Catch A Fire by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3.61
Rating
29810
Votes
1
2%
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8%
3
34%
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37%
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18%
Distribution

Album Summary

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 tour in the United Kingdom with Johnny Nashwhere they had started laying the tracks for JAD Records when a disputed CBS contract with Danny Simms created tensions , the band did not have enough money to return to Jamaica; their road manager Brent Clarke approached producer Chris Blackwell, who agreed to advance The Wailers money for an album which they used to pay their fares back home, where they completed the recordings 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, their 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 used their alternative title Bob Marley and the Wailers. The Catch a Fire Tour, which covered England and the United States, helped generate international interest in the band. Catch a Fire peaked at number 171 on the Billboard 200 and number 51 on the Billboard Black Albums charts. Critical acclaim has included the album being listed at number 126 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, second only to Legend among five Bob Marley albums on the list. It is regarded as one of the top reggae albums of all time. The group title “Bob Marley & The Wailers” being used on Bob Marley solo albums has created a lot of marketing and identity confusion for The Wailers catalog. It follows the confusion generated from their company Tuff Gong Records registered in 1973 and Tuff Gong International registered by the Bob Marley Estate in 1991 that resulted in the 1999 Tuff Gong Settlement Agreement that sought to separate the group catalog from the Bob Marley solo catalog. Catch A Fire album dual releases under both group titles is where this marketing confusion began.

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Super solid reggae. I think I like the Peter Tosh songs the best.

Excellent vibes. I should listen to more Bob Marley.

Es el reagge más reagge. No me encanta porque no me encanta el género pero no tiene nada de malo, simplemente no me fascina.

I once got so high that the bassline on Stir It Up sounded like it was being played by God.

Easy listening reggae. Of course I'm familiar with "Stir It Up" but the rest of the album was new to me. Least favorite track is "Kinky Reggae" which was kinda gross Not my favorite collection of Marley songs

More of the same. Marley never changes (for better or worse).

Never really listened to Bob Marley but he seemed like a good guy. Love having different versions of the same song. This was easy listening. I would always get the Kinky Reggae drink at Java's in college, never realized that was a Bob Marley reference!!! <3High Tide Low Tide, 400 years, Concrete Jungle<3

Now this is the kind of double album I can get behind. So many double albums tho sheesh. I mean, what can I say? Bob is so iconic and his positivity and creativity with the whalers is infectious. When finding Gorillaz in like 2004, I stumbled into the dub / reggae world and used to put some of this on during the summer. It’s refreshing also hearing the less popular Marley songs, it feels special. Also now I know how the drink at Javas got its name: Kinky Reggae. Kinky reggae & no more trouble are my favs. Both versions really. They each have their uniqueness. Peace and love

I've always loved reggae, and Catch a Fire was a great listen from beginning to end. I enjoyed every song on this album, with no weak tracks. One thing about reggae is that the beats and rhythms can sound similar from song to song, but that's never bothered me. I love the groove, especially the strong bass lines, and this album delivers plenty of that. The backing vocals are excellent too. I particularly enjoyed the socially conscious songs like "400 Years" and "No More Trouble," while "Baby We've Got a Date" brought a lighter feel and some interesting instrumentation that almost had a Hawaiian sound. "Stir It Up" was already a favorite of mine, and "Midnight Ravers" was a great way to close the album. While nothing quite pushed this into five-star territory, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire album. It's one I could easily put on the turntable and listen to straight through.

Neues genre für mich sber ich mag den chill vibe und das gefühl

I know this already

Another classic album. I remember summer days up in the life saving tower on the beach with this blasting to all the holiday makers while we just listened to the easy going and relaxing music. Some recreational herbs were partaken of once the last bathers were out of the water and we had finished our end of shift surf....good times of the 80s. As for the music itself, this is one of the more melodic Wailers albums and Peter and Bunny are more evident here. This was clearly NOT only a solo Bob MArley album but so good. (5/5)

It was okay but felt like the same thing, maybe i need to give it another listen to fully understand.

Number: 298 Familiarity: Moderate (3) Rating: 4 I'll give it a 4. I liked reggae a lot more back in the 80's when it was still kind of an exotic sound to my ears. Nowadays when I choose to listen to reggae, which is rarely, I usually go for something a little quirkier, like Eek-A-Mouse.

gosto, meu pai sempre ouve esse

reggae não é minha pira, mas bob até que vai bem

Legendary landmark breakthrough RATM with all the rage and less of "the machine" . . . or maybe the same amount of "machine" and less of the "the."

It was nice to hear the less famous Marley music. Reggae still always sounds kind of silly to me.

Levyllä oli yksi ainoa tuttu biisi: ”Stir It Up”. Muuten aika valju ja tasapaksu levy.

Always delivers

יותר מדי רגיי ליום שני בירושלים אבל זה היה נחמד מאוד בכל זאת

Såja! Såhär ska Bob och grabbarna låta, själfullt, gungigt och bra låtar. Klart bättre och framförallt jämnare än det från senare delen av katalogen t.ex. Exodus. "Concrete jungle", "Midnight ravers" och "400 years" är solklara toppar men det är bra rakt igenom.

Marley och Wailers spelar och sjunger lika mjukt som bomull. En stabil fyra.

Bobban blir den internationella storstjärnan. Inte lika bra som Exodus men helt klart ett fint album. Håller nog de jamaicanska versionerna högre än Blackwells västvärldsorienterade. Det är dock inte skrivit i sten (beror lite på dagsform). Basslinga på Stir it up gör en knäsvag. Det räcker gör att kravla sig upp på fjärde trappsteget.

Chris Blackwell hade gjort flera försök med att föra ut jamaicansk musik i världen, när han tog sig an the Wailers. Med undantag för My boy lollipop hade intresset för jamaicansk musik mest orsaka hål i fickorna. Med Catch a fire ville han attrahera den vita rockpubliken. Albumförpackningen som en zippotändare, lite pålägg av slidegitarr och orgel och han lyckades med bedriften rent kommersiellt. Själv fördrar jag den jamaicanska mixen framför Blackwells bearbetning. Men det är fortfarande ett bra album som haft enorm betydelse för reggaen. Och här finns inga dåliga låtar.

Chill reggae that I mostly enjoyed. Seems like there's less of Bob Marley's voice in this one compared to their other albums. The songs aren't as iconic as that other album, but I liked Concrete Jungle and Stir it Up.

feels like bob marley at his most default tune-in-vibe-out reggae. still enjoyable. favorite song is No More Trouble, definitely a standout. soft 3

very nice vibe out reggae highlights: 400 years stop that train baby we've got a date (rock it baby)

it's pretty good, not sure where it might be on the 1001 must listen to albums....

If you only know Bob Marley from Legend, then you're missing his more socially conscious art. Songs about the struggle, the long-lasting effects of the slave trade, and poverty, but also giving hope and love. There's more of a rock influence here with American guitarist Wayne Perkins providing a new sound. Another treat on the album is "400 years" written, performed, and arranged by bandmate Peter Tosh.

As widely known as Bob Marley is, this album is still underrated. This is a must listen for any fans of '70s classic rock and I'm sure is already foundational to anyone who is a fan of reggae in general.

🗣️💨😏

Really solid bob Marley album, in particular I loved stop that train. While not as famous as the other bob Marley album Exodus, this one was consistent in quality and a smooth listen.

This is a slower and moodier album from The Whalers, but the use of different instruments like slide guitar keep the tracks varied and interesting. This is yet another example of how Marley and his associates are able to make better reggae music than almost everyone else.

Amazing album for Saturday crosswords

Reggae lives in the "and", but moreso in the "and a". Robert knew this. STir it up the only real hit here.

Second day in a row with an incredible album! I wasn't very familiar with Bob Marley's music before starting this project, but I did have ideas of what to expect. That said, this album is much slower than those expectations had led me to believe and I'd almost enjoy this as music to go to sleep to. Mean that in a good way, of course!

Early Bob-enjoyed the start-forgot the finish.

Not Mr Marley and the Wailers at their best.

Solid but forgettable. I was very easily distracted while listening

My hot take: interesting for about 5 minutes then faded into the wallpaper. Musical mogadon. 2*

A fine Reggae album not their top imho

Более чем слушабельно

The Wailers were cooking with this one

I picked a bad week to stop smoking! Even still this album is great.

Haven't listened to Bob Marley in a long time, so this was nice. It did make me wish I was listening to his more popular songs though (besides Stir It Up). Low 4.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Why do people only play the same few songs?!?

Absolutely must listen. Concrete Jungle starts it off, moves into Slave Driver, and then we say hi to Peter Tosh on 400 Years. Also includes the most popular version of Stir it Up, which may be the greatest love song ever written.

Loved, so far my fav Bob Marley album.

Such beautiful sounds. I will HAVE to check out more Bob Marley. These sounds (the scratch guitar with whatever effects are on it, the organ, the backing vocals, the drumming) are all so intentional and sweet underneath Bob Marley’s beautiful songwriting. I’d only really heard his anthems but many of these songs are just beautiful love songs

aguante bob marley

Was interesting for the first half, got repetitive in the latter half. Probably would enjoyed all the songs individually outside of an album. Will have to come back to this to see if opinions change.

6/10 - Everyone likes Bob Marley and rightfully so but I don't know, I'm beginning to think apart from his hits, some of the stuff is overrated

Fundamental reggae, I listen to some lesser known artists in the genre and don't really go to the Marley well too often but his was a nice refresher why Bob is a household name, so influential and still great

I would've thought this would be among the least fitting vibes possible for a dreary autumn commute in Wisconsin but it actually weirdly worked. The vibes are mellow and some of the songs have a mournful tone to them that fit in quite nicely with the vibe of the outside world for me today. Stop That Train stuck with me especially.

Cool album, classic. Was my first intro to reggae growing up. Always an enjoyable listen

Iconic reggae classic. A must listen.

I don't think these guys made a bad album together. Every one I have listened to that they made has been great. Seriously. It's uncanny.

just 1 or 2 songs felt like i had to go and check what are the lyrics and to add them to my playlists. great album for studying to (cuz yeah thats what i do)

All my life, I've known Bob Marley's name but I had never actually heard his music before. I never understood why/how he was so famous. And just by listening to this one album, it makes sense. I fell head over heels for this album and I will be listening to it more.

I enjoyed it more than I’ve ever enjoyed a reggae album. I can’t pinpoint exactly why but I never hit that wall where my brain needed it off immediately. Will revisit. Happy to have enjoyed it.

Pure reggae gold.

Really nice and relaxing, even when combined with the juxtaposition of some more melancholic tracks hinting at political and racial unrest. Overall made me feel that I should explore Bob Marley's discography more in-depth going forward. Fav Tracks: "400 Years", "Stop That Train" and "Stir It Up".

God please no more Bob Marley. It was cute at first, and there’s some chill shit here too. But this similar to a lot of the earlier 60’s country rock stuff on this list.. so samey!

1 am on the train and Bob is singing about the concrete jungle and I see the paint peeling off the subway tracks. I can’t help but understand the influence that he brought. Reggae kinda lived and died with Bob because he was just so so good at it. High tide and low tide rise above the rest. The band is also so tight here. It’s still samey tho

This list needs more reggae

Bob Marley and his cohorts are back again, same drum fills, same guitar rhythms, same tempos - honestly there never needed to be more than one Bob Marley song ever, if you've heard one you've heard them all.

An album of good vibes. Loved the guitar solo on concrete jungle

Kings of Leon — Youth and Young Manhood Pre: Another band I know thanks to FIFA (2004). A band I have mixed feelings for, but never mind listening to their early 00s albums. More on that later. Best: Red Morning Light Runner-Up: Trani Third: Spiral Staircase Post: Kings of Leon were one of those bands most of my teen years that was perfectly in their lane. Not too well known but well enough known that you could play their stuff and people would be like, “oh, yeah, I’ve heard of these guys.” They were a fun band to throw out there to the question, “what’s a good rock band I should check out?” An American band from Oklahoma with a unique sound that is kind of like Candlebox and Jet. I really enjoyed knowing them up until about Junior year of high school when they released the song “Use Somebody.” It was summer of one of the DULLEST music summers of my life to that point, and one of the only songs people could agree on was Use Somebody… So, naturally, the pop radio stations said, “Alright, let’s play it TO IT’S DEATH!” And that they did. The radio followed it’s death by jumping to the other hit track from the same album, “Sex On Fire,” and the radio angel of death went 2 for 2 but the dual hit death was much worse than the initial problem. From there on, Kings of Leon found its way to every crunchy granola hipster’s iPod Nano and suddenly everyone loved Kings… Leon was ruined for me until I realized the two cds I had of there’s were released prior to 2008 and people didn’t know about them as much. That was where my fandom for KoL resided and it always will. Given that, I loved this album as a teen looking for fast paced music and always will. No hipster, granola, man-bun wearing weekend hiker can take that from me! Rating: 8/10 Stars: 4/5

Marley creates music that makes me feel stress free, even if it's a song about stressful topics.

Not my kind of music but I can appreciate it for its cultural value.

Bob Marley rocks yes but this album was aight. Not as many classics as last album I got from him but still a hell yea. He has a good sound man. Another 3.5 bc I likely won't save any of these songs but ye

I’ve always liked Marley when I guess I didn’t realize until I listened to this was how incredible his band was

Good album

too old, i prefer something more chilled, like jazz

Pure Bliss, every single note.

A time capsule capturing a marvelous moment in music history. There is something so soothing, pleasant, warming, universal, and groovy in his sound. The greatest reggae artist ever hands down. A brilliant album and artist in his prime.

My younger self never really dug reggae. Listening to this helps me understand why - the Chris Blackwell sound that took over Bob's recordings starting with this album. He rounded off the edges of the original recordings. I get that it provides an entry way for a broader swath of people outside Jamaica to connect in a way that might not have been possible with the original tracks from this album and prior releases from Bob. So for that I suppose he deserves some credit. It worked. Not immediately but over time Bob became a global star. I just felt it was a bit too sanitized. Songs are still great but I do feel like something is lost especially with a structured musical idiom like reggae. Similar to blues that has too much polish - it loses it power. When I started to dig into the reggae of the 60s I really started to get it. And I of course appreciate Bob's later stuff - I feel like the crossover became more organic after this album. And the songs and great. Ultimately - the enhancements neglect that reggae was protest music for people who get stoned. Not stoner music for people who occasionally show up at a protest. The grit and space and rawness is necessary to get that across. Listen to the Jamaican mix...

Classic album from a genre-defining generational artist. What else is there to say?

Nice album. Chill & good.

Pretty good, is it my favourite eh

As incredible as the individual musicians are, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Both the original and Jamaican versions are magic.

Easy to see how influential Marley bent the music world onto reggae. And not just white college kids in the nineties.

I love Reggae and Bob is the master. I could see myself growing to like this album more the more familiar I become with the lyrics. Good album, but not as good as Natty Dread that I pulled before this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

El punto de ignición del roots reggae global y una obra maestra de dignidad, espiritualidad y combate que ha envejecido bien como un testamento sonoro de trascendencia universal. En el plano de diseño formal, la producción alcanza una notable claridad acústica: el cuidadoso ensamblaje entre las bases rítmicas grabadas en Kingston y las sutiles capas instrumentales añadidas en Londres permite que el bajo gomoso y elástico de Aston "Family Man" Barrett, el pulso a contratiempo de la batería y los solos de guitarra con eco respiren con una nitidez espacial diáfana, sin diluir la raíz del gueto. La interpretación de la trinidad vocal conformada por Bob Marley, Peter Tosh y Bunny Wailer desborda una autenticidad pura, dotando al grupo de una autoridad superior forjada en la lucha cotidiana, la fe rastafari y la resistencia anticolonial. Himnos capitales como la desolación urbana de "Concrete Jungle", el reclamo histórico de "Slave Driver", la combatividad austera de "400 Years" y la ternura luminosa de "Stir It Up" dan forma a un documento profundamente conmovedor, crudo y real que opera como un penetrante y sutil llamado a la conciencia sobre la opresión sistémica y la redención del espíritu humano. Por su balanceo hipnótico y su cadencia cálida y orgánica, la obra mantiene una constante sensación de paz y fluidez ideal para múltiples usos, adaptándose con naturalidad tanto al compás del ejercicio físico y la conducción atenta como al enfoque del trabajo creativo o a una honda reflexión solitaria.

It started a bit better than I expected, and less reggae than I was expecting, but ultimately most of the songs sounded the same to me. I guess non-metal fans think that about slayer, or motörhead, or anthrax, etc

A solid album Some great songs here: Concrete Jungle Stir It Up Stop that Train No More Trouble

This one didn’t feel as special as Exodus did, but it was great. I was surprised by how much I liked the songs that were not sung by Bob Marley. “Stir it Up” is a classic, and I also really liked “Stop that Train” and “Concrete Jungle.” When concrete jungle started, it had a bit of a funky Stevie Wonder kind of vibe; I wish the album had leaned a little bit more into that. “400 Years” was brutal and important, and the most harrowing of all the political songs on here. The Wailers do that so well, turning angry, rallying cries into groovy, pretty music. One of my favorite tracks was apparently a bonus track added on in 2001, “All Day All Night”. After all the political turmoil of the beginning of the album, this was a very pretty love song.

No song in particular stood out to me as reggae is not necessarily my vibe, but I did still enjoy the album overall. It just doesn't really have replay ability for me.

Like most people, I know 1-2 Bob Marley songs. Never listened outside that. This was a great listen. I particularly enjoyed the rhythm section (even though it does sound similar track to track - that muted guitar chord is almost drum like). Track 1 was my favorite which is always a bit of a bummer, but this was a great album.

This is my first time listening to a full reggae album. I quite liked this one, although the songs did sound kind of the same. I think this one is more of an album to put on in the background than to sit down and listen to. Still great though. I wonder if this kind of music is better live. :3

Probably not in my top Wailers albums, but so good and so influential.

reggae 🤑

Muy chévere el album, solo que yo no escucho tanto reggae como para haber guardado muchas canciones pero, estuvo nice

Sólido album de Reggae. No decepciona Bob Marley.