Editing Catch a Fire

{{Short description|1973 studio album by Bob Marley & The Wailers}}
{{other uses}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Catch a Fire
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Bob Marley and the Wailers]]
| cover      = BobMarleyCatchAFire.jpg
| alt        =
| caption    = The original 1973 'Zippo lighter' hinged album sleeve
| released   = 13 April 1973
| recorded   = May–October 1972
| studio     = {{hlist|Dynamic Sound (Kingston)|[[Harry J]]'s (Kingston)|Randy's (Kingston)|[[Island Studios|Island]] (London)}}
| genre      = 
* [[Reggae]]<ref name="Allmusic"/>
* [[reggae rock]]<ref name= "EW Staff 2019">{{cite magazine|last= EW Staff |title= Top 100 Albums |magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]] |date= September 27, 2012|url= https://ew.com/gallery/top-100-albums/?slide=384754#384754|accessdate= May 5, 2023}}</ref>
* [[roots reggae]]<ref name= "Stanley 2013">{{cite book|first=Bob |last=Stanley|title=Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop|chapter= State of Independence: Jamaica|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9emZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT7|date=13 September 2013|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=978-0-571-28198-5|page=321}}</ref>
| length     = 35:56
| label      = [[Tuff Gong]], [[Island Records|Island]]
| producer   = [[Bob Marley]], [[Chris Blackwell]]
| prev_title = [[The Best of the Wailers]]
| prev_year  = 1971
| next_title = [[African Herbsman]]
| next_year  = 1973
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative 'spliff' cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = Thewailerscatchafire.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = The sleeve art from the 1974 issue of the album
}}
}}

'''''Catch a Fire''''' is the fifth studio album by the [[reggae]] band [[Bob Marley and the Wailers|The Wailers]] (aka Bob Marley and the Wailers), released in April 1973. It was their first album released by [[Island Records]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=felkD8CI97sC&pg=PA49 |title=Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music|page=49 |author=Kevin O'Brien Chang, Wayne Chen |publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|year= 1998 |access-date=17 May 2012 |isbn= 9781566396295}}</ref> After finishing a [[United Kingdom|UK]] tour with [[Johnny Nash]], they had started laying down tracks for [[JAD Records]] when a disputed [[CBS Records International|CBS]] contract with Danny Sims created tensions. The band did not have enough money to return to Jamaica, so their road manager Brent Clarke approached producer [[Chris Blackwell]], who agreed to advance The Wailers money for an album. They instead used this money to pay their fares back home, where they completed the recordings that constitute ''Catch a Fire''. The album has nine songs, two of which were written and composed by [[Peter Tosh]]; the remaining seven were by [[Bob Marley]]. While [[Bunny Livingston|Bunny Wailer]] is not credited as a writer, the group's writing style was a collective process. For the immediate follow-up album, ''[[Burnin' (Bob Marley and the Wailers album)|Burnin']]'', also released in 1973, he contributed four songs. After Marley returned with the tapes to London, Blackwell reworked the tracks at [[Island Studios]], with contributions by [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio|Muscle Shoals]] session musician [[Wayne Perkins]], who played guitar on three [[overdub|overdubbed]] tracks. The album had a limited original release under the name The Wailers in a sleeve depicting a [[Zippo]] lighter, designed by graphic artists [[Rod Dyer]] and Bob Weiner; subsequent releases had an alternative cover designed by John Bonis, featuring an [[Esther Anderson (Jamaican actress)|Esther Anderson]] portrait of Marley smoking a "[[joint (cannabis)|spliff]]", and crediting the band as Bob Marley and the Wailers.

The Catch a Fire Tour, which covered [[England]] and the [[United States]], helped generate international interest in the band. ''Catch a Fire'' peaked at number 171 on the [[Billboard 200]] and number 51 on the [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'' Black Albums]] charts. Critical acclaim has included the album being listed at number 126 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'s'' [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], second only to ''[[Legend (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|Legend]]'' among five Bob Marley albums on the list. It is regarded as one of the top reggae albums of all time.

The group title Bob Marley and the Wailers being used on Bob Marley solo albums has created a lot of marketing and identity confusion for The Wailers' catalog. This follows the confusion generated by their company Tuff Gong Records (registered in 1973) and the similarly-named Tuff Gong International (registered by the Bob Marley Estate in 1991); this resulted in the 1999 Tuff Gong Settlement Agreement, which sought to separate the group's catalog from Bob Marley's solo catalog. The dual releases of ''Catch a Fire'' under both group names is where this marketing confusion began.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==Background==
Bob Marley, without Peter Tosh or Bunny Wailer, moved to Sweden to work with Johnny Nash, writing and composing songs for the soundtrack to the film ''[[Want So Much to Believe]].''<ref name="DT163">{{cite book|author=Dave Thompson|year=2002|title= Reggae & Caribbean Music|publisher= Backbeat Books|isbn= 0-87930-655-6|page=163}}</ref> From November to December 1971, Marley toured Great Britain with Nash. Under their CBS international arm, [[Columbia Records]] released the Nash-produced "Reggae on Broadway" as a single, which was intended to break Marley as a solo artist; the single instead "sank like a stone".<ref name="DT163"/><ref name=White213>{{cite book|author=Timothy White|date=2 May 2006|title= Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley|publisher= Henry Holt| isbn= 9780805080865|page=213}}</ref> After this solo tour, Marley returned to Jamaica, reuniting with Peter and Bunny. They came back to the UK to complete the tour and continue recording with CBS as a group. The sessions were abandoned because of clashes with Johnny Nash and Danny Sims about the process, causing the band to not have the funds to return to Jamaica, nor could they earn money due to work-permit restrictions.<ref name="DT164">{{cite book|author=Dave Thompson|year=2002|title= Reggae & Caribbean Music|publisher= Backbeat Books|isbn= 0-87930-655-6|page=164}}</ref> The group's London road manager, Brent Clarke, recommended they get in contact with [[Chris Blackwell]] from [[Island Records]], who had released licensed singles by The Wailers from [[Studio One (record label)|Studio One]] in Great Britain. Blackwell gave the group an advance of £4000 to help them get home to [[Jamaica]], and to complete the recording of their next album.<ref name=blac>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lN9IEAAAQBAJ|pages=161–162|title=The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond|author=Chris Blackwell |publisher=Gallery Books|date= 2022|isbn=9781982172718}}</ref>

==Recording==
The album was recorded in 1972 at three different studios in [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Jamaica]] – Dynamic Sound, Harry J's, and Randy's, respectively – on eight-track tape by engineer Sylvan Morris.<ref name="Irvin">{{cite book|author=Jim Irvin|year=2007|title=The MOJO Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion|publisher=Canongate Books Ltd|isbn=978-1841959733|page=307}}</ref><ref name="Masouri">{{cite book |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=daLO4--rNqcC&pg=PT302 |title=Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's Wailers |chapter=Chapter Twelve: Catch A Fire|author=John Masouri |publisher=Music Sales Group|date= 1 September 2010 |access-date=17 May 2012 |isbn= 9781847727060}}</ref><ref name=mosk29>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QPZEqZHKq2AC&pg=PA29|page=29|title=The Words and Music of Bob Marley|author=David Moskowitz|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date= 2007|isbn=9780275989354}}</ref> According to Aston Barrett, "some of the songs had been recorded before ... in different studios and with different musicians, but we gave them that strict timing and brought the feeling out of them more." "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" is similar to "Black Bitter", recorded in an earlier session.<ref name="Masouri"/> The musicians consisted of Marley on vocals and acoustic guitar, Peter Tosh on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Bunny Wailer on backing vocals and bongos, Aston "Family Man" Barrett on bass, and Carlton Barrett on drums.<ref name=musicians>{{cite book|title=The Words and Music of Bob Marley|author=David Vlado Moskowitz|page=29|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2007|isbn=978-0-275-98935-4|url=https://archive.org/details/wordsmusicofbobm00mosk/page/28/mode/2up?view=theater}}</ref> In addition, [[Robbie Shakespeare]] played the bass on "Concrete Jungle" and "Stir It Up", [[Tyrone Downie]] played organ on "Concrete Jungle" and "Stir It Up",  Winston Wright played organ on all other tracks, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson played akete drums on several tracks.<ref name=musicians/> The female backing singing was performed by [[Rita Marley]] and her friend [[Marcia Griffiths]].<ref name=White214>{{cite book|author=Timothy White|date=2 May 2006|title= Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley|publisher= Henry Holt| isbn= 9780805080865|page=214}}</ref> [[Tommy McCook]] played the flute.<ref name="Masouri"/>

In the winter of 1972, Marley flew back to London to present the master tapes to Chris Blackwell. CBS and Sims, with whom the band were already contracted, took Blackwell and the Island Records label to court over the recording. Island won the case, and received US$9,000 (about $68,000 in 2024) and two percent of [[royalties]] from the band's first six albums, while Sims received {{GBP}}5,000 and the publishing rights to the Wailers songs.<ref name="DT164"/><ref name=White214/> Blackwell remixed the tracks at the Island Studios on Basing Street, and included [[overdub]]s. [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio|Muscle Shoals]] session guitarist [[Wayne Perkins]], who at that time was recording a new Smith, Perkins & Smith album at the Island studio, recorded a [[guitar solo]] overdub for "Concrete Jungle", including the three-[[octave]] [[audio feedback|feedback]] at the end, [[slide guitar]] on "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catch-Fire-Classic-Albums-DVD/dp/B00005O41I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463306564&sr=8-3&keywords=classic+albums+bob+marley |title=Catch A Fire – Classic Albums [DVD&#93; [2001&#93;: Amazon.co.uk: Bob Marley: DVD & Blu-ray |website=Amazon.co.uk |date=December 2008 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> and the [[Wah-wah pedal|wah-wah]]-laced lead on "Stir It Up".

The songs' lyrics deal with political injustice towards blacks and poverty, as is the case in much of their musical output. ''Catch a Fire'' is about "the current state of urban poverty", and "Slave Driver" "connects the present to past injustices". However, politics are not the only theme; "Stir It Up", for example, is a love song.<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/catch-a-fire-r2277489|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=18 April 2012|author=Vik Iyengar|title=Catch a Fire&nbsp;– Bob Marley & the Wailers}}</ref> "Stir It Up", along with other Marley songs, was covered by Johnny Nash on the ''[[I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash album)|I Can See Clearly Now]]'' album, peaking at number 12 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in 1973.<ref name=White213/>

==Cover art==
The original 1973 vinyl release, designed by graphic artists [[Rod Dyer]] and Bob Weiner, was enclosed in a sleeve depicting a [[Zippo]] lighter.<ref name=mosk31>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QPZEqZHKq2AC&pg=PA31|page=31|title=The Words and Music of Bob Marley|author=David Moskowitz|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|date= 2007|isbn=9780275989354}}</ref> The sleeve functioned like a real Zippo lighter case, opening at a side hinge to reveal the record within.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Barry Miley|author2=Grant Scott|author3=Johnny Morgan|year=2008|title=The Greatest Album Covers of All Time|publisher=Anova Books|isbn=978-1843404811|page=126}}</ref> Only the original pressing of 20,000 had the Zippo cover;<ref name= Vlado21>{{cite book|author=David Vlado Moskowitz|date=August 2007|title=Bob Marley: A Biography|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313338793|page=21}}</ref> because each cover had to be hand-riveted, which was not cost-effective,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.superseventies.com/ac24catchafire.html|work=superseventies.com|title=Catch A Fire, The Wailers}}</ref> subsequent pressings had an alternative cover designed by John Bonis, featuring an [[Esther Anderson (Jamaican actress)|Esther Anderson]] portrait of Marley smoking a "[[Joint (cannabis)|spliff]]", with the album now credited to Bob Marley and the Wailers.<ref>{{cite book|author=Christopher Farley|year=2007|title=Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=978-0060539924|page=200}}</ref><ref name="Morrow">{{cite book|author=Chris Morrow|year=1999|title=Stir It Up: Reggae Album Cover Art|publisher= Chronicle Books|isbn=0-8118-2616-3|page= 61}}</ref> Shortly after the album's release, Jamaican police raided Anderson's house and seized the cover photo and film, which were never returned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Opolot |first=Ian |date=2022-03-09 |title='Bob Marley turned up in a bad mood' – Esther Anderson's best photograph |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/09/bob-marley-bad-mood-esther-andersons-best-photograph |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Copies of the record from the original pressings have since become collector's items.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Nicholas de Ville]]|title=Album: Style and Image in Sleeve Design|year=2003|pages=130–131|publisher=Mitchell Beazley|isbn=978-1-84000-605-6}}</ref> The original cover art was reproduced in 2001 for the deluxe [[compact disc]] edition.

==Release==
The first release from the album sessions was the "Baby We've Got a Date" single, released in early 1973 on Island's Blue Mountain subsidiary.<ref name="DT164"/> ''Catch a Fire'' was released on 13 April 1973 on the Island label with a supporting tour. The album sold around 14,000 copies in its first weeks,<ref name=White216>{{cite book|author=Timothy White|date=2 May 2006|title= Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley|publisher= Henry Holt| isbn= 9780805080865|page=216}}</ref> and peaked at number 171 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart and at number 51 on [[Billboard R&B chart|''Billboard R&B'']] chart.<ref name="Charts">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/catch-a-fire-r103775/charts-awards|publisher=[[Rovi Corporation]]|work=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=26 April 2012|title=Catch a Fire&nbsp;– Bob Marley & the Wailers:Charts and Awards}}</ref>

''Catch a Fire'' has been re-released under different recording labels with different track lengths. In 2001, a special collection edition was released containing the unreleased, non-overdubbed ("Jamaican") versions of the songs on the first side and the original, overdubbed album on the second side. [[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab]] released an Ultradisc II version in 1995.

A documentary about the album, directed by [[Jeremy Marre]], was released in 2000, featuring interviews with the musicians and engineers who worked on the album, archive performance footage, and home video footage filmed by members of the band.<ref name="Bambarger">{{cite magazine|author=Bradley Bamberger|date=19 August 2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22|title= On DVD|magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| page= 22}}</ref>

==Tour==
The album's supporting tour began in 1973 in the United Kingdom, and then moved to the United States. In England, they performed 19 shows at universities and clubs. While in London, the band performed on the [[BBC]] shows ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' and ''[[Top Gear (radio show)|Top Gear]]''. The UK leg of the tour was the last time singer Bunny Wailer performed with The Wailers; the reason for his departure was his unhappiness with the record marketing and promotion process, which made touring outside Jamaica difficult, with contributing factors being the difficulty in finding food suitable to his strict [[Ital]] diet and other cultural clashes as a [[Rastafari]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Dave Thompson|year=2002|title= Reggae & Caribbean Music|publisher= Backbeat Books|isbn= 0-87930-655-6|page=165}}</ref> After Bunny's departure from the tour, Tosh consulted with Marley and finally picked [[Joe Higgs]] as a replacement.<ref name= Vlado20>{{cite book|author=David Vlado Moskowitz|date=August 2007|title=Bob Marley: A Biography|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0313338793|pages=20–22}}</ref> Blackwell hired the concert promoter Lee Jaffe to book gigs in North America. The Wailers performed at Paul's Mall in [[Boston]] and then three gigs in [[New York City]], alongside [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s [[E Street Band]]; in October, they opened for [[Sly and the Family Stone]] in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. These concerts marked an important step towards international acknowledgement. The tensions surrounding the marketing, promotions and income from the tour continued, causing Peter Tosh to also depart. Back in Jamaica, the group agreed to pursue solo albums, and their early solo singles were released under their Tuff Gong Records company, based at 56 Hope Road in Kingston.<ref name=White222>{{cite book|author=Timothy White|date=2 May 2006|title= Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley|publisher= Henry Holt| isbn= 9780805080865|page=222}}</ref><ref name= Vlado20/>

==Critical reception==
{{Listen|pos = right
 |filename     = Concrete_Jungle.ogg
 |title        = "Concrete Jungle"
 |description  = Concrete Jungle audio sample
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Allmusic"/>
| rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev2score = A<ref name="CG">{{cite book|author=[[Robert Christgau]]|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: W|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=W&bk=70|access-date=21 March 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|date=2011|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|edition=5th concise|page=}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="RS"/>
| rev5 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev5score = {{rating|4|5|full=U+25A0.svg|empty=U+25A1.svg|rating=medal}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Cook |first=Richard |date=September 1990 |title=Return of the Saint |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=3 |page=101}}</ref>
}}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot-->

The critical reception to ''Catch a Fire'' was positive. ''[[Village Voice]]'' critic [[Robert Christgau]] said "half these songs are worthy of [[St. John the Divine]]", and "Barrett brothers' bass and drums save those that aren't from [[limbo]]".<ref name="CG"/> Reviewers from ''Rolling Stone'' also praised the brothers' playing, concluding that "''Catch a Fire'' is a blazing debut". According to the review, "'Concrete Jungle' and 'Slave Driver' crackle with streetwise immediacy, while 'Kinky Reggae' and 'Stir It Up' ... revel in the music's vast capacity for good-time skanking. 'Stop That Train' and '400 Years,' both written by Peter Tosh, indicate the original Wailers weren't strictly a one-man show".<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/bob-marley/albumguide|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=Wenner Media|title=Bob Marley&nbsp;– Album Guide|access-date=18 April 2012}}</ref>

Critics have called ''Catch a Fire'' one of the greatest reggae albums of all time. Vik Iyengar from [[AllMusic]] comments that "Marley would continue to achieve great critical and commercial success during the 1970s, but ''Catch a Fire'' is one of the finest reggae albums ever. This album is essential for any music collection".<ref name="Allmusic"/> ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the album at number 123 on its list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], moving to 126 in a 2012 revised listing,<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/bob-marley-and-the-wailers-catch-a-fire-170151/|year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| magazine= Rolling Stone| access-date= September 18, 2019}}</ref> the second highest placement for a reggae album; only ''[[Legend (Bob Marley album)|Legend]]'', ranked higher at number 46.<ref name= "RS500">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/catch-a-fire-bob-marley-and-the-wailers-19691231|archive-url=https://archive.today/20111103225842/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/catch-a-fire-bob-marley-and-the-wailers-19691231|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2011|publisher=Wenner Media|magazine=Rolling Stone| access-date=18 April 2012| title=The Greatest Albums&nbsp;– Catch a Fire}}</ref> It was later ranked at number 140 in the 2020 reboot of the list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2021-09-25|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Spectator]]'' arts blog in 2012, [[David Rodigan]] described it as "quite simply, one of the greatest reggae albums ever made".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/night-and-day/7800953/spotify-sunday-the-essential-bob-marley.thtml |author=Dave Rodigan  |title=Spotify Sunday: The essential Bob Marley |date=22 April 2012 |access-date=19 May 2012 |publisher=The Spectator Arts and Culture Blog |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120505074918/http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts-and-culture/night-and-day/7800953/spotify-sunday-the-essential-bob-marley.thtml |archive-date=5 May 2012 }}</ref> The album was voted number 285 in the third edition of [[Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]'' (2000).<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=122}}</ref>

==Track listing==

All songs were written by [[Bob Marley]], except where noted.

{{Track listing 
| headline        = Side one
| total_length    =
| title1          = Concrete Jungle
| length1         = 4:13
| title2          = Slave Driver
| length2         = 2:53
| title3          = 400 Years
| writer3         = [[Peter Tosh]]
| length3         = 2:45
| title4          = Stop That Train
| writer4         = Peter Tosh
| length4         = 3:54
| title5          = Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
| length5         = 3:55
}}

{{Track listing 
| headline        = Side two
| total_length    =
| title6          = [[Stir It Up]]
| length6         = 5:33
| title7          = Kinky Reggae
| length7         = 3:37
| title8          = No More Trouble
| length8         = 3:58
| title9          = Midnight Ravers
| length9         = 5:08
}}

'''''The Definitive Remastered'' edition (2001)'''
{{Track listing
| headline        = bonus tracks
| total_length    = 
| title10         = High Tide or Low Tide
| length10        = 4:44
| title11         = All Day All Night
| length11        = 3:29
}}

'''Deluxe edition (2001)'''
{{Track listing
| headline        = Disc one: The Unreleased Original Jamaican Versions
| total_length    =

| title1          = Concrete Jungle
| length1         = 4:11

| title2          = Stir It Up
| length2         = 3:37

| title3          = High Tide or Low Tide
| length3         = 4:40

| title4          = Stop That Train
| writer4         = Tosh
| length4         = 3:52

| title5          = 400 Years
| writer5         = Tosh
| length5         = 2:57

| title6          = Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
| length6         = 4:00

| title7          = Midnight Ravers
| length7         = 5:05

| title8          = All Day All Night
| length8         = 3:26

| title9          = Slave Driver
| length9         = 2:52

| title10          = Kinky Reggae
| length10         = 3:40

| title11          = No More Trouble
| length11         = 5:13
}}

{{Track listing 
| headline        = Disc two: The Released Album
| total_length    =

| title1          = Concrete Jungle
| length1         = 4:13

| title2          = Slave Driver
| length2         = 2:54

| title3          = 400 Years
| writer3         = Tosh
| length3         = 2:45

| title4          = Stop That Train
| writer4         = Tosh
| length4         = 3:54

| title5          = Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)
| length5         = 3:55

| title6          = Stir It Up
| length6         = 5:32

| title7          = Kinky Reggae
| length7         = 3:37

| title8          = No More Trouble
| length8         = 3:58

| title9          = Midnight Ravers
| length9         = 5:08
}}

==Personnel==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

* [[Bob Marley]]&nbsp;– guitar, vocals<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Peter Tosh]]&nbsp;– organ, guitar, piano, vocals<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Bunny Wailer]]&nbsp;– [[Bongo drum|bongos]], [[conga]], vocals<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Aston Barrett|Aston "Family Man" Barrett]]&nbsp;– bass guitar<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Carlton Barrett|Carlton "Carlie" Barrett]]&nbsp;– drums<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Rita Marley]]&nbsp;– backing vocals
* [[Marcia Griffiths]]&nbsp;– backing vocals

'''Additional musicians'''
* [[John "Rabbit" Bundrick]]&nbsp;– keyboards, synthesizer, [[clavinet]]<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[Wayne Perkins]]&nbsp;– guitar ("Concrete Jungle", "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)", "Stir it Up")
* [[Robbie Shakespeare]]&nbsp;– bass guitar ("Concrete Jungle" and “Stir It Up”)
* [[Tommy McCook]]&nbsp;– flute<ref name="Masouri"/>
* [[Jean Alain Roussel]]&nbsp;– piano, keyboards
* Winston Wright&nbsp;– organ
* Francisco Willie Pep&nbsp;– percussion
* Chris Karan&nbsp;– percussion
{{col-2}}

'''Production'''
* [[Chris Blackwell]]&nbsp;– [[Record producer|production]]<ref name="Irvin" />
* [[The Wailers]]&nbsp;– production<ref name="Irvin" />
* Carlton Lee&nbsp;– [[Audio engineer|engineering]]<ref name="Irvin" />
* Stu Barrett&nbsp;– engineering<ref name="Irvin" />
* Tony Platt&nbsp;– engineering<ref name="Irvin" />
* Bob Weiner&nbsp;– design
* [[Rod Dyer&nbsp;]]– design
{{col-end}}

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for ''Catch a Fire''
! scope="col"| Chart (2024)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|164|artist=Bob Marley and the Wailers|album=Catch a Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=25 February 2024}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

'''Sources'''
*Farley, Christopher (2007), ''Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley'', HarperCollins, {{ISBN|978-0060539924}}
*Irvin, Jim (2007), ''The MOJO Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion'', Canongate Books Ltd, {{ISBN|978-1841959733}}
*Miley, Barry et al. (2008), ''The Greatest Album Covers of All Time'', Anova Books, {{ISBN|978-1843404811}}
*Moskowitz, David Vlado (February 2007), ''The Words and Music of Bob Marley'', Greenwood Publishing Group, {{ISBN|978-0275989354}}
*Moskowitz, David Vlado (August 2007), ''Bob Marley: A Biography'', Greenwood Publishing Group, {{ISBN|978-0313338793}} 
*Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, {{ISBN|0-87930-655-6}}
*White, Timothy (2006), ''Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley'', Henry Holt, {{ISBN|9780805080865}}
*Blackwell, Chris (2022), ''The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond'', Gallery Books, {{ISBN|9781982172718}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=122–123|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}

==External links==
<!-- These are licensed streams for the album, which are allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*[https://open.spotify.com/album/39kLAVdcgW7jbMcTEaY2qy ''Catch a Fire''] ([[Adobe Flash]]) at [[Spotify]] (streamed copy where licensed)
<!-- These are licensed streams for the album, which are allowed under Wikipedia polices -->

{{Bob Marley}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bob Marley and the Wailers albums]]
[[Category:Tuff Gong albums]]
[[Category:1973 albums]]
[[Category:Island Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Chris Blackwell]]