Exodus earns double platinum in the UK
In 1977, when the Bob Marley & the Wailers album Exodus was released, the project saw themes of change, religious politics and matters of the heart.
Recorded between Kingston-based Harry J Studios and Island Records in London, Exodus was a commercial success. It was the album that propelled Marley to international stardom.
The album, which features hit songs including One Love/People Get Ready, Turn Your Lights Down Low, Natural Mystic, Jamming, Waiting in Vain and Three Little Birds, has now been certified double platinum in the United Kingdom (UK).
The British Phonographic Industry issued a Brit Award for commemorating sales and streaming equivalent of 600,000 units.
The album was released digitally in 2001.
Exodus was previously certified gold in the United States, Canada, France, Germany and Italy. It has been certified 2x platinum in New Zealand.
Upon its release in 1977, Exodus rose to #20 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, #15 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums, and #8 on the UK Albums chart. It also made the charts in Austria, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Greece and Canada.
A re-release of the album in 2001 saw it hit a #4 peak on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. On the latest Billboard Reggae Albums chart, Exodus re-entered at #10.
In 1999, Exodus was named the best album of the 20th century by Time magazine. Two years later, VH1 named it the 26th greatest album of all time, while in 2003, it ranked at #169 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. A revised list in 2020 ranked it at #48.
Junior Marvin, Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Tyrone Downie, Alvin “Seeco” Patterson, David Madden and Vin Gordon were some of the musicians who worked on Exodus.
