babylon by bus

Bob Marley and the Wailers captured the dynamic sound of their trenchtown experience on this expansive and influential document of their reggae redemption roadshow.  Recorded in Paris and London during the European leg of his 'Kaya' tour, 'Babylon By Bus' features Bob Marley on lead vocals and  rhythm guitar; Carlton Barrett on drums; Aston "Family Man" Barrett on bass; Tyrone "Organ D" Downie and Earl "Wire" Lindo on keyboards; Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar; Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion;   and the I-Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt) on backing vocals. 

Marley would express at the time:    "We wanted to introduce the crowd or some people who don't know...We truly express Rasta through reggae...Music is the universal language... To me it's just a vessel that the truth is in...I wouldn't say...reggae and Rasta is same thing; but I would say reggae is a vehicle and a way to carry around Rasta...a way of communicating to more people. sometimes you listen to a reggae you might not hear the words you hear the bassline, you might hear the drummer you love that, I say you love that you keep listening someday you might understand the words.  Reggae is a vehicle to carry Rasta to the people ... Well, you know, the way I feel about the music… It can be copied you know. But, it’s not copied direct... It’s the feel. You know? It carry a feel. If you ask plenty musicians… Them know it – but them can’t do it. So people still searching for this truth here, which this Reggae music you know, bring cross to them. And the only purpose it serve is to tell the people about Rastafari...It’s not how long you’ve been a Rasta, it’s how long it take you to grow – because what you is – is what you is. From beginning to the end. You can never change, ‘cause if you even adopt things later – your own fate ah write out. So we ah just Rasta from creation, you know? It’s not an easy thing to explain. We’ve got educated standards and we still have people who can’t do it. But me ah common sense man, that mean when we explain things we explain it very, very simple way that me explain to a baby. The baby’ll understand too, you know? So we ah say now, like the Bible. The Bible say, God say he shall return as the King of King, the Lord of Lords, The Conqueror, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and him shall come in a new name. And his new name shall be dreadful among the heathen ... 'Exodus' is the movement of the people.  Now, we have to check these things very carefully.  You see, 'Exodus' is the movement in Jamaica and then we see the peace movement come... so that was the exodus from the post cold war fears...So 'Kaya' was the more during peacetime.  So after peacetime then is 'Babylon By Bus'...and after you go to 'Babylon By Bus' then you will know about the Babylon system."

'Babylon By Bus' made it to number one hundred and two on the US Billboard 200 album chart, fifty-eight on the US R&B album chart, forty-four in Sweden, and forty in the UK.  The energy of the live performances is palpable as the aggressive interplay between the dueling keyboards and dueling guitars simmers and approaches a psychedelic funk.  






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'Babylon By Bus'
full album:



Side one
1. "Positive Vibration"   Vincent Ford 5:50
2. "Punky Reggae Party"   Bob Marley, Lee Perry 5:51
3. "Exodus"   Marley 7:41
Side two
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
Side three
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
Side four
11. "Is This Love"   Marley 7:27
12. "The Heathen"   Marley 4:29
13. "Jamming"   Marley 5:54