Catch a Fire
Encyclopedia
Catch a Fire is the major-label-debut album for Jamaica
n reggae
band The Wailers, released on Island Records
on 13 April 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.
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.
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.
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 "spliff" or 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.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band The Wailers, released on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
on 13 April 1973. The album established the band as international superstars. Leader Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
in particular became world-famous. The socially aware lyrics and militant tone surprised many listeners, but others were attracted to Marley and Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
's confrontational subjects and optimistic view of a future free from oppression.
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
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
, the second highest placement of the five Bob Marley albums on the list, after the posthumous compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
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 BlackwellChris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
enlisted the help of two US musicians - making an "English" version of the album. Wayne Perkins
Wayne Perkins
Wayne Perkins is a rock and R & B guitarist, singer, songwriter and session musician. He was the oldest of six children, a brother and four sisters. Both of his parents sang and played guitar...
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 ZippoZippo
A Zippo lighter is a refillable, metal lighter manufactured by Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania, U.S. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made in the seven decades since their introduction including military ones for specific regiments.-Establishment:George G...
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 "spliff" or joint
Joint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
. 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
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
edition.
Side one
- "Concrete Jungle" – 4:13
- "Slave Driver" – 2:53
- "400 Years" (Peter ToshPeter ToshPeter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
) – 2:45 - "Stop That TrainStop That Train"Stop That Train" is the name of several songs:*"Stop That Train", a 1965 ska single by The Spanishtonians*"Stop That Train", a 1967 rocksteady hit single by Keith & Tex, a cover version of the Spanishtonians song...
" (Tosh) – 3:55 - "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" – 3:57
Side two
- "Stir It UpStir It Up"Stir It Up" is a song composed by Bob Marley in 1967, written for his wife Rita, and first made popular by Johnny Nash. Nash's recording hit the top 15 in both Britain and America in 1972....
" – 5:32 - "Kinky Reggae" – 3:37
- "No More Trouble" – 3:50
- "Midnight Ravers" – 5:08
Disc one: The unreleased original Jamaican versions
- "Concrete Jungle" – 4:16
- "Stir It Up" – 3:39
- "High Tide or Low Tide" – 4:44
- "Stop That Train" – 3:55
- "400 Years" – 3:03
- "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" – 4:05
- "Midnight Ravers" – 5:09
- "All Day All Night" – 3:29
- "Slave Driver" – 2:57
- "Kinky Reggae" – 3:45
- "No More Trouble" – 5:16
Disc two: The released album
- "Concrete Jungle" – 4:15
- "Slave Driver" – 2:55
- "400 Years" – 2:47
- "Stop That Train" – 3:57
- "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" – 3:59
- "Stir It Up" – 5:35
- "Kinky Reggae" – 3:39
- "No More Trouble" – 4:00
- "Midnight Ravers" – 5:08
Personnel
- Bob MarleyBob MarleyRobert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Peter ToshPeter ToshPeter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, guitar, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals - Bunny WailerBunny WailerBunny Wailer, , also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, is a singer songwriter and percussionist and was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh...
– bongosBongo drumBongo or bongos are a Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of single-headed, open-ended drums attached to each other. The drums are of different size: the larger drum is called in Spanish the hembra and the smaller the macho...
, congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
, vocals - Aston "Family Man" BarrettAston BarrettAston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Carlton "Carlie" BarrettCarlton BarrettCarlton "Carly" Barrett was an influential reggae drummer and percussion player. His musical development in the early years were with his brother Aston "Family Man" Barrett as a member of Lee "Scratch" Perry's "house band" The Upsetters. The brothers joined Bob Marley and The Wailers around 1970...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - John "Rabbit" Bundrick - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Wayne PerkinsWayne PerkinsWayne Perkins is a rock and R & B guitarist, singer, songwriter and session musician. He was the oldest of six children, a brother and four sisters. Both of his parents sang and played guitar...
- guitar - Chris BlackwellChris BlackwellChristopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
– ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Bob Marley - Production
- Carlton Lee – Engineering
- Tony Platt – Engineering
- Bob Weiner – Design
- Rod Dyer – Design