Marley’s legend fueled by ‘Fire’

Spencer Patterson

Friday, June 10, 2005 | 8:28 a.m.

Every year when the weather turns warm, I invariably turn to the music of Bob Marley.

Marley's lively reggae tunes are as tailor-made for a sunny summer day as iced tea, swimming pools and air conditioning.

Surprisingly, though, few music fans I encounter have delved deeper into Marley's catalog than "Legend," a compilation that stands as perhaps the greatest single-disc best-of collection of all time.

Those interested in hearing more than the hits would do well with any of Marley's Island Records releases, particularly the string of six discs issued by the label between 1973 and 1977.

Starting at the beginning -- with 1973's "Catch a Fire" -- is a solid strategy, particularly now that the album is available in a deluxe, two-CD edition.

Where most expanded reissues simply tack on alternate or live takes of the original tracks, the additional "Catch a Fire" disc is a revelation. It contains an unreleased "Jamaican" version of the entire album, which sounds the way Marley and his band, the Wailers, intended.

In 1973, Marley was a virtual unknown outside of Jamaica, and Island Records head Chris Blackwell wasn't sure how his brand of political reggae might go over in the U.S. and beyond.

So after Marley and the Wailers laid down the tracks for "Catch a Fire," Blackwell brought in studio musicians to add radio-friendly elements to the mix.

Some of those finishing touches worked quite well. The steel-pedal guitar on "Stir it Up," for example, is largely responsible for making that song an enduring classic.

As much as I enjoy listening to the released version of "Catch a Fire," however, I find the gritty, organic unreleased renditions of such Marley essentials as "Concrete Jungle," "400 Years" and "No More Trouble" far more compelling.

The uncluttered "Jamaican" setting also makes it far easier to appreciate the contributions of the Wailers, a group that for a short time included reggae greats Peter McIntosh (later Peter Tosh) and Bunny Livingston.

So if you've worn out "Legend" and are ready for more, celebrate the impending summer heat with the appropriately titled "Catch a Fire."

Artist: Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Title: "Catch a Fire" (Deluxe Edition).

Year of release: 1973 (deluxe edition issued 2001, Universal/Island Records).

Tracklisting: Disc 1 (The Unreleased Original Jamaican Versions): "Concrete Jungle," "Stir it Up," "High Tide or Low Tide," "Stop That Train," "400 Years," "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock it Baby)," "Midnight Ravers," "All Day All Night," "Slave Driver," "Kinky Reggae," "No More Trouble." Disc 2 (The Released Album): "Concrete Jungle," "Slave Driver," "400 Years," "Stop That Train," "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock it Baby)," "Stir it Up," "Kinky Reggae," "No More Trouble," "Midnight Ravers."