Classic Albums: (Bob Marley &) The Wailers - Catch A Fire (Rockumentary)

Catch a Fire is the major-label-debut album for Jamaican reggae band The Wailers, released on Island Records in 1973. The album established the band as international superstars. Leader Bob Marley in particular became world-famous. The socially aware lyrics and militant tone surprised many listeners, but others were attracted to Marley and Peter Tosh's confrontational subjects and optimistic view of a future free from oppression.


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Catch a Fire peaked at #171 and #51 on Billboard's (North America) Pop Albums and Black Albums charts respectively. It is number 123 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the second highest placement of the five Bob Marley albums on the list, after the posthumous compilation album Legend. It is also regarded as one of the top reggae albums of all time.

Remixing the "English" version
On completion, the multitrack tapes were taken to the UK for remixing, and Chris Blackwell enlisted the help of two US musicians - making an "English" version of the album. Wayne Perkins re-did some of the rhythm/ lead guitar, whilst John "Rabbit" Bundrick added some organ, electric piano, clavinet and synthesizer.

Cover art
The first 20,000 copies of the original 1973 vinyl release, designed by graphical artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner, were encased in a sleeve depicting a Zippo lighter. The sleeve functioned like a real Zippo lighter case, opening at a side hinge to reveal the record within. As machinery available was not sufficient to rivet the upper and lower halves of the sleeve together, the assembly operation required hand-manufacture and was deemed too expensive to mass-produce. Hence, subsequent pressings are recognizable by their alternative cover art containing an Esther Anderson portrait of Marley smoking a joint. Copies of the record from these original pressings have since become collectors' items. The original cover art was used again in 2001 for the Deluxe compact disc edition.

Original album (1973)

Side one
"Concrete Jungle" – 4:13
"Slave Driver" – 2:53
"400 Years" (Peter Tosh) – 2:45
"Stop That Train" (Tosh) – 3:55
"Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" – 3:57

Side two
"Stir It Up" – 5:32
"Kinky Reggae" – 3:37
"No More Trouble" – 3:50
"Midnight Ravers" – 5:08

Personnel
Bob Marley – guitar, vocals
Peter Tosh – organ, guitar, piano, vocals
Bunny Wailer – bongos, conga, vocals
Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass guitar
Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - keyboards/synthesizer
Wayne Perkins - guitar
Chris Blackwell – Production
Bob Marley - Production
Carlton Lee – Engineering
Tony Platt – Engineering
Bob Weiner – Design
Rod Dyer – Design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_A_Fire