The 500 - #126 - Catch A Fire - The Wailers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #126
Album Title: Catch A Fire
Artist: The Wailers
Genre: Reggae, Reggae Rock, Roots Reggae
Recorded: Four Studios, Kingston, Jamaica

Released: April, 1973

My age at release: 7
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple of songs
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #140, dropping 14 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Stir It Up

My wife and I have always loved sampling different cuisines. In fact, we recently joined friends at the Annual Taste Experience (formerly Food & Drink Show) in London, Ontario, where we eagerly tasted a variety of flavors, dishes and beverages from regional artisans. With our adventurous palates, we're ready for almost anything. Fortunately, neither of us has allergies or sensitivities, and we enjoy vegetables, seafood, and most meats. We’re also game when it comes to bold, spicy food...though, we’re not out to break any Scoville Scale records eating Carolina Reaper hot wings. We prefer spice with depth and flavor, crafted by someone who knows what they’re doing.

It took me a while to realize that not everyone possesses an adventurous approach to food. I’ve had friends who stick to a handful of simple, fairly flavorless dishes they eat over and over again. One friend even joked, "Hodgy, I’m Irish -- mayonnaise is spicy to my people."

Always the educator, I felt they were missing out. If only I could introduce them to some of the incredible dishes I’d discovered, surely they’d be won over. Sadly, in the process, I became a bit of a food bully, pushing my favorite discoveries on them, instead of respecting their cuisine comfort zone.

An AI image capturing my excitement as I push an exotic dish

on friends with more reserved tastes.

Sometimes, my pushy efforts actually worked. Case in point: Chicken Tikka Masala, a dish that delighted my wife and I while checking out East Indian cuisine in the late 1980s. At the time, the predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon city of London, Ontario, was hardly a culinary hotspot. There was just one Indian restaurant -- Curry’s on Wellington Road. Unfortunately, after 40 years it closed in 2025, a casualty of road widening. On our first visit, we tested Tikka Masala, a U.K. twist on the Delhi classic Murgh Makhani. I learned that in Britain, they simply call it Butter Chicken. And just like that, my campaign to convert the cautious began.

The front door to the recently shuttered
Curry's restaurant in London, Ontario,

Over time, we stocked up on spices and started experimenting with Indian dishes. Moving to Brampton in 1991 was a culinary jackpot. The city’s large South Asian population (15% then, 55% now) meant spices, paneer, mung beans, tamarind, ghee, naan and other Indo-Asian staples were everywhere. Now widely available, these were delicacies at the time, seemingly as rare as a snow-free January in Southwestern Ontario.

The 90s opened us up to a world of flavours. We felt tres- continental.

Slowly, we learned to tame the heat, while keeping the flavour, for more sensitive North American palates. Then came the fun part -- serving these unfamiliar dishes to dinner guests, some of whom would have bolted at the mere mention of words like spicy, Indian, or curry…let alone such mysterious names as Tikka, Masala, Murgh, or Makhani. We waited nervously as our guests took the first bite of our North American-branded “Butter Chicken on rice with a side of cheesy pita.” Just in case, a back-up pizza chilled in the fridge for quick baking.

There was no need. The foreign dish was a hit. Over and over again, our once food-reticent friends asked for seconds. We had unlocked the secret, or rather, two secrets. First. tone down the spice and, second, rebrand the name. Suddenly, ‘Butter Chicken on Rice” sounded far less intimidating than “Murgh Makhani.” Marketing works, even at the dinner table.  

The same strategy was applied when The Wailers released their fifth studio record, Catch A Fire, in 1973.

The Wailers - 1972 - (l-r) Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, 
Carlton Barrett, Peter Tosh and Ashton Barrett.

The band found themselves financially strapped and stranded in the U.K. following a tour supporting American singer Johnny Nash, known best for his 1972 hit, I Can See Clearly Now. The Wailers’ road manager, Brent Clark, reached out to Chris Blackwell, head of Island Records, with a proposal. Blackwell agreed to pay for their fares back to Jamaica in exchange for a chance to market their next record. Five months later, Marley returned to London with the tapes from their recording sessions. Blackwell, in pure “butter chicken” fashion, reworked the tracks at Island Studios, adding rock guitar overdubs from famed Muscle Shoals session player Wayne Perkins.

Musicians Jimmy Johnson (left) and Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynyrd
Skynyrd pointing at Wayne Perkins in the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.

The original album cover on the Tuff Gong label featured a picture of a Zippo lighter and was credited to "The Wailers". Blackwell changed the name for the International release of Island Records. The group was now credited as Bob Marley and The Wailers and featured a portrait of Marley smoking a "marijuana spliff", as seen at the toop of this post. There’s debate among historians and reggae scholars that skin tone may also have also been a factor in promoting Marley as the band’s leader. Marley was of mixed heritage, his father was white and his mother was black, and some argue that his lighter skin and "universal" image made him more appealing to Western markets. However, this ignores Marley’s natural leadership qualities as well as his talents as a singer, songwriter and musician.

Original album cover for Catch A Fire on Tuff Gong Records.

In 1973, The Wailers performed their first single, Stir It Up, on the popular U.K. television program The Old Grey Whistle Test, and international attention began to build. 

Bob Marley (centre) and The Wailers on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

A tour followed, and by the summer of 1974 the album had sold about 14,000 copies. Although not a blockbuster by any stretch, it was enough to establish The Wailers and Bob Marley as bona fide artists in a now palatable genre of reggae. The following year, Eric Clapton released his version of Marley’s I Shot the Sheriff, and reggae exploded into the mainstream. And, like our butter chicken, it was enjoyed by everyone, even those with a sensitive palate for spicy, exotic flavours. These days, it is tough to find a person who doesn't like both -- butter chicken and reggae. Mission accomplished!

The 500 - #169 - Exodus - Bob Marley

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #169
Album Title: Exodus

Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers

Genre: Reggae

Recorded: Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica; Island Studios, London, England

Released: June, 1977

My age at release: 11
How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #71, moving up 98 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Three Little Birds

Students in my Grade 7 class are always amazed when they learn that high schools in my era had school-sanctioned "smoking patios". These days, at schools throughout our Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), smoking, vaping and use of marijuana products are prohibited within 20 metres of any school property. In retrospect, it seems a little strange that prior to the turning of the millennium society tolerated smoking almost everywhere. As teens, my chums and I were well aware that some teachers smoked in their offices and the staff lounge. We even suspected a few of them dabbled in more than tobacco.

A joke from the 2002 episode of The Simpson's that hit close

to home for me and many friends.

On-campus smoking of any substance was not only allowed at my high school (Saunders Secondary in London, Ontario), the building's design seemed to encourage it. Built in the early ‘70s, it mixed modern and brutalist architecture to create a menacing structure that seemed more like a prison than a learning institution.

Saunders Secondary School, east profile.

The front of the school featured a row of large brick support walls built on a concrete set of stairs above a short and seldom used service road. These "stalls", as they were dubbed, provided the perfect place for students to hide from staff.. It was a teen stoner's paradise, and marijuana products were smoked and sold daily in the secluded alleys.

The stalls - circled in red, can be seen behind the fencing and

sign (additions long after I left the school).

Despite being a "non-smoker" in 1981, I still spent a lot of time hanging around the stalls. It was where many of the older, cooler and rebellious kids staked their claim, holding court with conversations about music, school gossip and teen philosophy. One day, a senior began waxing poetic, between puffs, about how he was adopting Bob Marley's Rastafarian lifestyle. He  boldly asserted: "I can't get arrested for smoking weed because it's my religion." I was fascinated, and had many questions. In a time before the Internet, taking advantage of a senior student's experience was critical to one's social currency. To his credit, a lot of what he shared about the Rastas was accurate.

Bob Marley enjoying a marijuana joint on the cover
of his 1975 album, Catch A Fire (#126 on The 500).

Now, with the benefit of research technology, I can summarize the practice more easily and accurately. Rastafari is a religious and political movement that developed in Marley's home country of Jamaica in the 1930s. It combines Protestant Christian beliefs with a pan-African political consciousness. It borrows heavily from the Old Testament stories of the Israelites' enslavement in the book of Exodus, their forced detention in Babylon (598-586 BCE) and their exile from Palestine. Rastafarians extend their philosophy to the people of African descent who were shipped around the world during the Atlantic Slave Trade (15th-19th Century). They believe they are "exiles of Babylon" who are being tested by Jah (God) through slavery, economic injustice and oppression. Rastafarians await their deliverance and return to Zion. However, this is not the historical Zion of the Old Testament -- the two easternmost hills in Jerusalem. Rather, the Zion of Rastafarians is the name for Ethiopia. Symbolically, it represents a place of unity, peace and freedom.

The Lion of Judah, originally a symbol from the 
Jewish faith and later adopted by the Rastafarian faith.

Much of the connection to Ethiopia as the ultimate home for all Africans comes from the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I (1930 - 1974) who steered his country into the modern age following World War II, allowing the country to join the United Nations and the League of Nations.

Haile Selassie I.

Rastafarians strive to live a "balanced lifestyle" and typically ascribe to the following practises:

• They wear their hair in dreadlocks (long, rope-like strands of knotted hair that have been ‘locked-in”, or entwined, by leaving it uncombed).
• They dress in red, green, gold and black colours - symbolizing blood, herbs, royalty and Africanness.
• They are vegetarian.
• They practice "itation" (meditation), with the inclusion of "ganja" (marijuana) which they believe helps them get closer to Jah (God).
• They also participate in "bingis" - all-night drumming ceremonies -- hence the connection to Reggae Music

Bob Marley was not the first Rastafarian musician, but his ability to combine his music with blues, soul and elements of British rock propelled his albums to international acclaim. Exodus was a commercial and critical success for Marley, remaining on the U.K. charts for a staggering 56 weeks. He is, without a doubt, the most popular and best-selling reggae star of all time -- a universal icon of the genre and the Rastafarian movement.

Side One of Exodus focused on themes of social change, religion and politics -- informed largely by the intense, polarizing political violence wracking Jamaica at the time. However, Side Two addressed the universal themes of love and faith. It included the massively popular Three Little Birds, a gentle anthem encouraging positivity and resilience in the face of adversity. In times of stress, the simple lyrics are a soothing antidote and one I share with students facing moments of academic anxiety:."Don't worry about a thing/'cause every little thing, gonna be alright".

It's not surprising that the musical, spiritual, political and social revolution that Marley super-charged in 1977 made its way to the philosophical lexicon of a Grade 12 stoner in London, Ontario, by 1981. Unfortunately, despite his efforts to become a Rasta, he would have to wait until October, 2018, before marijuana was legalized in Canada. He just wouldn't be allowed to smoke it within 20 metres of his old high school -- unless he hid in the stalls.

The 500 - #181 - Natty Dread - Bob Marley and The Wailers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #181
Album Title: Natty Dread
Artist: Bob Marley and The Wailers

Genre: Reggae, Reggae Rock

Recorded: Harry J. Studios (Kingston, Jamaica)

Released: October, 1974
My age at release: 9
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Lively Up Yourself

In the winter of 2007, my wife and I made our first trip to Jamaica, accompanied by our friend and tour guide, Bill Gudgeon. Bill had been to the Caribbean island nation more than a dozen times, so we put our trust in him to help us navigate our first visit. Neither my wife, nor I are big fans of "all-inclusive resorts". We currently prefer to live among the locals and learn about the history, culture and cuisine from them. Despite its convenience and promise of security, all-inclusives feel a bit too culturally sanitized for our liking -- but, we can understand why people enjoy them, and our opinions are open to change.

An example of accommodations at a Jamaican resort.

The trip was fraught with obstacles from the start with a delay at the border overcome only by our prompt 3 a.m. departure time from London. Our plane needed to be de-iced before leaving Detroit, so we were hours late departing there. This led to us missing a connecting flight in Philadelphia and we had to spend our first vacation night in hotel rooms in Springfield, a small community about an hour outside the City of Brotherly Love. I did get a chance to order a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich and a Yuengling beer over lunch. I would later learn that the sandwich I got was a terrible knock-off. I still hope to get to Philly one day for an authentic cheesesteak from Jim's South Street ..."wit whiz!"

The next morning, we caught a 5 o'clock flight to Washington's Dulles Airport before spending several hours yawning and waiting for a connecting flight to Jamaica. We arrived in Montego Bay that afternoon -- our luggage, however, had other plans. Was it in Philadelphia? Was it in Washington? Was it hiding here?

My wife, Angela. with our carry-on, waiting for  word on our missing luggage.

No one seemed to know. Reluctantly we shared our cell phone numbers with the airport staff and climbed into our rental car for a trip across the Nassau Mountains toward Treasure Beach in Saint Elizabeth Parish on the south side of the island. Just as we cleared Montego Bay’s busy traffic my cell rang. It was the airport, informing us our luggage had "arrived" or "been discovered". It didn't matter which. Bill happily turned the car around and we travelled back to retrieve the errant items. We set off again, well behind schedule.

Our route from Montego Bay to Treasure Beach, across the
Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

The rural roads across Jamaica are treacherous even for seasoned drivers. Poor Bill was fighting the dwindling light as he drove on the left side of the road with an unaccustomed stick-shift and a right-sided steering wheel. The switchback roads twisted and turned sharply as they climbed 1,000 metres over a hard, black surface of sedimentary rock called marl, which shatters easily and makes the edges jagged. Shredded tires are a distinct possibility for the unsuspecting driver.

Narrow, marl covered, winding Jamaican mountain roads.

At about 11 p.m., after 38 hours of exhausting travel, we arrived at our destination -- a short-term rental house overlooking the town of Treasure Beach. Billy assured me the view was spectacular; but I'd have to wait until morning to see it. Besides, it was time for a cold Red Stripe and a good night's sleep.

Bill and me on the outdoor balcony deck of our Treasure Beach abode.

The frustration and tension of those first couple days melted away quickly as we ate, drank, suntanned, swam and snorkeled beneath a healing Caribbean sun. A particularly good day found us floating in Frenchman's Bay on a pontoon boat chartered from Bill's longtime friend and Treasure Beach resident, Captain Dennis. We sampled  local agricultural products (wink), washed down with plenty of rum. And we leisurely bobbed on small flotation devices harnessed to the boat anchored in the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Reggae piped through the boat speakers supplied a healthy dose of Bob Marley’s greatest hits as well as a few deeper cuts.

Bob Marley performing in the 1970s.

I recognized songs from Natty Dread, the seventh album he made with his band The Wailers. It opens with the bluesy, up-tempo and celebratory Lively Up Yourself, followed by the well-known No Woman, No Cry, a nostalgic reflection on the reggae legend’s childhood in the impoverished Trenchtown ghettos of Kingston. The rest of the record contains a number of songs with political messages of rebellion – Marley’s way of seeking social justice and change for his fellow Jamaicans. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) served as a lyrical warning to those in power: "A hungry mob is an angry mob." The closing track, Revolution, is a powerful lyrical argument about the need for radical change when people are being suppressed and controlled. That's the thing about Marley's music -- it can be up-tempo, reflective or politically charged and socially impactful. He knew how to connect with people in so many ways before his untimely death in 1981, at 36, of cancer.

Album cover for single release of  Them Belly Full (But We Hungry).

I've always been a fan of reggae and tend to throw on a Marley record when relaxing at home, or marking some papers for school. His sound is a panacea for my racing mind, calming me instantly. Now, when I hear his voice and easy-going tempo, it isn't hard to think back to that beautiful, peaceful day -- bobbing on gentle waves, sipping rum cocktails and soaking up the Caribbean sun. The travails of our journey a few days earlier – the delays and perilous mountain drive – washed away.

A view of Frenchman's Bay from the popular local bar, Jakes.

The 500 - #319 - Burnin' - Bob Marley and the Wailers

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: # 319

Album Title: Burnin'

Artist: Bob Marley And The Wailers

Genre: Reggae

Recorded: Harry J Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, Island Studios, London, U.K.

Released: October, 1973

My age at release: (I was 8, My guest blogger was not born)

How familiar was I with it before this week: Several songs, My guest blogger knew it very well.

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Small Axe

I am delighted to welcome Patricia Thompson as guest blogger for this week. Patricia works with me at Sir Arthur Currie Public School where she provides me with preparation (prep) time by taking my students for both physical education and instruction in visual art. When she arrived at my portable last week, I noticed she was wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt. Coincidently, Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Burnin’ was up for review. Asked if she would share her thoughts about this legendary artist… she agreed. Enjoy.

It was a pleasure to be asked and featured as a guest blogger for this album. If asked to explain my connection to reggae music, no matter my age, I would say “reggae music pulses through my veins”. Fortunately, I grew up with parents who exposed me and my siblings to reggae music as much as possible. Reggae rang through the house as we did our Saturday chores, and music was always played during holiday gatherings. These days, I have it on constant rotation on my own playlists.

Reggae brought out stories from my parents' past, and usually ended with them teaching us dance moves, like the bump, in the rec room. Artists such as Sanchez, Coca Tea, Berres Hammond and many more are ingrained in my mind, surrounded by a wealth of memories encapsulated in my heart.

Going back to listen to Burnin’ brought about significant confusion. I know this album from front to back, or so I thought. In my mind, Small Axe is the first track on the album, but it is actually the first song on the B side. Burnin’ is a prized possession in my father’s record collection. However, thanks to my eldest sister who would put the record on the turntable, I thought the B side was the beginning of the record. I now have a greater appreciation for the songs that actually start the record, the first track Get Up, Stand Up, and the third, I Shot the Sheriff. But, at the time, if we didn’t flip the album, it was okay, I heard the songs that were my favourites.

The musical stylings of multi-instrumental members of The Wailers unveil layers of jazz and funk that burn through your listening experience. They are Peter Tosh (guitar), Earl Lindo (organ), Aston “Family Man” Barrett (bass), Carlton “Carly” Barrett (drums), Bunny Wailer (percussion) and the extraordinary legend, Bob Marley (guitar and lead vocals).

(l-r) Lindo, Tosh, Marley, C. Barrett, Wailer, A. Barrett

Burnin’, being their 6th studio album, is full of buried treasures and monumental lyrics. It wasn’t until I was older and listened to the album in a more serious way that I realized the musical talents behind the vocalist. This group of men, stringing beautiful chords together to create hit after hit, still invigorates my love for reggae music.

 

I Shot the Sheriff was controversial because the title implied violence against police officers. Researching the success and meaning of this song, I learned Marley has said there are “fictional and non-fictional elements to its story; but, it’s up to the listener to paint their truth when listening to this song”.

I took the time to listen to Eric Clapton’s cover of the song and, just like the original, its strong instrumental introduction sets the tone. I was shocked. I'd never heard this version until now. The success of Clapton’s cover introduced the rock audiences of the 70s to Marley’s music and it was Clapton’s only number one hit on the U.S. Top 100 on the Billboard charts. Clapton’s version was released in 1974 on his album 461 Ocean Boulevard, which is found at position #411 on The 500 list.

Another artist experiencing success covering Sheriff is rapper Warren G. His version combines his own lyrics while another artist sings the original chorus from Marley’s song in the background. Warren G released it as the second single on his second album, Take A Look Over Your Shoulder in 1997.

The song was also sampled on the title track to Strictly Business from New York hip-hop duo EPMD in 1988. Their album is at #453 on The 500. Consequently, it is one of the few songs to be a hit in three consecutive decades and to appear on this list three times.

The opening track, Get Up Stand Up, helps me recount one of the stories I heard as a young person. My father immigrated to London, Ontario, Canada, in the 1970s as a pre-teen. As most immigrants do, his family surrounded themselves with other immigrants, creating a close-knit community. My father, my Uncle (Chapi) and some friends were playing cricket on the street one Sunday afternoon. Many unsettled neighbours, who were uncomfortable with a group of young black men gathering in the streets to play a sport the onlookers did not understand, called the police. My father and his friends were arrested that day. Uncle Chapi, was incredibly vocal and stood his ground, saying they “were not in the wrong and did not deserve this unfair treatment”. My father tells the story as saying Uncle Chapi wanted to “Get Up, Stand Up” for his rights.

Get Up Stand Up also brings another tearful memory to me, as this was the last song Bob Marley performed before his untimely death due to cancer. My dad has always said, one of his greatest regrets was…. “giving away my Marley tickets,” believing he would simply, “catch him at his next concert”.

Guest Blogger - Patricia Thompson