CATCH A Fire, the sensational 1973 album by The Wailers, has been chosen best reggae album by Britain’s influential MOJO Magazine. It topped a list of 50 albums, many of which helped introduce Jamaican popular culture to an international audience.
Catch A Fire was The Wailers’ (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny ‘Wailer’ Livingston) first album for Chris Blackwell’s Island Records.
It contained the title song, Concrete Jungle, Slave Driver and 400 Years. Marley became a solo act after Tosh and Livingston left the group in late 1973. He has only one other album in the table — 1977’s epic Exodus which comes in at number 11.
At number two is the seminal King Tubby’s Meets The Rockers Uptown by dub visionary Augustus Pablo, with The Harder They Come soundtrack at number three.
The top 10 is completed by The Skatalites Ska Boo-Da-Bo, The Congos Heart of The Congos, The Maytals Funky Kingston, The Upsetters Dub Blackboard Jungle, Joe Gibbs African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3, Fabulous Greatest Hits Prince Buster, and War Ina Babylon by singer Max Romeo.
Seminal sets like Burning Spear’s Marcus Garvey (15), Culture’s Two Sevens Clash (16) and Tosh’s Legalize It made the top 20. There was no place for Buju Banton’s ‘Til Shiloh or Bob Andy’s Songbook.
Beenie Man’s Art And Life, It’s Growing (Garnet Silk), Messenger (Luciano) and Bobo Ashanti are the modern albums that made the list. Launched in 2008, the monthly MOJO Magazine is one of Britain’s leading entertainment publications.
You must log in to post a comment.