Survival
by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Survival by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Year: 1979
Release date: 1979-10-02
Overall rank: 3,493rd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 156 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1979 (61st)
Award Top albums of of the 1970s (598th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,493rd)

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Bob Marley & The Wailers - Survival (1979) Vinyl Record 12" LP Reggae Album
Condition: Used


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Bob Marley Survival 1979 Cassette ZCI 9542 UK EMI Pink J-Card Rare VGC
Condition: Very Good


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Bob Marley & The Wailers : Survival (Ltd 40th Anniversary Clear 180g Vinyl) NEW
Condition: New


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Bob Marley & The Wailers bestography

Survival is ranked 9th best out of 45 albums by Bob Marley on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Bob Marley is Exodus which is ranked number 255 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 6,227.

Bob Marley & The Wailers album bestography « Higher ranked (2,607th)
Kaya
This album (3,493rd)
Survival
Lower ranked (3,532nd) »
Rastaman Vibration

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Survival rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,493rd | 1970s rank: 598th | 1979 rank: 61st

Survival collection

Survival ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 156 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 156 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
80/100
 !
03/22/2026 06:21 AAL2014  Ratings distribution  4,03775/100
 
75/100
 !
01/19/2026 21:17 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  14,68470/100
 
65/100
 !
10/22/2025 21:28 EyeKanFly  Ratings distribution  8,84965/100
 
60/100
 !
05/02/2025 13:49 fabm0  Ratings distribution  7,01058/100
 
40/100
 !
03/17/2025 02:59 Proto  Ratings distribution  4,17533/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 11% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.6/100, a mean average of 74.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.5.

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Survival comments

Showing all 9 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
90/100
From 11/12/2023 10:45 | #299935
Bob Marley's late album is as good as anything else he has done before. Solid and beautiful
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/08/2022 13:18 | #287201
Grande conjunto de músicas!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
This album is so criminally underrated on this website (as most of Bob Marley's work is tbf)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
One of the greatest albums of all time. The Island track listing is the best way to listen to this album. Zimbabwe, So much Trouble, and Ride, Natty, Ride are some of the most creative and imaginative songs I have ever heard
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 12/16/2020 18:55 | #262779
This album is so criminally underrated. So much trouble, Ride Natty Ride, and every other song are just so amazing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
In Marley's discography this is likely his most undervalued studio release. Discussion of the work usually centers around the subject matter, which is at first reasonable, because the political lyrical content stands out in Marley's body of work. But in my opinion the record has a lot more to offer. Survival is one of Marley's most consistent works (as others have noted); the songwriting is terrific. I would consider several of the tracks to be among my favorites of Marley, which is an astonishing claim for an album that doesn't see much attention. "So Much Trouble in the World," "Zimbabwe," and "Wake Up and Live" are all great, as is "One Drop." Frankly, I enjoy the entire record and it's incredibly easy to listen to in its entirety. There is a certain urgency to many of the songs, and to the message of the album as a single work. When Marley cries out "Rise!" on the final track, listeners are treated to an intensity (both political and emotional) that is seldom found in Marley's better-known work. An accessible record that maintains my interest.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/15/2018 19:24 | #208327
Trionfo della dottrina Rastafari già dalla copertina e più ancora nei testi, "Survival" è un album privo di sbavature e pure di strizzate d'occhio all'occidente.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
One of the few 'Island' albums that hasn't got at least one track on the, legend, compilation. Still, survival, is a fine album, one of Marley's best. It's certainly one of his most consistent. The first half of the record is stunning and the second half isn't too shabby either. His last great album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
BM&W most consistent album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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