Catch a Fire cover art

  Studio Album · No. 4

Catch a Fire Songwriting Credits by Bob Marley

1973 Island Records / Tuff Gong 9 tracks 36 min

Produced by Robert Nesta Marley, Chris Blackwell  ·  Engineered by Carlton Lee, Stu Barrett, Tony Platt

Island Records / Tuff Gong Roots ReggaeReggae RockReggae
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 9 of 9 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 9 / 9 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Bob Marley carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
9 trackswritten by Bob Marley 0 tracksoutside writers
Bob Marley's roles on this album

Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist78%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

9
Tracks
2
Lyricists
2
Producers
1973
Released
Data Insight

Bob Marley wrote seven of the nine tracks, with Peter Tosh contributing 400 Years and Stop That Train, making this the first Wailers record to foreground Marley as the group's principal songwriter. After the band recorded the rhythm tracks in Jamaica, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell reworked the album in London, adding rock overdubs such as Wayne Perkins' guitar on Concrete Jungle and John Rabbit Bundrick's clavinet and synthesizer. Those overdubs were a deliberate move to package roots reggae for rock-oriented audiences in the United States and Britain.

Bob Marley & The Wailers' first album for Island Records, released April 13, 1973. Produced jointly by Marley and Island founder Chris Blackwell, who added overdubs and remixes in London (including guitarist Wayne Perkins) to make the Jamaican sound accessible to a rock audience. The original Jamaican mixes, without overdubs, were released as 'The Unreleased Original Jamaican Versions' in 2001. Catch a Fire launched Marley's international career and is now considered a landmark album.

Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Concrete Jungle
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
2
Slave Driver
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
3
400 Years
Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
4
Stop That Train
Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
5
Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
6
Stir It Up
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
7
Kinky Reggae
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
8
No More Trouble
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)
9
Midnight Ravers
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley Robert Nesta MarleyChris Blackwell Bob Marley (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

RN
Robert Nesta Marley
Writer · Producer
On this album7 written
BM
Bob Marley
Writer · Vocals
On this album7 written
PT
Peter Tosh
Writer
On this album2 written
WH
Winston Hubert McIntosh
Writer
On this album2 written
CB
Chris Blackwell
Producer
On this album9 produced

More from Bob Marley

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1970 92%
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1971 83%
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1973 70%
Burnin'
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Natty Dread
Island Records / Tuff Gong
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1976 40%
Rastaman Vibration
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10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1977 100%
Exodus
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1978 100%
Kaya
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1979 100%
Survival
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1980 100%
Uprising
Island Records / Tuff Gong
10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley
1983 100%
Confrontation
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10 tracksProd. Robert Nesta Marley

Frequently Asked Questions Catch a Fire

Who wrote Stir It Up by Bob Marley?
Bob Marley wrote Stir It Up. It appears on Catch a Fire and became one of the album's best-known tracks. Johnny Nash separately recorded a cover of the song that reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, but that was Nash's version rather than the Wailers' recording.
Who wrote Stop That Train and 400 Years on Bob Marley's Catch a Fire?
Both songs were written by Peter Tosh, not Bob Marley. They were the only two tracks on Catch a Fire not credited to Marley, with Tosh also handling lead vocals on them. Marley wrote the album's other seven songs.
Who wrote Concrete Jungle by Bob Marley?
Bob Marley wrote Concrete Jungle, which opens Catch a Fire. The album version features overdubbed lead guitar by Muscle Shoals session player Wayne Perkins, added in London by Chris Blackwell. The song addresses urban poverty and hardship in Jamaica.
Who wrote most of the songs on Bob Marley's Catch a Fire?
Bob Marley was the principal songwriter, writing seven of the nine tracks. Peter Tosh wrote the remaining two, 400 Years and Stop That Train. Catch a Fire was the first Wailers album to establish Marley as the band's main writer.
When was Bob Marley's Catch a Fire released?
Catch a Fire was released on 13 April 1973 by Island Records. It was the Wailers' first album for Island and the first to receive international distribution. The record is widely regarded as a landmark in bringing reggae to a global rock audience.
Why does Bob Marley's Catch a Fire sound different from his Jamaican recordings?
After the Wailers recorded the rhythm tracks in Jamaica, Island founder Chris Blackwell remixed the album in London and added rock-oriented overdubs. These included Wayne Perkins' guitar and John Rabbit Bundrick's clavinet and synthesizer. Blackwell made these changes to help the album appeal to rock listeners in the US and UK.
Did Catch a Fire by Bob Marley chart on the Billboard charts?
Catch a Fire reached number 171 on the Billboard 200 and number 51 on the Billboard R&B albums chart. The album was a modest commercial performer on release but grew steadily in reputation. Rolling Stone later ranked it among the greatest albums of all time.

Sources

Wikipedia: Catch a Fire MusicBrainz: Catch a Fire release group (The Wailers, 1973) Cover Art Archive: Catch a Fire front cover Cover Art Archive: Catch a Fire by Bob Marley