Bob Marley and the Wailers’ seminal Catch A Fire album is out now as a beautiful deluxe edition to mark the half century since its first release. Universally regarded as the album which put reggae music on the global stage, it celebrates the 50th anniversary of its original release in 1973.
In addition, three classic tracks, “Slave Driver,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” and “Stop That Train,” all recorded live at the Wailer’s legendary performance at the Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, North London in 1973, are now live on the Bob Marley YouTube channel.
Catch A Fire was the fifth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers and was the first to be released by Island Records UK.
Housed in an iconic sleeve in the shape of a Zippo lighter designed by graphic artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner, Catch A Fire’s future versions would feature the classic portrait of Marley smoking a spliff.
After touring and recording in the UK with Johnny Nash whose departure back to the United States left the Wailers without enough money to return home, they approached Island founder and producer Chris Blackwell. He advanced them the money for an album and paid their fares back to Jamaica, where they recorded Catch a Fire. The album features nine songs, two of which were written by Peter Tosh and the rest by Marley who returned to London to present the tapes to Blackwell.
In other Marley news, a hugely anticipated new film Bob Marley: One Love will hit theatres in February. The film will celebrate the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity.
Produced by Ziggy Marley, Cedella Marley and Rita Marley, and with Stephen Marley as the music supervisor, the film tells the inspirational story of how Bob overcame huge adversity to become one of the world’s most revered musical and cultural giants through the power and beauty of his revolutionary music before his untimely death in 1981 from cancer, aged 36. The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita.
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