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Babylon by Bus is a live album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing.[1]
| Babylon by Bus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 10 November 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 25–27 June 1978 (Paris) 1975, 1976 (London) | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 73:39 | |||
| Label | Tuff Gong/Island | |||
| Producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell and Jack Nuber | |||
| Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Like the 1973 album Catch a Fire, the first release had something of a novelty cover. The windows of the bus on the front cover were cut out, revealing part of the inner sleeve. As this was a double album, the listener had a choice of four different scenes to view through the windows.
Set list
edit"Heathen", "Lively Up Yourself" and "Concrete Jungle" were not as common as the rest of the album on the tour, with 2 of the 3 more than likely played on any given night, but not always, and were only ever all played on the same night twice: at the Pinecrest Country Club in Shelton, Connecticut, 14 June and the Music Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts 18 June, which was one of the longest shows ever played by the band with 22 songs, but none were played at the Paris concerts. "Rebel Music", "Positive Vibration", "Jamming", "Exodus", "War / No More Trouble" and "Punky Reggae Party" were nearly always played at some point of each concert, though were mixed up some times with other songs like "Get Up, Stand Up", which does not appear on this album. The song "Is This Love" was also not common on this tour, though was played in Paris. The track "Kinky Reggae" was not played on the Kaya tour and in fact had not been played since the 1976 Rastaman Vibration tour, so it is unclear which concert this version is from.[1]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B−[3] |
Rolling Stone wrote: "From the raucous invocation of Selassie's divinity that kicks off 'Positive Vibration' on side one to the unabashed good cheer of side four's wrap-up rendition of 'Jamming', we hear a new side of Bob Marley—fanciful, lovelorn, vulnerable—that's as riveting as any of his sulfurous early tirades."[4]
Track listing
editOriginal album (1978)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 5:50 |
| 2. | "Punky Reggae Party" | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 5:51 |
| 3. | "Exodus" | Marley | 7:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Stir It Up" | Marley | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Concrete Jungle" | Marley | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Kinky Reggae" | Marley | 4:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Marley | 6:18 |
| 9. | "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" | Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | 5:20 |
| 10. | "War / No More Trouble" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley | 5:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Is This Love" | Marley | 7:27 |
| 12. | "The Heathen" | Marley | 4:29 |
| 13. | "Jamming" | Marley | 5:54 |
The Definitive Remasters edition (2001)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 5:50 |
| 2. | "Punky Reggae Party" | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 5:51 |
| 3. | "Exodus" | Marley | 7:41 |
| 4. | "Stir It Up" | Marley | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Concrete Jungle" | Marley | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Kinky Reggae" | Marley | 4:46 |
| 8. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Marley | 6:18 |
| 9. | "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" | Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | 5:20 |
| 10. | "War / No More Trouble" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley | 5:28 |
| 11. | "Is This Love" | Marley | 7:27 |
| 12. | "The Heathen" | Marley | 4:29 |
| 13. | "Jamming" | Marley | 5:54 |
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
Production
edit- Bob Marley and the Wailers – producer
- Chris Blackwell – producer
- Jack Nuber – engineering mixer
- Neville Garrick – graphic art
- Barry Diament, Rob Fraboni remastering audio engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (1978–1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 34 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] | 21 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8] | 15 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 44 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 40 |
| US Billboard 200[11] | 103 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[12] | 58 |
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Albums (SNEP)[13] | 115 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[14] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[15] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[16] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b BobMarleyconcerts.com
- ^ "Babylon by Bus Review by Lindsay Planer". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 4 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ White, Timothy (29 December 1982). "Babylon by Bus". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 192. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Bob Marley Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Bob Marley Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon by Bus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 28 June 2019. (select "Bob Marley & the Wailers" from drop-down list)
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bob Marley and the Wailers; 'Babylon by bus')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Babylon by bus" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Babylon by bus in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "British album certifications – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Babylon by bus". British Phonographic Industry.