After the success of 1974's
Natty Dread
and 1976's
Rastaman Vibration
,
Bob Marley
was not only the most successful reggae musician in the world, he was one of the most powerful men in Jamaica. Powerful enough, in fact, that he was shot by gunmen who broke into his home in December 1976, days before he was to play a massive free concert intended to ease tensions days before a contentious election for Jamaican Prime Minister. In the wake of the assassination attempt,
Marley
and his band left Jamaica and settled in London for two years, where he recorded 1977's
Exodus
. Thematically,
represented a subtle but significant shift for
; while he continued to speak out against political corruption and for freedom and equality for Third World people, his lyrics dealt less with specifics and more with generalities and the need for peace and love (though "So Much Things to Say," "Guiltiness," and "The Heathen" demonstrate the bullets had taken only so much sting out of
's lyrics). And while songs like "Exodus" and "One Love/People Get Ready" were anthemic, they also had less to say than the more pointed material from
's earlier albums. However, if
had become more wary in his point of view (and not without good cause), his skill as a songwriter was as strong as ever, and
boasted more than a few classics, including the title song, "Three Little Birds," "Waiting in Vain," and "Turn Your Lights Down Low," tunes that defined
's gift for sounding laid-back and incisive at once. His gifts as a vocalist were near their peak on these sessions, bringing a broad range of emotional color to his performances, and this lineup of
the Wailers
-- anchored by bassist
Aston "Family Man" Barrett
, drummer
Carlton Barrett
, and guitarist
Julian "Junior" Murvin
-- is superb, effortlessly in the pocket throughout.
was recorded at a time when
was learning about the unexpected costs of international stardom, but it hadn't yet sapped his creative strengths, and this is one of the finest albums in his stellar catalog. ~ Mark Deming