of the second book of the Old Testament. In it, Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt (“movement of Jah people”) and away from the grip of Pharaoh. The book sees Moses bring forth the ten commandments and speak to the lord through the Burning Bush. Marley’s fans are likely more familiar with a burning bush of another, stinkier variety, but even they understand the sentiment of Exodus 3:5, “…put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Such uplifting spiritual empowerment is writ into every line of Bob Marley’s music.

Listen: Exodus

Listen: Natural Mystic

Listen: Radio Advertisement for Exodus

Tags: Bob Marley, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Burning Bush, Exodus, Moses, Old Testament, reggae