This is one of the very best of Bob Marley and The Wailers' (the first two were originally released under the group name The Wailers) original 11 Island-era albums. Definitely. (Survival and Exodus are probably the two best.) I own all of these albums on CD and vinyl, and my Marley collection in general is very, very extensive. It is so good that if I had to suggest three releases which include material released during the Island Era, they would be Songs of Freedom (the 4-CD career retrospective box set), Legend, and SURVIVAL. It is so good that seven of the songs from this album are on Songs of Freedom, (for one of them they put the 12" mix instead of the original), and there is an additional dub version of one of these songs on the SOF box set. It is such a good album, that if you consider yourself a fan of Island-era Marley, I guarantee that if you do not have this album already and you buy it, you will like it. "Zimbabwe," "Babylon System," "Africa Unite," "One Drop," "Ride Natty Ride," and "Ambush in the Night" are unstoppably awesome songs!! Just as "No Woman, No Cry [Lyceum, 1975]" is Marley's best LIVE recording, "Africa Unite" is arguably Marley's best Island-era STUDIO recording. It's very beautiful and deep. "Zimbabwe" may be the most important song Marley ever recorded. READ THE WORDS from the liner notes AS YOU LISTEN TO THE SONG! BM&tW were invited to play at the celebration of the opening of the independent country of Zimbabwe in 1980(, at which the people knew the words to this song better than the words of their own new national anthem)! What an honor! They were the only non-African-based musical group that played for the celebration. I have heard SO MANY Marley songs, and this is my favorite Bob Marley song! "Babylon System" is also beautiful and deep, including one unforgettable line which you will discover upon hearing it. "One Drop" is almost unbelievably beautiful. You will melt when you hear it. "Ambush" did not make it onto SOF, but is beautiful and deep. Then you have "So Much Trouble in the World," and "Survival," which have great lyrics, So Much is also quite rhythmic. "Top Rankin" also has great lyrics. Even the arguably weakest song on the album, "Wake Up and Live," has great lyrics.

"Africa Unite-Ambush" could be a candidate for the best four songs in a row on any original album, of all time. I own about 32 or 33 copies of SURVIVAL on vinyl, including all four original colored vinyl editions pressed only in Jamaica in 1979 [according to Catch a Fire biography]. By the way, if you own the SOF boxset, that contains the "bonus track," the 12" mix of Ride Natty Ride, which was put on the remastered version of SURVIVAL, so you would only need to get the old 10-track TUFF GONG version of SURVIVAL (although it is currently becoming increasingly difficult to get a still-sealed copy of the ten-track version of the CD). The 12" mix is a bit more rhythmic, as might be expected of a 12" mix supposedly intended for the dancefloor, but the original version is already a great song that needed no help.

In the few short years of his Island records career Marley produced a string of astonishingly good studio albums as well as two great live albums. These included Exodus, rated by Time magazine as the greatest album of the century, and Kaya, which is my personal favorite. So where does this leave the rest of the Marley canon.

It seems to me that the Marley albums fall into only two categories, the five star and the four star albums, (see my ratings below). Though I am very stingy with the five star rating, Survival easily makes five stars, and it may even be the best Marley album, and quite possibly the greatest album of all time.

How can this be? Well, every song on the album is just irresistible, with great lyrices, impassioned performance, superb orchestration, catchy hooks... just a superb package. I honestly do not believe that anyone who listens to this album will not find it a life changing experience. Well, to be honest, there are probably lots of people who would fall into that category, but my remarks apply to those with discriminating taste and well developed sensibilities.

OK, I am running on, but this is just a great, great album. 'Nuff said.

* A really worthless CD

This album was released in 1979, and the most amazing thing about it is how the percussion instruments stand out. On no other Bob Marley and the Wailers album do the percussion instruments stand out so well, they almost take a lead part themselves. This can be attributed to the increasing technology in the recording industry possibly, or maybe a change in musical style for the Wailers. The band is still as good as ever and rhythms here on Survival will prove it, the basslines and other musical harmonies will pleasantly ring throughout your head and bring a smile to your face. This album promotes African unity, and African freedom and is quite possibly the most militant of the entire Bob Marley and the Wailers catalog. All the songs have lyrics that will stick in your head for years to come, and if you are looking for a place to start your reggae or music collection, Survival is a great place to start.

While it is true that Bob Marley was not the FIRST Reggae singer, he was certainly the most famous.

This unique reggae beat, with the pulsations of black nationalism, was released in 1979, and has since make it's mark in the world of music. It starts with the hearty lamentation of "So Much Trouble in the World" and is followed by "Zimbabwe" which was a song of inspiration for Zimbabwe's guerrillas fighting for Black majority rule in that country during the Rhodesian War/ War of Independence. Marley performed at Zimbabwe's independence celebrations of 18 April 1980. He did not know that the performance on the first day would be reserved for the special guests of the new elite. When the masses tried to attend the concert they where tear-gassed and hounded out the stadium by Mugabe' s militia.

Marley responded by singing "War". The next day his performance was subdued as he was already disillusioned by the behaviour of the new Mugabe regime.

Today the song `Zimbabwe' is sung as an anthem of Zimbabwe's pro-democracy movement as are other Marley hits like ` Get Up, Stand Up"

There is the angry condemnation of the `Babylon System' and the Black Nationalist anthem " Survival" with the lyrics " Were the survivors! The Black survivors!"

This was one of my first albums so the heady beat of this album holds great memories for me.

"Africa Unite" is another is an ode to Marley's idealistic dreams of Pan African unity. And ` One Drop' is spiritual rendition of the longing for a true spiritual Rastafarian quest for authentic ideas of Haile Sellasie (the Christ of Rastafari) and Marcus Garvey.

You can always put your own interpretations and feelings into these songs , and my own conception of the sentence sung above may be different to that of most Marley devotees.

But then that only go's to show the genius of Bob Marley, doesn't it?

Bob was one of the only singer/songwriters that could sing about hardcore issues, and still keep the music brilliant and lively enough to not send his listeners into a mental depression.

On this, one of the Wailer's last albums(1979), Marley and the boys keep the hardcore political edge with *arresting* protest songs like "Zimbabwe," "Survival," "Top Rankin'," "Babylon System," and the classic "So Much Trouble In The World."

"Marley's contageous hopeful nature is exhibited in such uplifting tunes as "Africa Unite," and "One Drop."

One of the best, and politically hard-edged albums of the late '70s for sure.

Marley never let the Man influence His music, and he stuck with his vision until the end. One of the better men of the 20th century, as well as one of the better albums.