The year leading up to the release of this classic album was quite turmultuous for Bob Marley. It was 1976, almost two years since the breakup of the original group in 1974. Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh had went their separate ways. Bob continued to perform as Bob Marley and the Wailers with a new group of band members. It was a time of political unrest in the beautiful home of Reggae music. Marley agreed to headline a peace concert in Kingston to be held on December 5th 1976. Two days before the concert, Marley and his wife Rita, along with others, were ambushed while rehearsing. Bob and Rita were among four victims who suffered gunshot wounds. They all survived the attack. The campaign slogan for the ruling People’s National Party was, “We know where we’re going”. Those words can be found in the title track of the Exodus album. It is speculated that Marley was targeted for being affiliated with the ruling PNP party and his participation in the concert. On December 5th 1976 Bob Marley performed at this concert. It was a ninety minute set with his arm bandaged as a result of the attempt on his life only forty eight hours earlier. The event was a success in front of a massive crowd of over seventy thousand patrons. This was now the time for Bob and his entire entourage to escape the bright lights and mayhem of Kingston, Jamaica. They immediately fled to Nassau where they spent the Christmas holidays before retreating to Great Britain to commence work on what was to become a masterpiece. This was the group’s ninth studio album. Chris Blackwell, the founder of island records, played an instrumental role in Bob’s career and also in the production of this album. The production was done at Blackwell’s Basing street studios in west London, which is one part of the Jamaican community. Released in the summer of 1977 on June 3rd, Exodus is considered one of the most important reggae albums of all time. It incorporated elements of blues, soul, British rock and funk. The album’s style falls in such categories as Roots Reggae, Lovers Rock, Reggae Pop and Soft Rock. It is considered Bob’s most political and religious work but features beautiful “funky” and “sexy” jams. The album peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 charts. It features such hits as “Exodus”, “Waiting in vain”, “Jamming”, “Three little birds” and “One love”. The title track Exodus is described as “a scorching mashup of reggae and disco punctuated by blasts of regal horns”. In 1999, Time magazine declared that Exodus was “The album of the century”. Now that is a great compliment. This album is also considered “visionary” and is credited for taking reggae to a wider audience.