Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 09:46, 23 January 2022

Burnin'
Studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Released	19 October 1973
Studio	Harry J. (Kingston) Island (London)
Genre	Reggae
Length	38:28
Label	Island Tuff Gong
Producer	Chris Blackwell The Wailers
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology
African Herbsman (1973) Burnin' (00000002) Natty Dread (1974)
Singles from Burnin'
"I Shot the Sheriff" Released: 1974 "Get Up, Stand Up" Released: 1973

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide	A

Burnin' is the sixth album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in October 1973. It was written mostly by Bob Marley and recorded and produced by Bob Marley and the Wailers in Jamaica, and then mixed and overdubbed by Chris Blackwell in London. It contains the song "I Shot The Sheriff", which was later covered by Eric Clapton. It was the last album before Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer departed for solo careers. A commercial and critical success in the United States, Burnin' was certified Gold and later added to the National Recording Registry, with the Library of Congress deeming it historically and culturally significant.

Recording

The album was recorded at Harry J's studio in Kingston, Jamaica, with Bob Marley and the Wailers produccing. It was mixed and overdubbed by Chris Blackwell at Island Records’ Basing Street Studios in London during the spring of 1973 while the band were touring in support of their previous album, Catch a Fire.

Music and lyrics

Burnin' opens with one of Marley's best known songs, the call to action "Get Up, Stand Up" and includes a more confrontational and militant tone than previous records, such as in another Marley standard turned into a number one hit by Eric Clapton, "I Shot the Sheriff". The songs "Duppy Conqueror", "Small Axe", and "Put It On" are re-recordings of songs previously released.

Critical reception

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This is as perplexing as it is jubilant—sometimes gripping, sometimes slippery. It's reggae, obviously, but it's not mainstream reggae, certainly not rock or soul, maybe some kind of futuristic slow funk, War without the pseudo-jazz. What's inescapable is Bob Marley's ferocious gift for melodic propaganda. It's one thing to come up with four consecutive title hooks, another to make the titles 'Get Up Stand Up,' 'Hallelujah Time,' 'I Shot the Sheriff,' 'Burnin' and Lootin'.'"

In 2003, the album was ranked number 319 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album maintained the same position in a 2012 update of the list.

In 2007 the album was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for its historical and cultural significance.

Trivia

American singer Lauryn Hill's album cover for her debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was inspired by the album cover of Burnin'.

Track listing

• Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.

The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)

Text from 12 June 2001 Tuff Gong cat# 314 548 894-2 CD liner notes:

• bonus tracks 11-13 recorded during Burnin' sessions at Harry J. Studios, Kingston
• track 11: originally issued 29 May 1973 b-side of "Concrete Jungle"; Island WIP cat# 6164
• tracks 12 and 13: previously unreleased

Deluxe edition (2004)

Personnel

• Peter Tosh – guitar, vocals, keyboards
• Bob Marley – guitar, vocals
• Bunny Wailer – percussion, vocals
• Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
• Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
• Earl Lindo – keyboards

Production

• Chris Blackwell – producer
• Tony Platt – engineer
• Phill Brown – engineer

Artwork

• CCS London
• Bob Bowkett
• Simon Perfitt
• Photography by Ester Anderson

Charts

References

1. "I Shot The Sheriff". discogs.com.
2. "Get Up, Stand Up". discogs.com.
3. Ruhlmann, William. "Bob Marley / The Wailers – Burnin'". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
4. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
5. ^ Roger Steffens (2006). ""Burnin'"—The Wailers (1973)" (PDF). Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2014.
6. "319 – The Wailers, 'Burnin'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
7. "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
8. "Recordings by Historical Figures and Musical Legends Added To the 2006 National Recording Registry". Library of Congress. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
9. "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Burnin' (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
10. ^ "Burnin' – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2014.

External links

• Burnin' at Discogs (list of releases)
• Library of Congress essay on the album

• 1973 albums
• Bob Marley and the Wailers albums
• Albums produced by Chris Blackwell
• Island Records albums
• Tuff Gong albums
• United States National Recording Registry albums