'Uprising' was Bob Marley's last album to be released during his lifetime. On the day it hit stores on June 10, 1980, Marley and the Wailers opened for Fleetwood Mac at the 69,000-seat Reitstadion in Munich, Germany.
Whether Marley suspected his time was running out while writing 'Uprising' or not, his final musical statement was an album with incredible emotional resonance. Much like 'Survival', 'Uprising' was a deep and serious collection of songs that explored the themes of sin and redemption with fire and brimstone.
Recorded at Dynamics Studio in a desolate industrial area near Trench Town, 'Uprising' was the band's tenth album for Island Records and was produced by Marley and the Wailers under the firm guidance of Chris Blackwell. When Marley first presented Blackwell with the songs he wanted to put on the album, Blackwell advised him to add a few uptempo numbers to restore balance to the many slow and serious songs. Marley obliged with "Could You Be Loved" - which became the biggest hit on the album - and "Coming In From The Cold," an upbeat, optimistic piece chosen as the opening track.
But the song that really defined Uprising and became a fitting elegy to the greatest reggae star the world has ever seen was the closing song, "Redemption Song." A simple ballad sung by Marley accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar, it was a song and performance unlike anything he had ever recorded before. The simple arrangement - so simple, in fact, that it was unrecognizable as a reggae song - was developed with the assistance of the astute Blackwell.
Black vinyl pressing, with Tuff Gong foil stamp on the reverse, and numbered
Tracklisting
Side A:
1. Coming in from the Cold
2. Real Situation
3. Bad Card
4. We And Dem
5. Work
Side B:
6. Zion Train
7. Pimper's Paradise
8. Could You Be Loved
9. Forever Loving Jah
10. Redemption Song
