Reggae around the world: How Bob Marley's music redefined the last 100 years

It's been 45 years since Bob Marley's album Exodus was released and as a new exhibition about the reggae superstar flares in London, Arwa Haider examines how the music echoed on the globe.

Bob Marley: One Love Experience opens in London, at the Saatchi Gallery, and as you enter the first room you are struck by the Jamaican reggae celebrity's unique recording archives with The Wailers band. You see the wall displays and can observe one special record that shines a royal presence: the key 10th album Exodus from 1977, made while Marley and his band were located near Chelsea. Today, this is a powerful work that confirms Marley's international status, and frequently connects with fresh generations of listeners and audiences. Because the heart of Exodus is a multi-layered one. Even the title reminds one of the Old Testament story of Moses who takes his people to safety and one can find many similarities with Marley's Rastafarian faith. The album also recalls Marley's flight to London during the challenging times of Jamaica's elections and right before the 1976 assassination attempt that injured him and his wife, vocalist Rita Marley. After the incident, he spent more than a year in London during which this album was completed.

The Time magazine named Exodus the 20th Century's most important album, a political and cultural heritage. The songs imbue the One Love Experience and the uplifting song that gives this show the name. The creative artist and entrepreneur Cedella stated that there is a little bit of Bob Marley in every room and also pieces of Rita Marley, his wife. The director is his daughter and she says that it's a moving exhibition that will travel to Toronto, LA, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Seoul, Tel Aviv, and Kingston as well. Throughout history, Exodus has been reissued. There is also a 40th-anniversary version mixed by Cedella's brother, Ziggy Marley. But the album is fascinating, especially if you listen on vinyl. It has a spiritual and political side - side A - and a romantic side - side B. This album takes you on a journey through a lot of emotions and feelings like peace but also anguish. It's very complex and its message is still applicable today. Because things haven't changed too much since 40 years ago.

Bob Marley was acknowledged by the time of his journey out of London and in 1975, he and The Wailers did a show at the city's Lyceum Theatre. By 1977, London was in an unstable state with mixed politics, royal pageantry, and the punk movement and disco explosion. So, Exodus channels that wild creative energy, and the artist's curious responses. Vivien Goldman writes that the album was a creative jump from one typical style and technique to an unknown style, with reggae making it understandable to a large audience. When Marley came to London, he created special music that Londoners can relate to, with diverse themes like vibe and music. Plus, he was not afraid to experiment. The artist living in London had a huge influence on filmmaker Don Letts, who filmed some of Marley's shows. Later, Letts was turning reggae records at The Roxy punk club and there was a clash between fashion and music - by the way, you can watch a documentary about his life, Rebel Dread.

On Exodus, Marley set revolutionary music to the most endearing melodies, and impacted multi-genre mentions, from protest soundtracks to various global covers, including a singalong of One Love featuring Manu Chao and Louis Mhlanga. Marley performed so many different types of music, from football shirts to ice cream. So, if you go see the show, expect to see some highlights of the album in the context of an endless politically deliberate journey. Explore the last albums of Marley, Survival (1979), Uprising (1980), and Confrontation (1983). They are political indeed and the songs are significant even nowadays when numerous people are still being taken from their homes either due to war or injustice. Because today, his music resonates as much as back then, as there is still fire burning. Long story short, this album strikes a truly timeless chord. Why? Because there are still disparities between people and Marley has an audience that is continually growing, making him a classic. In fact, he's the most remembered artist on earth.