The Bob Marley and the Wailers album that includes “Redemption Song” is Uprising. Released on June 10, 1980, Uprising was the group’s twelfth studio album and the final studio album released during Bob Marley’s lifetime.
“Redemption Song” closes the original album and stands apart from much of Marley’s reggae catalog: the recording is a spare performance featuring only his voice and acoustic guitar. Its lyrics draw partly on ideas associated with Jamaican Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, especially the theme of mental emancipation.
Listeners sometimes confuse Uprising with Exodus or Survival because those albums are also central to Marley’s later career. Exodus came out in 1977, while Survival followed in 1979. Uprising instead gathered late-career songs such as “Could You Be Loved,” “Forever Loving Jah,” and “Zion Train.” The album was recorded in Kingston at Tuff Gong Studios and reached the UK Top 10.