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Product Description
Review
Already big names in their native Jamaica, it took until this 1973 release for Marley and Co. to finally go global. This was due, in no small part, to the intervention of the man once dubbed a 'vampire' by Lee Perry (the former Wailers producer) - Chris Blackwell. It was the label boss (who'd made his initial fortune importing Jamaican hits to these shores) who recognised that, while Marley, Tosh etc. had song writing and performing skills in abundance, they needed to be put through the equivalent of a 'rock' blender to make them palatable to UK ears.
Thus, when the tapes were handed to Blackwell he saw to it that the keyboards of John 'Rabbit' Bundrick and guitar of Wayne Perkins bolstered the righteous skank of Catch A Fire. And it worked! Perkins' steel combined with Bundrick's washes (and a whole host of contemporary studio filters) to flesh out the originals perfectly. From this point on Marley would be the hippest name to drop in reggae.
But of course, without the original diamonds in the rough, Blackwell and Island couldn't have succeeded. This was still very much still a group effort at this point. Peter Tosh's contributions (400 Years and Stop The Train), both sung by him, show how he was easily the match of Marley, making his solo career an inevitability. What's more, the band, propelled by the airtight rhythm section of the Barrett brothers, could turn their hand to both slinky love songs (Stir It Up) and politically charged diatribes (Concrete Jungle) with ease.
Reggae, up until this point, was a niche genre, bought in the UK by ex-pat West Indians (and the occasional skinhead); it was even less widespread in the States. Catch A Fire changed all that. Without it Bob Marley would never have become a figurehead and no one outside of the Caribbean would have heard of Bunny Wailer or Peter Tosh either. For this alone Chris Blackwell should be canonised. --Chris Jones
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Product Description
CD > POPULAR MUSIC > REGGAE
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An epoch in the history of Reggae!,
This review is from: Catch A Fire (Audio CD)
Released in early 1973, this album was the Wailers first for Island records. Recorded in a very short period of time, in which tension was already beginning to show between Bob & Peter.In my opinion this is still their best work, raw, fresh and uninhibited. Standout tracks include Concrete Jungle, Stir it up and Slave Driver but their are no bad tracks. The familier 'Wailing Wailers' sound is here to enjoy with the classic bouncy reggae rhythems. For me a classic album of a classic period of time were reggae would reach heights never before accomplished. JAH RASTAFARI!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic marley, unbeatable,
By Marty (Sussex, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Catch A Fire (Audio CD)
If your up for a taste of Bob like you've never heard him before this is it. It was his first album with Island Records and probably his best. With Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer still in the band they created a master piece, it sounds more raw and simple than the later Marley albums with some beautiful male harmonys. The opening song 'Concrete jungle' is probably my favourte Marley tune ever with an awesome intro and beautiful groove throughout along with one of the best guitar solo's of all time.High tide or low tide is the most under appreciated Marley song ever. Its soooo nice it deserves to be a world wide sing along and should have been on legend. The rest of the album is amazing, never over produced and always tasteful. A MUST have for any Marley fan, reggae fan or human being.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Magic,
By
This review is from: Catch A Fire (Audio CD)
No matter what type of music your in to this record have at least one song that you fall in love with. Its that good. For all you reggae/Marley fans out there you'll love it all. My personal favorites are the blissed out 'high tide low tide' and the edgey 'concreate jungle'. I think they're the best song he ever recorded! A real gem of a record.
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