SACD Bob Marley and The Wailers – Burnin’

Burnin’ as a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions: Frank Arkwright and Ryan K. Smith mastered it direct to DSD at Abbey Road Studios in London from the original master tape. All ten songs play in one sequence – the last studio album of the original Wailers trio, from “Get Up, Stand Up” to “Rasta Man Chant”.

Three voices at the centre

Before Bob Marley became a worldwide point of reference, the Wailers were a meeting of three unmistakable personalities. Burnin’ captures that relationship in 1973: Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer still share the centre of the music. It is their final studio album as the original trio – and it rewards anyone who listens beyond the most famous voice. The different temperaments are not a problem the group has to solve; they are what makes the record so gripping.

Between Kingston and London

The basic tracks were recorded at Harry J’s studio in Kingston; overdubs and the mix followed at Island’s Basing Street studios in London. Both places belong to the story: calling it a London production misses the foundation, and imagining a single untouched Jamaican session misses the work that came afterwards.

The record also carries a history longer than its international breakthrough. “Put It On”, “Small Axe” and “Duppy Conqueror” were not new inventions – the Wailers returned to earlier songs and recorded them again. That makes Burnin’ especially rewarding to live with: it looks forward without throwing away what the musicians had already built.

The people within the group

“Get Up, Stand Up” opens with a demand, but the album never settles into a single pose. “Hallelujah Time” and “Pass It On” speak in other ways, and “One Foundation” brings Peter Tosh’s contribution into focus. Following the changing voices lets you hear the trio as a relationship rather than a name on a sleeve. On a second listen, concentrate on the answers around the lead: backing voices can confirm an argument, soften its edges or turn a private statement into a shared one.

Bunny Wailer later recalled writing “Pass It On” around 1962 – an idea roughly a decade old that found its album setting here. He also remembered “Reincarnated Souls” as a planned album title, even though that song did not make the original ten-song programme. Next to “Get Up, Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff”, which took on enormous lives of their own, his song shows another way of voicing conviction – one reason Burnin’ shines as a true group album.

The hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions

CAPP 177 SA is a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions. According to the publisher, Frank Arkwright and Ryan K. Smith mastered it direct to DSD at Abbey Road Studios in London from the original master tape. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the ten songs of the original album.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

Also in other editions: UHQR LP (33⅓ RPM) · UHQR double LP (45 RPM)

More SACDs by Bob Marley and The Wailers: Kaya · Natty Dread · Rastaman Vibration · Exodus · Uprising

Artist page: All titles by Bob Marley & The Wailers

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Documented selection of participating musicians. Personnel may vary by track; this list does not claim to be complete.

• Bob MarleyVocals, Guitar
• Peter ToshKeyboards, Vocals, Guitar
• Bunny WailerPercussion, Vocals