Bob Marley’s ‘Rastaman Vibration’ Enters Billboard Reggae Chart For First Time Thanks To Vinyl Reissue
Bob Marley and The Wailers’ 1976 classic album Rastaman Vibration has made its way onto the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for the first time ever, thanks to a special vinyl reissue of the record as a collector’s item.
On November 18, 2022, Tuff Gong International teamed up with Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds to release a remastered and repackaged version of the 1976 album in Ultra High Quality Record (UHQR) vinyl format.
The release was priced at $125 USD but was limited to a run of 3,500 units. It sold out almost instantly, according to the Acoustic Sounds website.
US-based consumers and audiophiles snatched up the majority of the limited run, with Billboard’s sales tracker Luminate reporting to DancehallMag that Rastaman Vibration sold 2,000 units in the United States last week, placing it at No. 4 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, dated December 3.
It marks the first time the album has ever appeared on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, despite its original release more than 46 years ago.
Rastaman Vibration, which was the Reggae band’s eighth studio album, featured some of their most militant songs, such as Who the Cap Fit, Crazy Baldhead, and War.
It also featured Roots, Rock, Reggae—the only Bob Marley single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 51.
Positive Vibration, Johnny Was, Cry To Me, Want More, Night Shift, and Rat Race completed the 10-track set.
The album was also Marley’s first top 10 entry on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No. 8. The posthumous greatest hits compilation Legend would later peak at No. 5 on the chart, making it Marley’s highest-charting album in the US.
Rastaman Vibration is currently certified Gold in the United States (for sales exceeding 500,000 units) and Gold in the United Kingdom (for sales exceeding 100,000 units).
In addition to a UHQR booklet, the new limited edition set included an 8-page 12″ x 12″ booklet containing new liner notes by musician and Marley biographer Leroy Jodie Pierson, together with exclusive photos by Kim Gottlieb-Walker.
“The careful consideration given to every element can be seen, heard, and felt throughout the entire package,” said Cedella Marley, CEO of the Bob Marley Group of Companies. “Dada would be very proud of this. We’re looking forward to future collaborations with Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds on other Bob Marley titles.”
Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds CEO Chad Kassem shared similar sentiments. “This is vinyl perfection. We are thrilled to join the Marley family and Tuff Gong in presenting this truly deluxe, collectible product to the world!”
Kasseem, who had shown off the collector’s item in a YouTube “unboxing” video, explained that his company had secured the deal for the limited 3,500-unit run, long before the explosion in industry demand for vinyl products.
“I wish we could have made more of this, but uh, I made the deal a long time ago, and a deal’s a deal,” the CEO quipped.
Meanwhile, on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart this week, Marley’s Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and The Wailers remains at No. 1 on the chart for the 150th non-consecutive week.
Sean Paul’s Dutty Classics Collection has returned to the chart at No. 2 following his performance on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade last week.
Shaggy’s Best of Shaggy: The Boombastic Collection has moved down to No. 3, followed by Stick Figure’s Wisdom at No. 5, UB40’s Greatest Hits at No. 6, and Stick Figure’s World On Fire at No. 7.
Iration’s Backyard Sessions: Malibu Edition, the California group’s first live album, has debuted at No. 8 on the chart after it sold 1,000 units in the US last week.
Stick Figure’s Set In Stone is at No. 9, followed by Rebelution’s Live At Red Rocks at No. 10.