CSPC: Bob Marley Popularity Analysis

https://youtu.be/j6z-x45wJcw

Digital Singles Sales – Part 2

As a reminder, the weighting is done with a 10 to 1,5 ratio between albums and digital singles.

Rastaman Vibration (1976) – 98,000 equivalent albums

War – 140,000
Roots, Rock, Reggae – 170,000
Positive Vibration – 180,000
Crazy Baldhead – 110,000
Remaining tracks – 50,000

Exodus (1977) – 1,649,000 equivalent albums

Exodus – 580,000
Waiting In Vain – 1,030,000
Jamming – 2,160,000
One Love / People Get Ready – 2,120,000
Three Little Birds – 4,090,000
Natural Mystic – 290,000
Turn Your Light Down Slow – 620,000
Remaining tracks – 100,000

Kaya (1978) – 729,000 equivalent albums

Is This Love – 3,220,000
Satisfy My Soul – 660,000
Sun Is Shining – 220,000
Easy Skanking – 530,000
Kaya – 130,000
Remaining tracks – 100,000

Rastaman Vibration was Marley‘s first hit album. Ironically, it is the only one from his first albums that has no song which continues to be popular to this day. It contains four songs with moderate downloads but nothing noteworthy.

It was kind of a shocker when Time Magazine named Exodus the Album of the Century in 1999. Its 8 million sales make one think that it isn’t thanks to its commercial success. While Time Magazine considered way more elements than just sales, we are starting to understand that even with that point of view Exodus is bigger than what we think. As many as 3 of its songs are multi-million sellers in digital formats, led by Three Little Birds which is over 4 million. It tops One Love and Jamming which were initially more successful. Four more songs have notable sales too to make it 7, a real Thriller-like performance. Its songs sold collectively a stunning 11 million units.

Kaya is consistent too with 5 relevant singles among which the classic Is This Love? which stands at 3,2 million.