Natty Dread

Natty Dread was a 1974 (see 1974 in music) reggae album by Bob Marley & the Wailers. The album is widely considered Marley's finest, and is his most popular, especially in western markets, perhaps due to its fusion with strong elements of American and British rock.

Natty Dread was the first album released as Bob Marley & the Wailers (as opposed to The Wailers) and the first recorded without former bandmates Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone[?]. It is also the first album recorded with the I-Threes[?], a female vocal trio that included Bob's wife, Rita Marley[?], along with Marcia Griffith[?] and Judy Mowatt[?].

Natty Dread peaked at #44 on Billboard's (North America) Black Albums chart, and at #92 on the Pop Albums chart.

Like most reggae from the time, Natty Dread is a spiritually charged political and social statement. It opens with a blues-influenced celebration of Rastafarianism, "Lively Up Yourself", which Marley used to open many of his concerts, in order to get the audience worked up; American R&B star Prince used it for the same purpose. "No Woman, No Cry[?]", the second track, is probably Marley's best known recording. It is an ode to childhood (it is not intended to be a misogynistic anthem, as some have interpreted it), a time before romantic and sexual relationships ruined friendships. "No Woman, No Cry" is a hooky ballad that has remained a rock and roll standard, performed by artists as diverse as Pearl Jam, Jimmy Buffett and Rancid. Songwriting credit for "No Woman, No Cry" went to V. Ford. Ford, better known as Tartar to his friends and neighbors, had been a kind friend of Marley as a child in Trench Town[?], the ghetto of Kingston, Jamaica. Marley claimed he would have starved to death on several occasions as a child if not for the aid of Tartar.

"Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" is a warning against allowing a nation's poor to go hungry, with the prophetic warning "a hungry mob is an angry mob" (the song is reportedly dedication to newly-elected Democratic Socialist[?] Michael Manley), while "Talkin' Blues" and "Revolution" go deeper into controversial political commentary. "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" is a reflection on the potential impact of reggae music on Jamaican society. The song was written after Marley had been stopped by a in a night-time police carcheck. The influence of Marley's increasing devotion to Rastafarianism can be heard in religious-themed songs like "So Jah Seh", "Natty Dread" and "Lively Up Yourself", while Marley's reputation as a romantic is confirmed with smooth, seductive songs like "Bend Down Low".

Track listing

1. Lively Up Yourself - 5:29
2. No Woman, No Cry) - 4:06
3. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) - 3:10
4. Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock) - 6:40
5. So Jah Seh - 4:25
6. Natty Dread - 3:33
7. Bend Down Low - 3:10
8. Talkin' Blues - 4:06
9. Revolution - 4:20

Personnel

• Bob Marley - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals
• Rita Marley - Vocals
• Judy Mowatt - Vocals
• Junior Hanson - Guitar
• I-Threes - Vocals (bckgr)
• Phil Ault - Engineer
• Aston Barrett - Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Bass)
• Carlton "Carlie" Barrett - Percussion, Drums, Executive Producer
• Chris Blackwell - Producer
• Barry Diament - Remastering
• Rob Fraboni - Remastering
• Marcia Griffiths - Vocals
• Bernard Touter Harvey - Organ, Piano
• Phil Hult - Engineer
• Earl Lindo - Keyboards
• Dennis Morris - Photography
• Sylvan Morris - Engineer
• Alvin Patterson - Percussion
• Touter - Organ, Piano
• Bob Marley & the Wailers - Producer, Performer
• Tony Wright - Artwork
• Al Anderson - Guitar

External links

• lyrics (http://www.bobmarley.com/albums/nattydread/)