One could certainly have hoped for something better than [Rastaman Vibration] after the tuneful, rhythmic, and down-right commercial Natty Dread, the sizzling live album, and the haunting [single "Jah Live"]….

Instead, we got an LP cluttered with re-makes and cliches, containing maybe two or three good tunes and a lot more of the boredom that the Wailers, at their worst, are capable of producing. Marley's super-righteous Nyah-man pose looks pretty silly behind weak lyrics and barely competent tunes. For instance, one big standout is "Night Shift," a weird rewrite of the classic "All Night/All Right" from the Lee Perry days. "Who the Cap Fit," "Johnny Was," "Cry to Me," and "Rat Race" are disgracefully monotonous, lacking the laid-back, yet intense energy of the best reggae.

Ed Ward, "Records: 'Rastaman Vibration'," in Creem (© copyright 1976 by Creem Magazine, Inc.), Vol. 8, No. 3, August, 1976, p. 65.