Uprising: the last studio album Bob Marley would release in his lifetime

Bob Marley and the Wailers : Could You Be Loved

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On June 10, 1980 Bob Marley and the Wailers released Uprising, an album that bounced back and forth between  the joy of living and loving and the gloom of pessimism and dread. Sometimes the songs answer each other. "Real Situation" suggests "total destruction" in the only solution. But that's immediately followed by "Forever Loving Jah", where Marley sings of a  faith that "will cast away the fears forever".

The single "Could You Be Loved" is one of Marley's biggest hits. 

When Marley handed Uprising in, label exec Chris Blackwell felt something was missing. The next day Marley played him "Redemption Song", an acoustic number that encapsulates Marley's philosophy. Rolling Stone critic Chris Morris took note in his review:

Bob Marley leaves us with a stark testament: “Redemption Song,” which he sings solo, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. As the artist performs this folk ballad (with its aching cry of “Won’t you help to sing, these songs of freedom/’Cause all I ever had, redemption songs,” so reminiscent of the young Bob Dylan), one feels a man reaching out and grappling with the dreadful possibilities of liberation and disaster. Such a tour de force, like much of Uprising, is as moving as it is deeply troubling.

From Robert Christgau a grade of A -. It's not clear whether this review occurred before or after Marley collapsed on a jog through Central Park in September and learned his cancer had spread to his brain. Marley had been given three weeks to live but the grim news was not made public.

Except for "Jamming," a title that sums up the period perfectly, nothing since his solo-with-band debut Natty Dread has had the instant-classic immediacy of two very different offerings here: the dancy pop shot "Could You Be Loved" and the spirit anthem "Redemption Song." "Real Situation" ("It seems like total destruction/ The only solution") and "We and Dem" (need dey say more?) are apocalyptic enough to scare the bejezus out of Babylonian well-wishers, "Coming in From the Cold" and "Forever Loving Jah" mellow enough to hold out hope. Pray for him. Pray for all of us.