Having built a significant record label on Jamaican ska and reggae before expanding into the rock music market, Island records magnate Chris Blackwell looks to move Jamaican styles into the market mainstream.
Hughesy's assessment: At the end of a tour of Britain, The Wailers agree to record an album in Kingston in return for the money to return home. Marley famously returned to London with the master tapes. Blackwell, the producer, reworked the tracks with overdubs from, among others, Muscle Shoals session guitarist Wayne Perkins and keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick. Catch a Fire was the result.
The 2001 Deluxe edition allows the listener to compare the recording that went on to become a signific landmark with the original Jamaican versions and running order. As a musical landmark, Iconic and a harbinger of things to come.
Track listing: Concrete Jungle; Slave Driver; 400 Years; Stop That Train; Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby); Stir It Up; Kinky Reggae; No More Trouble; Midnight Ravers
2001 Deluxe edition bonus material: The Unreleased Original Jamaican Versions: Concrete Jungle; Stir It Up; High Tide or Low Tide; Stop That Train; 400 Years; Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby); Midnight Ravers; All Day All Night; Slave Driver; Kinky Reggae; No More Trouble
Classics: Concrete Jungle; Slave Driver; 400 Years; Stir It Up;
Almost there:Kinky Reggae; No More Trouble; Midnight Ravers
Worthwhile: Stop That Train; Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby);