Exodus

I'm only sort of casually familiar with Bob Marley. I mean I know all the songs that everyone knows and have heard a few of his albums randomly over the years. I've always really dug his music but never felt the need to go out and actively listen to it all. I really liked this album, it's a total mood album. Always glad to hear Jamming, that's probably been my favorite song of his since I first heard it. The rhythms in his music are so great. I don't know what it is but it just makes you sort of relax a bit, and that's funny to say because a lot of his songs are about such serious topics - poverty, oppression, spirituality, revolution, and just general struggles of Jamaica. Great music to sort of just have on in the background when you're doing other things but still fun to sit and really listen.
This specific album has a lot going for it - great sound and production, interesting instrumentation, brilliant lyrics and signing. It's super tight but sort of loose and free at the same time. I love how some of it is almost like a reggae/funk fusion. 3.75/5

Loved it <3

As an entire album, it’s a really nice 4, but I think tracks 6-10 by themselves are a 5.

I just wasn’t really vibing with the first 4 tracks too much; they felt a little slow, a little too lyrically dense, a little preachy, and not quite “poppy” enough. Track 5 started to bring in the energy, but it was about 2 or 3 minutes too long. Track 6 and onward, though… hoo. That’s really good stuff. Big difference from the front half and the back half; the more melodic instrumentation on the latter half of the album just sucked me in and had me FEELING that music really deeply.

I think the incredibly solid (but still just kind of OK for me) first half does drag it down to a 4 for me, but it’s no lower than that. Really good stuff here.

This was my first proper listen to a full Bob Marley album, and it did not disappoint.

Exodus flows brilliantly from start to finish. The songs work so well together, balancing political messages with warmth, groove and melody. There is a laid back confidence throughout, but also real purpose in the writing.

Three Little Birds is one of my favourites. It is simple, uplifting and timeless. The whole album has that same easy feel, yet there is depth beneath the surface. The rhythms are infectious and the songwriting is strong across the board.

I came into this curious and came away genuinely impressed. A great album that fully lives up to its reputation.

Favourite song: Three Little Birds
Least favourite: None that stood out negatively
Album artwork: Instantly recognisable and perfectly in keeping with the era and the sound

Solid tracks from front to back. Consistently good vibes.

I remember being a little kid and always asking my parents to check out a kids "world music" CD (maybe Putumayo) and it had Three Little Birds on it - that's the only one I remember, but I would always want to listen to that one.

Gave up on listening to this a couple of times because of the weaker beginning, but there's a lot of meat in the latter half. Obviously some big hits, but I also really like the more R&B/pop inspired songs too.

By now Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were long gone and Bob was on a tear spreading the word of reggae. This might be the crowning achievement, a classic album of memorable songs, "Jamming" and "Three Little Birds" being the obvious highlights, but the whole album is a solid groove.

Genius

Reading the other reviews there are a lot of people that "don't like reggae" but "love this album". Whilst not a genre I'm overly familiar with, of course all the hits are here. The blend of "chilling at a beach shack" with the hint of spiritual overtones is clearly very impressive and there's a lot to love here. Stick it on in the background on a cold winter's day, or whilst grilling on the BBQ on a hot day - it still works.

From the fade-in on natural mystic, the deep hypnotic bass groove carries this album everywhere it goes, leaving ample room for funky electric piano, soulful horns, guitar stabs and solos, lively percussion, pitch perfect harmonies from the backup singers, and, obviously, an all-time vocal performance from BM. The album is full of inspired interplay and joyful back and forth between the musicians/singers, all feeding each other and running with each other's ideas creating endless layers of rhythm and melody. I could live without hearing jamming ever again, but the rest of this is a genre reaching its zenith.

Better than the other Marley album I've got, as the variation near the end of this one helped it quite a bit, but it still doesn't do enough for me to think anything too crazy about this one, and the titular song, which seems to be considered one of the highlights of the album, is considerably boring. It was alright, just don't think too much past that. Reggae just isn't my thing, I suppose.

Brilliant. Evocative and beautiful throughout.

I don't like reggae, so..... a few stars to show appreciation for the musicianship.

Ps: JAMMINGG

Bueno pues con "Exodus", "Waiting in vain", "One love" y "Three little birds" no se puede pedir mucho a un disco. 4 estrellas directas.

HOT TAKE: I'm a bit sick of Bob Marley. I mean I appreciate his music for what it is, but his Greatest Hits album has always been enough for me. Listening to this album the whole way through twice hasn't changed my feelings on that. I still really enjoy Exodus, Jamming, Three Little Birds, and One Love, but I can easily go months or years without intentionally listening to them again. They have become so ubiquitous that they often just fade into the background.

On the other hand, I'm really, really sick of "Waiting in Vain". I don't think that song ever did anything for me, I've always found it boring AF. The rest of the songs on the album are pleasant enough but nothing special, especially the first few preceding "Exodus". A lot of them are a bit too "church-y" for me too. Overall, none of the deep cuts really resonated with me, so I think I'll stick to the Greatest Hits.

Good album that contains some of my fav Bob Marley songs (waiting in vain, Jammin). 4/5

meh, it was fine - just nothing great for me

Hey bob!

Up there with the best reggae albums Iv heard

we jammin