Bob Marley ‘Kaya’ 40th Anniversary Edition Due

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On August 24, the Marley Family, Island Records and UMe celebrate 40 years of Kaya, Bob Marley and The Wailers’ March 1978 release. The anniversary edition will feature Stephen “Ragga” Marley’s new “Kaya 40” mixes of all 10 tracks from the original album alongside its original mixes in 2-CD and 180-gram 2-LP configurations. (The digital version will be a standalone release of Stephen’s mixes only.) The album will also be available as a limited-edition 180-gram 2-LP green vinyl version exclusively at BobMarley.com

Recorded in London concurrently with the material that ultimately comprised 1977’s Exodus, Kaya contains such Marley classics as “Is This Love,” “Easy Skanking” and “Sun Is Shining.”

Kaya was initially released just one month ahead of Bob Marley and the Wailers headlining the One Love Peace Concert at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 22, 1978, an event that featured 16 of reggae’s biggest acts. One Love Peace was heralded as Marley’s triumphant return to his native soil, following his long exile in London after having fled the country as a result of a December 1976 assassination attempt at his Kingston homestead.

The album was recorded with the then-new configuration of the Wailers that comprised brothers Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barrett on drums and bass, Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin “Seeco” Patterson on percussion and the I Threes—Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt—on backing vocals, along with newest member Julian (Junior) Marvin on guitar. Two of Kaya’s songs had previously appeared in different arrangements on 1971’s Soul Revolution — the title track and “Sun Is Shining.”

Stephen’s goal in mixing Kaya 40, says a press release, “was to create a balance that drew heavily from the original versions. Using Bob’s vocals from demos from original Kaya sessions that were recorded at different tempos, Stephen synced the vocals with alternate takes and layered it over different instrumental arrangements. Stephen tried to keep the flavor as authentic as possible. To mix the album, he used a similar minimal approach, basing his version heavily off the classic analog concepts they used in the 1970s.”

Listen to the “Is This Love (Kaya 40 Mix)”

Bob Marley & The Wailers Kaya 40 [2CD & 2LP & Digital**] Track Listing

Easy Skanking
Kaya
Is This Love
Sun Is Shining
Satisfy My Soul
She’s Gone
Misty Morning
Crisis
Running Away
Time Will Tell
Easy Skanking (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Kaya (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Is This Love (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Sun Is Shining (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Satisfy My Soul (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
She’s Gone (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Misty Morning (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Crisis (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Running Away (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
Time Will Tell (Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mix)
** Digital version with Stephen Marley “Kaya 40” Mixes only