Bob Marley Rules Again As His Album Returns And Hits A Milestone

Bob Marley’s Legend — the compilation that includes most of the reggae superstar’s most famous tunes and is credited to both him and his backing band the Wailers — is one of the most successful albums of all time in America. It’s the set that keeps the late icon on the charts week after week, as it continually sells thousands of copies every frame.

It turns out that one title isn’t enough to satiate demand among American consumers for Marley’s music. This week, another one of his albums returns to a chart, helping the pioneering singer-songwriter double up on the tally and even reach a special milestone at the same time.

Bob Marley’s Exodus Returns

Marley’s Exodus reenters the Reggae Albums chart this week. The full-length, credited not just to Marley as a soloist but also the Wailers, reenters Billboard’s ranking of the top-performing reggae-only full-lengths and EPs at No. 10.

Exodus Reaches Two Years

Exodus has now spent two years on the Reggae Albums chart. The set makes it to 104 frames as it returns to the roster in tenth place.

Bob Marley Bookends the Chart

Marley bookends the Reggae Albums chart this week, as Exodus reappears at No. 10 while Legend is steady at No. 1. The latter project has spent 297 weeks on the list, and has only vacated the throne once. That extraordinary streak makes Legend one of the longest-running number ones on any list in American history.

Exodus Blocked From No. 1 by Legend

Legend is such a dominant force that it has even managed to keep several of Marley’s own projects from hitting the top spot on the Reggae Albums chart. Exodus has climbed as high as No. 3, but has never been able to supplant the massively popular compilation.

Exodus Produced Several Reggae Classics

While Legend is a greatest hits compilation, Exodus is a proper studio LP. The ninth from Marley and the Wailers was released in 1977, and it features a number of the reggae musician’s most famous tracks, many of which also appear on Legend. Exodus produced classics like the title track, “One Love,” and “Three Little Birds.”

Bob Marley’s Legend Lives on Multiple Charts

Exodus only appears on one Billboard chart in America this week, but Legend can be found on multiple tallies. The full-length dips just outside the top 40 on the Top Album Sales ranking, falling from No. 40 to No. 42. It also declines by 20 spaces on the Billboard 200, settling at No. 126.

Legend Nears Historic Records for Longevity

While Legend has barely stepped away from No. 1 on the Reggae Albums chart, that tally is actually where the full-length has spent the least amount of time among the rosters it currently occupies. The compilation is now up to 723 weeks on the Top Album Sales chart and 904 on the Billboard 200.

Only about a month ago, Legend became the second album in U.S. history to rack up 900 stays on the Billboard 200. It joined Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, which only needs 10 more frames to become the first 1,000-week charter.

Bob Marley’s Legend Sales Slip

Luminate reports that in the past tracking period, Legend moved a total of 10,500 equivalent units between pure purchases and streaming activity. Of that sum, 2,500 were actual sales — just barely enough to keep it on the Top Album Sales list. Both purchases and overall consumption of Legend dropped by double-digit percentage points from the frame prior.

Stick Figure, Sean Paul and Damian Marley

Marley is one of several artists that occupies more than one space on the Reggae Albums chart at the moment. That’s quite the feat, considering the ranking only includes 10 spots.

Stick Figure leads with a trio of top performers, as World on Fire, Wisdom, and Set in Stone sit at Nos. 4, 7 and 8, respectively. Sean Paul keeps Dutty Classics Collection and Dutty Rock on the roster as well, at Nos. 3 and 6, respectively.

Landing just one space ahead of Marley is his son Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. His album Welcome to Jamrock is a non-mover at No. 9.