Bob Marley & The Wailers – Catch A Fire (1973/2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Bob Marley & The Wailers – Catch A Fire (1973/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 44:28 minutes | 945 MB | Genre: Reggae
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)

Catch a Fire is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers (aka Bob Marley and the Wailers), released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had started laying down tracks for JAD Records when a disputed CBS contract with Danny Sims created tensions. The band did not have enough money to return to Jamaica, so their road manager Brent Clarke approached producer Chris Blackwell, who agreed to advance The Wailers money for an album. They instead used this money to pay their fares back home, where they completed the recordings that constitute Catch a Fire. The album has nine songs, two of which were written and composed by Peter Tosh; the remaining seven were by Bob Marley. While Bunny Wailer is not credited as a writer, the group’s writing style was a collective process. For the immediate follow-up album, Burnin’, also released in 1973, he contributed four songs. After Marley returned with the tapes to London, Blackwell reworked the tracks at Island Studios, with contributions by Muscle Shoals session musician Wayne Perkins, who played guitar on three overdubbed tracks. The album had a limited original release under the name The Wailers in a sleeve depicting a Zippo lighter, designed by graphic artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner; subsequent releases had an alternative cover designed by John Bonis, featuring an Esther Anderson portrait of Marley smoking a “spliff”, and crediting the band as Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Catch a Fire was the major label debut for Bob Marley and the Wailers, and it was an international success upon its release in 1973. Although Bob Marley may have been the main voice, every member of the Wailers made valuable contributions and they were never more united in their vision and sound. All the songs were originals, and the instrumentation was minimalistic in order to bring out the passionate, often politically charged lyrics. Much of the appeal of the album lies in its sincerity and sense of purpose — these are streetwise yet disarmingly idealistic young men who look around themselves and believe they might help change the world through music. Marley sings about the current state of urban poverty (“Concrete Jungle”) and connects the present to past injustices (“Slave Driver”), but he is a not a one-trick pony. He is a versatile songwriter who also excels at singing love songs such as his classic “Stir It Up.” Peter Tosh sings the lead vocal on two of his own compositions — his powerful presence and immense talent hint that he would eventually leave for his own successful solo career. More than anything else, however, this marks the emergence of Bob Marley and the international debut of reggae music. Marley would continue to achieve great critical and commercial success during the 1970s, but Catch a Fire is one of the finest reggae albums ever. This album is essential for any music collection. – Vik Iyengar

Tracklist:
1-1. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Concrete Jungle (04:13)
1-2. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Slave Driver (02:54)
1-3. Bob Marley & The Wailers – 400 Years (02:46)
1-4. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Stop That Train (03:55)
1-5. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Baby We’ve Got A Date (Rock It Baby) (03:59)
1-6. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Stir It Up (05:34)
1-7. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Kinky Reggae (03:39)
1-8. Bob Marley & The Wailers – No More Trouble (04:00)
1-9. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Midnight Ravers (05:13)
1-10. Bob Marley & The Wailers – High Tide Or Low Tide (Jamaican Version) (04:45)
1-11. Bob Marley & The Wailers – All Day All Night (Jamaican Version) (03:27)

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