Bob Marley & the Wailers - Natty Dread

Natty Dread captures Bob Marley's decisive transition from Wailers band member to auteur, his singing and writing now front and center, and the revamped band securely reined in to his defiant, Rastafarian worldview. This 1974 release mirrors the lineup's more sinewy sound, carved by Al Anderson's spidery guitar fills, Touter's telegraphic keyboard, the I-Threes' female vocal choruses and vamping horns--a potent brew that bubbles under his then most openly political songs. A position paper on the daunting ghetto realities of Jamaica's Trenchtown, the album reels off a series of enduring Marley classics and kicks off with the giddy, sexy reggae anthem, "Lively Up Yourself," with its hilarious but mysterious spoken fadeout ("What you got in dat bag, dere?"). It continues with the uplifting pep talk in "No Woman No Cry," the grim dispatches of "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" and "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)," as well as the exhortations of the title song and "Revolution." Marley's own dreadlocks were still just growing in then, but this is nonetheless fully matured, riveting reggae at its most focused, righteous, and rhythmically irresistible. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com essential recording

pop-oriented reggae

Not having heard any of Marley's other albums in their original sequence, I can't comment on how this stands up to "Uprising" or "Burnin," but none of the songs which haven't made it to a greatest hits compilation is especially remarkable. The studio version of "No Woman, No Cry" is jarring at first, but that's only because the live version is so good. The cut here is no less satisfying after one begins to anticipate the quicker tempo. All in all, there are no duds, but there also is never much of a crescendo of emotion or a very dramatic change of groove. In any case, it's a satisfying collection of pop-oriented reggae singles. March 5, 2008

One of Bob Marley and the Wailers' best albums

This was the first Bob Marley and the Wailers vinyl albums that I bought--and it remained one of my favorites. Long ago, at the advice of an auctioneer, I threw away my album collection. This is the first time in about 20 years that I have listened to this work, having just purchased a CD through Amazon. Wow! I recalled this as a very nice work, but I am delighted that it is as powerful as I remembered it from decades ago.

This is the first work after the breakup of the original band, with Peter Tosh leaving. And it remains strong today. I find it surprising that only one song off this CD made it onto the Wailers' greatest hits CD, "Legend." Anyhow, my reaction to some of the songs on this CD. . . .

"Lively up yourself": With Marley's work, the sound has a "laid back" kind of quality, but it is also hypnotic and powerful. This features some nice guitar licks by then new guitarist Al Anderson. A couple lines that provide a sense of the tone of the lyrics, so ably sung by Marley:

"You're gonna lively up yourself and don't be no drag,
You lively up yourself 'cause reggae is another bag."

"Them belly full (but we hungry)": An evocative song with a social and political sensibility. The I-Threes are the backing group, and they show well here. The opening lines set the tone for this work:

"Them belly full but we hungry.
A hungry mob is an angry mob."

"Talkin' Blues": The instrumental work is excellent; the percussion sets the beat nicely. The I-Threes again create solid backing for Marley's vocals.

"Cold ground was my bed last night
and rock was my pillow too. . . .
I been down on the rock so long
I seem to wear a permanent screw."

"Revolution":

"Revelation, reveals the truth, Revelation.
It takes a revolution to make a solution."

With those lyrics, this cut begins (with the I-Threes filling in between the two lines above). This is another overtly political song. The drum and horns start this song off well. Then, the words. This is another example of how much Bob Marley was a master of the reggae genre.

Marley's premature death is greatly to be regretted. In the rather short time that he recorded his works, he created a body of work that is powerful and some of the best reggae around. I'd recommend this work pretty strongly to those who like reggae.
January 25, 2008

Lively Up Yourself

No record collection would be complete without this milestone from 1974. It doesn't get any better than this. January 7, 2008

top three

My top three Marley cd's are this one (2), Burnin (1) , and Rastaman Vibration (3). This one has a jazz guitar running thru it and sounds a little different than all his other cd's. Get Burnin first and then this one. (By the way, there is a very odd picture of Bob with this cd. He looks like a wax figure, or a woman, or the living dead, I can't decide which.) August 23, 2007

Great versions of some well known Marley songs

Natty Dread is a real treat. Songs that I have heard many times in their original Jamaican version get outstanding treatment here. I understand this to be Marley's first effort without the Wailers.

He re-records Lively Up Yourself and Bend Down Low and breathes new life into them. The new songs are very good too. The band is outstanding throughout.

And don't let this version of 'No Woman, No Cry' throw you off. It's a different tempo than the famous live version but does work in the context of this cd.


February 2, 2007

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