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List Price: $11.98 | | Label: Polygram Records
Salesrank: 169470
Released: May 31, 1990 |
| Our Price: $11.19 |
| Used Price: $2.15 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Catch a Fire Track Listing:
1. Concrete Jungle
2. Slave Driver
3. 400 Years
4. Stop That Train - Bob Marley, Tosh, Peter
5. Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
6. Stir It Up
7. Kinky Reggae
8. No More Trouble
9. Midnight Ravers
Editorial Review:
The Opening Salvo from Morrissette's Third Studio Album 'under Rug Swept'. The Three Accompanying Tracks Are NON-LP B's. ' Awakening Americans' is Exclusive to this Version.
Description of Catch a Fire:
Catch a Fire stands alongside some of rock's great debut LPs. Of course, the Wailers had been making great low-budget records for years in Jamaica--first as a vocal trio and then as a band--but this first effort for Chris Blackwell's Island label in 1973 is the one that broke reggae music into an international market (and finally gave them some dough as well). Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" had been a major pop hit in America and Europe the year before via a cover version by Johnny Nash, priming the market for reggae, but nothing prepared the world for Marley songs like "Concrete Jungle" and "Slave Driver," which fully revealed Marley's seemingly mystical political militancy. Marley's magic was already there, for sure, but Peter Tosh's "Stop That Train" and "400 Years" both display why Tosh and Marley together made a peerless reggae music team. --Bill Holdship
Catch a Fire Reviews:
You have to get the original Jamaican versions of these songs 
2006-10-29 - Seriously, listen to how good they sound & how bad the previously released reworked version is in comparison. The reviewer below me brings up a valid point about the length of the album overall compared to the price, however you would not benefit to search for a bargain priced version of the previously released aka watered down version. You have to get the originals and not even listen to the reworked version because it's not even close to how good the real album truly is. And that goes for a lot of Marley material, which is why the bootleg & rare albums are so good, as well as these original Jamican mixes.
The best I've ever heard Catch A Fire! A reggae essential!
2005-12-07 - It's funny when you read these reviews. People are very opinionated and many are just downright complainers. If you can gleen the 'positive' out of all of these, then you my friend are something special.
Whether you're new to Bob Marley or a long time fan, then this is as good a place to start as any. You can just work your way forward. Personally, I'm in the process of upgrading my entire Bob Marley collection to the remastered level. There are options with this album depending on what you want. I, for one, like multiple options available! You can buy this album remastered without the extra cd or you can get the deluxe edition. (Or you can buy the non-remastered version at quite a discount used.) Whenever possible I suggest getting a used copy but make sure the quality meets your minimum standards. That takes care of anyone who's worried about price.
Personally, I think about 40 to 45 minutes or so is the perfect length for a disc. Then I'm ready to hear something else. There are certain artists where more is welcome. But it's not a bad amount of music. Yes, they could've put this all on 1 disc but for the price I paid I feel like I just bought a gold brick. Very valuable! This version has both the orginal cd mix as well as the jamaican mix as well. The jamaican mixes I've heard are worth their weight in gold. I really like the contrast between the "rock" versions and the jamaican versions. It's very true, it seems like you've stumbled upon the Holy Grail because it's so out of the blue excellent compared to what you're used to. (Which was amazing in the first place) Also, you know most people aren't listening to the jamaican mixes. They're listening to the original releases. This is what the songs were REALLY meant to sound like. I still like the rock versions though. They're the classics for me.
How one could ask for anything more than what's on this release is beyond me. This is remastered with a whole extra cd of tracks. A cd doesn't have to be full if the music is good enough. Less is more sometimes. If there happen to be a couple of extra bonus tracks, so be it but it's not necessary for me to upgrade to the remastered sound.
Anyway, you have two era's of Bob Marley: Before this album and after. This is the dividing line. I say get this and Burnin' (deluxe editions both) and you'll have the best start you possibly could for 70's Bob Marley. And you can go from there. Gold and the box set are also nice additions to the collection. And there are many excellent pre-Catch A Fire tracks as well. Don't forget Peter Tosh's excellent work and Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers are quite excellent too.
Idiots messed with the original version of this album. Unbelievable
2005-12-07 - I got this a couple years ago when it was released and it's not even close, the overdubs and such crap covered up a gem of an album. Buy this double cd (hopefully on sale like me) or simply buy only the eleven jamaican tracks (cd 1) from itunes. It will be worth it, every song except for 'midnight ravers' (the only song Chris Blackwell had sense enough to leave alone) is extremely different from the "original"... and oh so much better. Fire this one up and you might never come down. Church!
Two Of The Same But Not The Same
2005-08-12 - Having the Tuff Gong release remastered from the original master tapes and now this, I can say that the remixing adds clarity and lowers the bass boom somewhat...The wonderful Jamaican release is the key to getting this CD for lovers of Marley..the music is roots, simpler,harmonies somewhat more prominent in places,less rock effects than the the second CD with 2 tracks not released on original "western" release...no filler here...truly a totally different album in sound and atmosphere..indeed the length of both cd's is a real issue,way too short,the artwork and lyrics are nice but again it is a historical document from an amazing star for dedicated lovers only.
Trumps the Original Release
2005-03-12 - How Island Records thought the undubbed version needed overdubs and studio sweetening is beyond me. Hearing these songs in their original unpolished form is like listening to entirely different album, in the best possible sense.
