“People were hesitant about its political content, missing out on romantic songs. However, we enjoyed it…”

recognize months later in Peter Tosh’s reggae outfit – returned to the fold. But while that may have meant a heated (musical) reggae embrace in and outside the studio, Marvin’s memories of working on Survival are nothing but pleasant.“We had a lot of fun doing Survival. Jimi Hendrix’s guitar pedal guru Roger Mayer showed up in the studio once; he and Al got along famously.“He was very helpful to me too; he showed me a lot of things and we spoke a lot about Big Ben warbling. He was a lovely man, a very quiet gentleman and very intelligent.”So Survival wasn’t all doom and gloom.“We didn’t really know the definition of success – we just knew we had to do a persuasive message. People shied away from its political edge – they didn’t get their love songs. But for us it was a lot of fun.”And there was more to both the Wailers’ sharpness of connectivity (and sound) and, less critically recognized, Marvin adding his own flair to the mix.“The songs [on Survival] had a whole different outlook; Bob was coming off shots being fired at him during the Smile Jamaica concert,” says Marvin. “You came into the studio that next day and the vibe was completely different because when Bob’s mood is up, all of our moods were up.”Did that correlation come through in the music?“He was talking differently and singing differently; when Bob was in a concept, he was like a fish out of water. It comes out differently in the sound; his emphasis was very different.”By the skin of their teeth, Marvin and Marley emerged with a totally different-sounding record.

Survival didn’t get its due – it had to be reassessed. “Survival was several years in the making,” says Marvin, “and so was its success. It wasn’t just about one record.”But, understanding the lay of the land with Marley fanships, Marvin couldn’t have been surprised with the way Survival was initially received.“We knew it was going to be controversial. Not as successful as the others, because Bob was re-igniting the revolutionary aspect; the Warrior side.” Given Ishmael Reed’s revulsion to Marvin Gaye’s anti-Vietnam protest, could Survival have faced a similar backlash?“I think it definitely could have been at that level. It has to be put in this time element; the world was still experiencing the vibrations that went through.”

Will you be hearing the sweet survival sound of Survival in Junior Marvin’s upcoming shows? Apparently not.“We’ll need a damn large band to play some of those songs at my show,” Marvin says, suggesting the grandeur of Bob Marley’s stage presence deems some Wailers’ songs unplayable. It might be as Marvin admits about being the luck of the draw. But the late-’70s moment Marvin spent with Bob Marley and Bill Fraser is an experience he values dearly.“We were just always enjoying making music. Bob was always about, ‘Here’s a song, let’s rehearse it and go to the studio and record it.””The lessons in giving, giving the music, are some that Marvin holds dear. But considering Survival as one of the greatest records made with his involvement earned him accolades, forgetting Lexington Avenue studios’ junkies and his inherent love of music isn’t an option. The surge of emotion for Survival is consistent. But for Marvin, he’s got reasons.