Bob Marley and the Wailer’s run of 11 albums in 11 years culminated with 1980’s Uprising, the last work they would record before Marley’s death.
Marley was sick with cancer when writing and recording this album, and the songs’ focus on spirituality and salvation feels appropriate for his final musical statement. But it isn’t a somber album. The band goes to exciting new places musically here, including the disco stylings of ‘Could You Be Loved,’ one of their biggest hits.
After 1978’s Kaya eschewed political songs, Bob Marley swung in the opposite direction on his next release, 1979’s Survival. Perhaps it was a reaction to the criticism he received for not taking advantage of his platform on the previous album.
If so, that’s a shame. Can’t a man just make music without having to serve as a spiritual and political leader? Marley certainly made good use of his influence in those arenas throughout his career. The man should be able to take a break.
‘Rider in the Rain’ is a lovely little country and western ditty by Randy Newman, included on his 1977 album Little Criminals. If you think this song sounds like a long lost Eagles track, that’s because Don Henley, Glenn Frey and J.D. Souther provide backing vocals.
Interviewed about Little Criminals at the time, Newman had this to say about today’s SOTD: “There’s also one about me as a cowboy called ‘Rider in the Rain’. I think it’s ridiculous. The Eagles are on there. That’s what’s good about it.”
Today’s Random Weekend selection is the title track of Darius Rucker’s 2008 album Learn to Live. This was Rucker’s second solo release, following 2002’s Back to Then, and his first foray into country music.
The shift to country paid off, as this album went platinum and earned Rucker both radio play and awards recognition previously unheard of for a Black performer.
Bob Marley averaged an album per year through the 70s, a decade that saw reggae grow from its humble Jamaican roots to a global phenomenon, with Marley as its figurehead.
In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica after a brief exile in London, and released the exuberant Kaya to coincide with his homecoming.
While Marley’s previous few albums were a mix of political and personal content, Kaya was a laid-pack paean to love, peace, and marijuana.
