SACD Bob Marley and The Wailers – Catch A Fire

Catch A Fire as a hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions, mastered direct to DSD by Frank Arkwright and Ryan K. Smith at Abbey Road from the original master tape. The nine songs play in one sequence – from “Concrete Jungle” to “Midnight Ravers”.

Jamaican recordings, London finishing touches

The story of Catch A Fire, released in 1973, includes a journey the recordings themselves made. The Wailers laid down the foundations in Kingston on eight-track tape, often combining several instruments on one track; in London, those recordings received additional parts and a new mix. The result allowed Island to introduce the group to a wider international audience – an identity born from musical work in two places.

Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer still stood at the centre together, and Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Carlton Barrett were the backbone of the band. The London additions wove further lines into that existing performance – listen with this process in mind, and the album becomes a fascinating example of how a band arrangement can take on a new form through later collaboration.

A guitar arriving from Muscle Shoals

Wayne Perkins came from the American studio world of Muscle Shoals. His contributions include the solo on “Concrete Jungle”, slide guitar on “Baby We’ve Got A Date” and the wah-wah lead guitar on “Stir It Up” – a concrete trace of the international studio connections behind the album.

Tony Platt handled the additional recording, and John “Rabbit” Bundrick supplied keyboard parts including organ, clavinet and synthesizer. Follow these voices through the arrangements: a line may support the singer in one passage and take on an independent melodic role in the next.

Peter Tosh at the heart of the album

The nine songs bring several perspectives together: “400 Years” and “Stop That Train” were written by Peter Tosh, the other seven carry Marley’s credit – a reminder that Catch A Fire is a Wailers album. The sequence runs from “Concrete Jungle” through “Slave Driver” into Tosh’s two songs, then opens a new chapter with “Stir It Up”, before “No More Trouble” and “Midnight Ravers” complete the programme.

The Jamaican versions released later tell a complementary story – the 2001 deluxe edition placed an eleven-track programme, with “High Tide Or Low Tide” and “All Day All Night”, alongside the Island album.

The hybrid stereo SACD from Analogue Productions

CAPP 176 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 nine songs in the sequence of the Island album.

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

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

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