Thursday, January 25, 2018

Bob Marley and the Wailers: Catch a Fire (1973)

Untitled
Early pressings of this release were credited to The Wailers, but later pressings -- such as my Canadian pressing -- credit the LP to Bob Marley and the Wailers. The huge hit from this record was Stir it Up. There's some pretty significant sexual innuendo in that song:

I'll push the wood (stir it, stir it, stir it together),
then I blaze ya fire

and

Quench me when I'm thirsty;
Come on and cool me down, baby, when I'm hot. (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Your recipe is, - darlin' - is so tasty,
When you show and stir your pot. (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

That's rather overt. No one would doubt what "pot" means.

The other thing that changed with later releases was the cover. The original pressing's sleeve was cut in the shape of a hinged Zippo lighter. Later pressings just show Bob lighting a massive joint.

But, look at the price on the cover. Today, I'm guess my copy would fetch around $25. Needless to say that the early pressings sell for big money.

Everyone should have some Bob Marley in their collection, even if its a collection of his most well-known tracks. I find that kids love his music.

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