The story behind Bob Marley’s iconic ‘Survival’ album cover
Released by Island Records in October, 1979, Survival is considered by many people to be Bob Marley’s most militant album. Inspired by the anti-colonial movement in Africa, its jacket is adorned with flags from the continent’s nations.
That jacket was designed by Neville Garrick, Marley’s art director. In an interview with journalist Chris Morrow, he spoke about Survival’s concept.
“Survival is probably my favourite cover. That was the first album Bob did when he built his studio, Tuff Gong. The album was going to be called Black Survival, but in discussing it, we felt that it might alienate some people who weren’t black,” said Garrick.
“So I tried to come up with a visual way of say black without using the word. The idea of flags came up, so I got information about all the flags of free Black Africa and then I painted them, using construction paper, and made all those flags so I could get the real colour, real flat colours,” he added. “I made it about twice the size of an album cover, about 24in by 24in, so that when we reduced it down, it would be really tight.”
Bob Marley
At the time, Zimbabwe was not declared a sovereign nation by Britain. Technically, it was still white-ruled Rhodesia, and Garrick refused to use its flag.
“So, I used the flags of the groups that were fighting, Zapu and Zanu (PF). But the blacks in America, the blacks in England, the UK all over, they don’t have a flag. And then I got a mind-flash,” Garrick recalled. “Anybody who’s in the diaspora from Africa came out through slavery. So that’s how the slave ship came. What I did was reverse the word Survival out of a slave-ship plan.”
In April, 1980, Marley and his band The Wailers performed at Zimbabwe’s independence celebrations at Rufaro Stadium in Harare, the Southern African country’s capital.
Neville Garrick
Over 100,000 people attended the event.
Survival, which contained songs like Africa Unite and Zimbabwe, was a contrast to Kaya, Marley’s mellow album that was released by Island in 1978.
Marley died in May, 1981 at age 36. He would have turned 81 this Friday.
Garrick, who designed 12 album jackets for Marley and The Wailers, died in November, 2023 at age 73.
