Babylon by Bus
title: "Babylon by Bus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bob-marley-and-the-wailers-live-albums", "1978-live-albums", "albums-produced-by-chris-blackwell", "island-records-live-albums", "tuff-gong-albums"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_by_Bus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Babylon by Bus |
| type | Live |
| artist | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| cover | BobMarley-BabylonByBus.jpg |
| released | |
| recorded | 25–27 June 1978 (Paris) |
| 1975, 1976 (London) | |
| genre | Reggae |
| length | 73:39 |
| label | Tuff Gong/Island |
| producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell, and Jack Nuber |
| prev_title | Kaya |
| prev_year | 1978 |
| next_title | Survival |
| next_year | 1979 |
| :: |
| name = Babylon by Bus | type = Live | artist = Bob Marley and the Wailers | cover = BobMarley-BabylonByBus.jpg | alt = | released = | recorded = 25–27 June 1978 (Paris) 1975, 1976 (London) | studio = | genre = Reggae | length = 73:39 | label = Tuff Gong/Island | producer = Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell, and Jack Nuber | prev_title = Kaya | prev_year = 1978 | next_title = Survival | next_year = 1979 Babylon by Bus is a live album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing.
Like the 1973 album Catch a Fire, the first release had something of a novelty cover. The windows of the bus on the front cover were cut out, revealing part of the inner sleeve. As this was a double album, the listener had a choice of four different scenes to view through the windows.
Set list
"Heathen", "Lively Up Yourself" and "Concrete Jungle" were not as common as the rest of the album on the tour, with 2 of the 3 more than likely played on any given night, but not always, and were only ever all played on the same night twice: at the Pinecrest Country Club in Shelton, Connecticut, 14 June and the Music Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts 18 June, which was one of the longest shows ever played by the band with 22 songs, but none were played at the Paris concerts. "Rebel Music", "Positive Vibration", "Jamming", "Exodus", "War / No More Trouble" and "Punky Reggae Party" were nearly always played at some point of each concert, though were mixed up some times with other songs like "Get Up, Stand Up", which does not appear on this album. The song "Is This Love" was also not common on this tour, though was played in Paris. The track "Kinky Reggae" was not played on the Kaya tour and in fact had not been played since the 1976 Rastaman Vibration tour, so it is unclear which concert this version is from.
Critical reception
|rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = |rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide |rev2Score = B− Rolling Stone wrote: "From the raucous invocation of Selassie's divinity that kicks off 'Positive Vibration' on side one to the unabashed good cheer of side four's wrap-up rendition of 'Jamming', we hear a new side of Bob Marley—fanciful, lovelorn, vulnerable—that's as riveting as any of his sulfurous early tirades."
Track listing
Original album (1978)
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Positive Vibration | writer1 = Vincent Ford | length1 = 5:50
| title2 = Punky Reggae Party | writer2 = Bob Marley, Lee Perry | length2 = 5:51
| title3 = Exodus | writer3 = Marley | length3 = 7:41 | headline = Side two
| title4 = Stir It Up | writer4 = Marley | length4 = 5:17
| title5 = Rat Race | writer5 = Rita Marley | length5 = 3:41
| title6 = Concrete Jungle | writer6 = Marley | length6 = 5:37
| title7 = Kinky Reggae | writer7 = Marley | length7 = 4:46 | headline = Side three
| title8 = Lively Up Yourself | writer8 = Marley | length8 = 6:18
| title9 = Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock) | writer9 = Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | length9 = 5:20
| title10 = War / No More Trouble | writer10 = Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley | length10 = 5:28 | headline = Side four
| title11 = Is This Love | writer11 = Marley | length11 = 7:27
| title12 = The Heathen | writer12 = Marley | length12 = 4:29
| title13 = Jamming | writer13 = Marley | length13 = 5:54
''The Definitive Remasters'' edition (2001)
| title1 = Positive Vibration | writer1 = Vincent Ford | length1 = 5:50
| title2 = Punky Reggae Party | writer2 = Bob Marley, Lee Perry | length2 = 5:51
| title3 = Exodus | writer3 = Marley | length3 = 7:41
| title4 = Stir It Up | writer4 = Marley | length4 = 5:17
| title5 = Rat Race | writer5 = Rita Marley | length5 = 3:41
| title6 = Concrete Jungle | writer6 = Marley | length6 = 5:37
| title7 = Kinky Reggae | writer7 = Marley | length7 = 4:46
| title8 = Lively Up Yourself | writer8 = Marley | length8 = 6:18
| title9 = Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock) | writer9 = Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | length9 = 5:20
| title10 = War / No More Trouble | writer10 = Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley | length10 = 5:28
| title11 = Is This Love | writer11 = Marley | length11 = 7:27
| title12 = The Heathen | writer12 = Marley | length12 = 4:29
| title13 = Jamming | writer13 = Marley | length13 = 5:54
Personnel
Musicians
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
Production
- Bob Marley and the Wailers – producer
- Chris Blackwell – producer
- Jack Nuber – engineering mixer
- Neville Garrick – graphic art
- Barry Diament, Rob Fraboni remastering audio engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering engineer
Charts
::data[format=table title="Chart performance for ''Babylon by Bus''"] | Chart (1978–1979) | Peak position | Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | |---|---|---| | 34 | | | ::
::data[format=table title="2001 chart performance for ''Babylon by Bus''"] | Chart (2001) | Peak position | |---|---| ::
Certifications
References
References
- BobMarleyconcerts.com
- "Babylon by Bus Review by Lindsay Planer".
- Christgau, Robert. (1981). "[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]". [[Ticknor & Fields]].
- (December 29, 1982). "Babylon by Bus".
- {{cite Kent
- "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums". Infodisc.fr.
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