Bob Marley - Exodus (1977 Island First UK Pressing)

Bob Marley - Exodus (1977 Island First UK Pressing): The Album Born from ExileThere is no album quite like Exodus in Bob Marley's catalog, and there are very few albums in any genre that carry the personal and historical weight this one does. It was recorded in London following an assassination attempt on Marley's life in Jamaica. It became his biggest-selling studio album. TIME magazine named it the Album of the Century. And when the original 1977 UK pressing landed on Island Records with catalog number ILPS 9498, it entered the world as one of the most significant reggae recordings ever made -- a status that has only grown in the decades since.### The Events That Created ExodusOn December 3, 1976, armed gunmen entered Bob Marley's home at 56 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica. The attack was politically motivated -- Jamaica was in the grip of violent political conflict, and Marley had announced a free "Smile Jamaica" concert that was seen by some as an endorsement of Prime Minister Michael Manley. Marley was wounded: a bullet grazed his chest and another struck his arm. His wife Rita was also shot. Manager Don Taylor took multiple bullets.Two days after the attack, Marley performed at the Smile Jamaica concert, famously pulling aside his shirt to show the wound to the crowd. Then he left Jamaica. He would not return for 14 months, living in London and later in Florida, before eventually coming back for the 1978 One Love Peace Concert.Exodus was recorded in London, primarily at Island Records' Basing Street Studios, during this period of self-imposed exile. The album's two sides reflected distinct emotional registers. Side A -- "Natural Mystic," "So Much Things to Say," "Guiltiness," "The Heathen," and "Exodus" -- was harder, more political, driven by the anger and alienation of displacement. Side B -- "Jamming," "Waiting in Vain," "Turn Your Lights Down Low," "Three Little Birds," and "One Love/People Get Ready" -- was more joyful, more universal, more concerned with love and community.This two-sided structure, moving from defiance to celebration, gives Exodus a completeness that few albums achieve.### The Album's Impact and LegacyExodus reached #20 on the UK Albums Chart and #15 on the US Billboard 200, making it Marley's biggest commercial success in his lifetime. "Exodus" and "Waiting in Vain" were both UK singles. "Jamming" and "Three Little Birds" followed. "One Love/People Get Ready," a medley of Marley's original with the Curtis Mayfield classic, became one of the most played songs of his career.TIME magazine's designation of Exodus as the Album of the Century (in their 1999 list of the 20th century's best) was remarkable for a reggae record in a Western magazine context. The choice reflected how thoroughly the album had transcended its genre and era to speak to something universally human -- the combination of righteous anger, spiritual seeking, and irrepressible joy that defines Marley's best work.Marley died of cancer in May 1981 at the age of 36. He had been diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma -- a cancer that had spread from an injury to his toe. The diagnosis came in 1977, during the recording of Exodus, though Marley refused treatment on religious grounds and the public did not know the extent of his illness. The fact that Exodus was made while he was already ill gives it an additional poignancy that listeners absorb without quite knowing why.### The 1977 Island First UK PressingThe UK first pressing is the version collectors prize most. It was released on Island Records UK with catalog number ILPS 9498, distributed through EMI at the time of release.Label: The 1977 UK first pressing uses the Island Records "palm tree" label design -- the distinctive label with Island's palm tree logo and the specific label text layout of the 1977 era. This is not the later "blue label" or other subsequent label designs.Embossed cover: One of the key identifiers for the UK first pressing is the embossed outer sleeve. The original UK sleeve has the title "Exodus" embossed -- raised lettering that can be felt by running your finger over the cover. This embossing is not present on later pressings.Pressing plant identification: The earliest UK pressings were manufactured by IRM (International Record Manufacturing, formerly EMI's record manufacturing arm). The runout matrix on genuine first pressing copies will include appropriate IRM pressing plant codes. Some early pressings will show "EG" in the runout, indicating engineering credit.Runout matrix: For the first UK pressing, look for matrix codes including "ILPS 9498 A" and "ILPS 9498 B" in the runout groove, with appropriate pressing plant suffix codes consistent with 1977 UK production.### Current Market Values| Condition | UK First Pressing Value ||-----------|------------------------|| VG (plays well, light surface noise) | $30 - $80 || VG+ (minimal marks, clean playing) | $80 - $200 || NM (near mint sleeve and vinyl) | $200 - $400 || NM with embossed sleeve confirmed | $300 - $500+ || Sealed original pressing | $800 - $1,500+ |The embossed sleeve premium is real and significant. When buying a copy presented as an original UK first pressing, confirming the embossing is one of the first things to check.US pressings (on Island Records' US label, ILPS 9498) are also collected and valued, but generally below the UK equivalents. Early US pressings have their own pressing plant variations well documented on Discogs.### Identifying UK vs. US First Pressing*UK pressing identifiers:- Embossed "Exodus" title on sleeve- IRM pressing plant (UK)- Island Records palm tree label design- Mastered in the UKUS pressing identifiers:*- No embossing on sleeve (standard flat printing)- US pressing plant (Terre Haute or similar)- US Island Records label variant with different text layout- US mastering creditBoth are significant, but the UK pressing is the origin point and commands the premium.### The Marley Collecting MarketBob Marley has remained one of the most collected artists in the world. His face is among the most recognized in global popular culture, and his music continues to sell and be discovered by new generations. The vinyl market for Marley material has been robust throughout the modern vinyl collecting revival, with Exodus consistently among the most sought-after albums.Original pressing values have appreciated significantly since the early 2000s, driven by both the growing global vinyl market and by the continued expansion of Marley's cultural reach. A UK first pressing in VG+ or better condition represents both a genuinely fine-sounding piece of vinyl -- the 1977 UK mastering is excellent -- and an important cultural artifact.The combination of personal circumstances (exile following an assassination attempt), musical achievement (probably his finest overall album), and cultural impact (TIME's Album of the Century) makes Exodus uniquely significant even within Marley's extraordinary catalog.Browse all Vinyl Records →

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