Natty Dread

Bob Marley and the Wailers

album cover

Marley's Breakthrough Moment

The original Wailers were first poised to explode in 1973, with the international release of Catch a Fire, which had been remixed and sonically enhanced to appeal to rock fans. Despite a tour featuring one of the most awesome Jamaican bands ever, with Bob Marley (1945–1981) alongside the contrasting voices of Bunny Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer) and Peter Tosh, success didn't come. Six months later, despite another strong record (Burnin'), the Wailers still didn't erupt—if anything, the band was barely oozing into pop consciousness. Not until Eric Clapton covered the Burnin' track "I Shot the Sheriff" did reggae reach worldwide consciousness.

With "Sheriff" clearing a path, Island Records seized the moment. It put Marley's name out front—suddenly the band was known as "Bob Marley and the Wailers"—and the frontman and principal songwriter did his part, delivering what is arguably the most tuneful reggae album of all time, Natty Dread.

Recorded after the Wailers' first extensive tours outside Jamaica, Natty Dread combines the grinding rhythms of the band's early sides with a sweet, one-love sensibility calibrated to enchant pop ears. The Wailers had undergone radical change—both Tosh and Livingston departed just before this recording, replaced by a trio of female singers called the I-Threes. Marley seems emboldened by the new possibilities; he loosens up and adds more aphorisms to his lyrics, and through songs like "Lively Up Yourself" invites listeners to join him in a place where the dance floors are made of rubber.

The album became a hit, propelling Marley toward legend status. Among the unexpected consequences: Thousands of American and British kids newly addicted to reggae went searching for anything by the Wailers. As a result, the group's stupendous early albums (African Herbsman, which contains rougher versions of "Lively Up Yourself" and "Duppy Conqueror") and the titles immediately preceding Natty Dread finally got the attention they deserve.

Genre: World, Jamaica
Released: 1974, Tuff Gong/Island
Key Tracks: "No Woman No Cry," "Them Belly Full but We Hungry," "Talkin' Blues," "Bend Down Low"
Catalog Choice: African Herbsman; Catch a Fire
Next Stop: Peter Tosh: Legalize It
After That: Toots and the Maytals: Funky Kingston
Book Pages: 474–475