Bob Marley & the Wailers’ classic Exodus album, the ninth studio album of the band, was released on June 3, 1977, featuring a new backing band including brothers Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barrett on drums and bass, Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin “Seeco” Patterson on percussion, and the I Threes, Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley on backing vocals, and newest member Julian “Junior Marvin” on guitar. The album was released on June 3, 1977, just six months after an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley’s life in Jamaica in December, forcing him to flee to London, where Exodus was recorded.
This June, The Marley Family, Island Records and Universal Music will mark the 40th anniversary of Exodus – named the “Best Album of the 20th Century” by Time magazine in 1999 – with a series of four separate reissues, three of which will feature Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues, son Ziggy Marley’s newly curated “restatement” of the original album.
As part of the celebration, Ziggy Marley has intimately revisited the original session recordings, uncovering unused and never-before-heard vocals, lyric phrasing and instrumentation, incorporating and transforming these various elements into brand-new session takes.
On June 2, UMe will release a version of Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues in a two-CD package that includes the original album and the Ziggy Marley “restatement”; a three-CD set (and digital equivalent) that includes the original Exodus, Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues and Exodus Live.
A Super Deluxe, four-LP, two-7” single vinyl version includes the original LP, Ziggy Marley’s restatement Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues, an Exodus Live set recorded at London’s Rainbow Theatre the week of the album’s release, Punky Reggae Party LP which includes a previously unreleased extended mix of “Keep On Moving”, and a pair of vinyl 7” singles, including “Waiting in Vain” b/w “Roots” and “Smile Jamaica (Part One)” b/w “Smile Jamaica (Part Two).”
Ziggy approached the “restatement” project with the utmost respect for his father’s music and the message. Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues is his vision of how his father might have accessed these songs today. Ziggy’s respectful, but experimental approach places them in a brand-new context, like listening to this classic album again, for the first time.
Ziggy uncovered 10 lead vocal outtakes for “One Love,” proceeding to piece together a dazzling, new lead vocal from the outtakes, which includes vocal booth lyric ad libs near the end of the song. He also assembled a noteworthy roster of musicians to record a new music bed for “Turn Your Lights Down Low” – which leads the song into deeper elements of R&B. Bob’s original vocals sit atop this fresh music bed, creating a new soulful experience with this iconic song. Ziggy and his hand-chosen musicians provide subtle instrumental textures throughout this knowledgeable reimagining from the multiple Grammy® winning heir to his father’s legacy.
Four Separate Releases Out This June:
Ziggy Marley-Curated “Restatement” Exodus 40 – The Movement Continues; Gold-Colored Vinyl of Original Release and Live Album set for June 2
4 LP Super Deluxe Version Available June 30
