mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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catch a fire burnin'
Catch A Fire Bob Marley was not the first artist to spread the mysterious rhythms from Jamaica to the world, but he was the first to gain commercial success. The reggae was far from respected in the more restricted and conservative world of pop and rock that previously had been so rebellious, and the new cannabis influenced music was met with skepticism. However, some people embraced the new style and it soon made a huge impact on other artists, mostly British ones. Dire Straits and Eric Clapton found ways to use it in their own music, and most of the punk bands quickly grew fond of it, maybe The Clash more than any other took it their hearts and used it heavily on their masterpiece London Calling. You can also hear a certain influence of Marley to this day in, for instance, the music of Wyclef Jean. Despite that the guitar never seems to be in synch with the snare drum, there is a lot more to the reggae. To fully appreciate what Bob Marley and The Wailers were doing you probably need to know at least something about the history and circumstances in Jamaica at the time. There were racial problems, political wars as well as huge economical and socially injustices. Basically chaos and the sense of despair and hopelessness is evident in Marley’s lyrics. Yet, he manages to find hope and faith within the music, maybe mostly because of his religious believes. Obviously a politician or a preacher doesn’t necessarily make good music just because he is convinced of something, but all the strong ideas and social awareness Marley possessed managed to give him that little extra edge in his music, preventing him from becoming too obsessed with sales and money. Yes, one might argue that when signing on to Island Records Marley started to sell out and turned his music into something that was commercial and adjusted to the white people that where in charge. By doing so he also shed lights over the problems in his country and got attention to spread his message. A thin line to walk, indeed. Catch A Fire holds a lot melodic hooks, nice laid back rhythms and Marley clearly has a talent for songwriting. Whilst songs such as opening “Concrete Jungle” and “No More Trouble” are serious political statements, he also shows a more romantic side with “Stir It Up” and “Baby We’ve Got A Date”. No matter what the lyrical subject might be, the songs always has something that grabs your attention. No matter if it is a cool bass line, clever arranged backing vocals or just simply the voice of Bob Marley. A voice that reaches something deep within me, just the sound of it is extremely affecting. There are a few singers that has that little extra, John Lennon is one. Bono in U2 is another. Although there is no doubt of who is the leader, additional songwriter and singer Peter Tosh shouldn’t be ignored. He sang and co-wrote “400 Years” and the excellent “Stop The Train” is simply Tosh taking over both the songwriting and singing completely. He may not have that magical thing surrounding him that Marley has, but his talents are surely above the average. Great solo on “Concrete Jungle” too, which couldn’t be stressed enough. The Wailers were excellent musicians on a technical level too when allowed the space. The international debut may not be the most diverse, but it is very solid and of great historical importance. Yet, it was only the beginning.
Burnin’ Released only half a year after Catch A Fire, but arguably better. It is a lot more accessible than its predecessor with a somewhat more lightweight musical approach (leaning more towards “Stir It Up” and “Stop That Train” rather than “Concrete Jungle”), but still with the same devotion and sharp lyrics. The band successfully mixes ska with soul, r’n’b, and gospel, ending up with their arguably strongest album. The sensitive songs are sensual and sexy, the longing for peace and quiet sincere and the criticism against the current political state seems to be a lot more than just empty words. More importantly for the general record buying audience it is delivered with catchy and memorable melodies and impressive arrangements. “Get Up, Stand Up” is another fighting song that works very well. Catchy enough and performed with so much confidence that makes it hard to restrain it. “Hallelujah Time” was written by percussionist Alvin Patterson and sung beautifully by Tosh and it makes it less of a surprise why he decided to leave the group after this album. He was tired of standing behind Marley and clearly didn’t need to do so either. Other highlights is of course the original version of “I Shot The Sheriff”, infamously covered by Eric Clapton, and the slow, but yet powerful “Burnin’ And Lootin’”. A song that is more pleading than nearly demanding in the way as “Get Up Stand Up” was. “Put It On” and Tosh’s “Pass It On” are two great lazy (in the best meaning of the word) songs that makes you lay back just nodding your head along with the rhythm. The only tracks that doesn’t exactly drive me wild are “Small Axe” and “Rastaman Chant”, but they are hardly filler material. Burnin’ is an album you can enjoy sitting down, reflecting over the lyrics, just as well as wiggle your ass around to. A fantastic album and whilst not as groundbreaking as Catch A Fire, it stands its own ground as an essential album.
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