# Survival (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)

Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1979.
Survival is an album with an outwardly militant theme. Some critics speculate that this was due in part to criticism Marley received for the laid-back atmosphere of his previous release, Kaya, which seemed to sidetrack the urgency of his message. In the song "Africa Unite", Marley proclaims Pan-African solidarity. The song "Zimbabwe" is a hymn dedicated to then white-dominated Rhodesia. The song was performed at Zimbabwe's Independence Celebration in 1980, just after the official declaration of Zimbabwe's independence.
Survival was originally to be called Black Survival to underscore the urgency of African unity, but the name was shortened to prevent misinterpretations of the album's theme. The album was partially censored in South Africa because of their apartheid regime.
Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 |

## Track listing
### Original Tuff Gong LP

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted

### Original Island Records LP

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted

### Tuff Gong cassette

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted

### Island Records LP re-issue

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted. Issued by Island Records with a Tuff Gong disc label. Track list revised, all tracks on side A move to side B and vice versa

### The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)

All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted

## Front cover

The album's front cover depicts 48 African flags and one Oceanian flag. Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Rhodesia at the time of the album's release) is represented by two political flags instead of a national flag.
| Kenya | People's Republic of Angola | Ivory Coast | Ethiopian Empire | Chad | Egypt | Ghana |
| Senegal | Sierra Leone | Federal Republic of Cameroon | Tunisia | Niger | Second Nigerian Republic | Guinea |
| Gambia | Somali Democratic Republic | Upper Volta | Zaire | Guinea-Bissau | Liberia | Swaziland |
| Democratic Republic of Madagascar | Togo | People's Republic of Mozambique | Central African Empire | Zimbabwe African People's Union | Seychelles | Zambia |
| Lesotho | Second Republic of Uganda | Algeria | Mali | Democratic Republic of Sudan | Botswana | Morocco |
| People's Republic of the Congo | Tanzania | Burundi | Zimbabwe African National Union | Mauritius (1968–1992) | Republic of Mauritania (1960–1978) | Gabon |
| People's Republic of Benin | Equatorial Guinea | Papua New Guinea | Malawi | São Tomé and Príncipe | Djibouti | Rwandese Republic |
Four states already sovereign by the time of the album's release didn't have their flags featured in its cover art, though they were featured in a poster that came with the album:
* Cape Verde
* State of the Comoros
* Libya Jamahiriya
* Namibia
Two non-sovereign regions that didn't have their flags included in the cover art are also featured on the poster:
* Réunion
* Western Sahara
Two nations' flags are grayed-out and are represented by numbers rather than names on the poster.
* South Africa
* Zimbabwe Rhodesia
The album's title appears in white (City typeface) with the Brookes slave ship engraving in the background.
* ↑ The flag is shown upside-down on the front cover and bears a darker shade of blue. The flag is correctly oriented on the poster.
* ↑ The flag used is a rectangular version of the flag of the Minister of Overseas France.
* ↑ No flag is shown. Instead is a gray box with the text "TERRITORY IN DISPUTE (NO FLAG AT PRESENT)".

## Personnel
### Musicians

* Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
* Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, rhythm guitar, percussion
* Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
* Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
* Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
* Junior Marvin – lead guitar, backing vocals
* Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
* Al Anderson – lead guitar
* Rita Marley – backing vocals
* Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
* Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
* Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums on "Africa Unite"
* Mikey "Boo" Richards – drums on "Wake Up And Live"
* Val Douglas – bass on "Wake Up and Live"
* Earl "Chinna" Smith – rhythm guitar and percussion on "One Drop"
* Headley Bennett – alto saxophone
* Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone
* Melba Liston – trombone
* Luther Francois – trombone
* Junior "Chico" Chin – trumpet
* Jackie Willacy – trumpet
* Micky Hanson – trumpet
* Lee Jaffe – harmonica

### Production

* Producers – Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin
* Mastering – Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC

## Charts

Chart performance for Survival :
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | 32 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 14 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 17 |
| UK Albums Chart | 20 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape | 70 |
| US Top Soul LPs (Billboard) | 32 |

## Certifications

Certifications for Survival :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000$^*$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||