Confrontation, Bob Marley and the Wailers’ 13th and final studio album, released posthumously in May 1983, was destined to be a hit, according to veteran broadcaster Winston Barnes.

“It was a very special album. I was the host of the Afternoon Drive Time, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm slot, on RJR in the early 1980s and was asked by connections at Tuff Gong if I had the time to audition the new Marley single Buffalo Soldier. It was inevitable that it was going to be popular because it was going to be the first release after Bob’s passing in 1981,” Barnes recalled.

“Master producer Errol Brown played the tracks for us. The impact was huge for most of us especially as it recalled little-known historic realities about the black experience in the US as well as the relationship between Native Americans and recently freed Africans. Some of it was new to me as well, who thought I had an understanding of that history,” Barnes disclosed.

He continued, “Buffalo Soldier basically set the pace for Marley releases that were to follow, and did a pretty decent job at that task, and confirmed what some of us thought that Bob had left a trove of yet to be released material. It did become a party and club favourite if I remember correctly…listen to the repeated ‘step’ beat of the rhythm…facilitates today’s ‘bounce’ moves.”

Buffalo Soldier was certified platinum in the United Kingdom for sales exceeding 600,000 units in the United Kingdom. The certification was issued last Friday by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The song was a hit locally, soaring to number one on the RJR Top 40 chart. It was also a success overseas, peaking at four in the United Kingdom Official Top 100 chart, 14 in Austria, three in New Zealand and number ten in Norway.

Buffalo Soldier was co-written by Marley and Noel “King Sporty” Williams. The success of Buffalo Soldier in 1983 catapulted the Confrontation album to 31 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, number 55 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also charted in Austria, Holland, Germany, Sweden and Norway.

It was certified gold in New Zealand (7,500 units) and gold in the United States (500,000 units).