October 25, 1974 - Natty Dread

11 days since my last release is the fourth album this month! In the year following the release of "Burnin'", Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh both left The Wailers to pursue solo careers. Earl Lindo would also leave the band, so Bob Marley would become the frontman and main songwriter for the group. On October 25, 1974 "Natty Dread" would be the first album to be released as Bob Marley & The Wailers and they still retain several members. Brothers Aston and Carlton Barrett remain on bass and drums as well as back-up singers Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths. They got one more back-up singer named Judy Mowatt and together these three women would become known as the I-Threes. Bob plays rhythm guitar, and the band recruited lead guitarist Al Anderson. They also stick with two keyboardists replacing Tosh and Lindo with Jean Roussel and Bernard Harvey, making this new line-up a 9-piece! Although Bob Marley wrote most of the music, he is not credited at all. He deliberately gave the credit to friends and family members so that they would receive the royalties from it. That's incredibly generous! Let's see what this new Wailers line-up can do!

The album kicks off with "Lively Up Yourself" which is led by a catchy bass riff by Barrett as Anderson adds some nice guitar licks. Bob sings about living life to the fullest, not being a drag in this slow reggae riff. Anderson plays some good lead guitar throughout and there's also a horns section that joins for the second half. The horns sound really good and add a bit more oomph to the mix. Up next is "No Woman, No Cry", the big hit single off the album where Bob sings about growing up in Trench Town, Jamaica and how just because you're single, doesn't mean you should be upset. It's led by a cool organ riff and some typical reggae guitar. Bob's singing fits the mood really well and the organ sounds really good leading the way. It's no surprise this song became very famous as this is another song you can't help but sing along to. I love when Bob starts to rant and yell at the end, this improvised emotional singing sounds great and this cool song ends with a calm guitar solo by Anderson that ties it all together with a pretty bow. Track 3 is called "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" and starts with some nice drums by Barrett and na-na-na singing from the I-Threes. They continue to back Bob throughout the song as he sings about the class difference where the rich have enough money to feed all the poor. I like the line "A hungry mob is an angry mob" as the lyrics are very relatable. Anderson plays a cool guitar solo and there's some cool congas by Barrett as well in this protest song. The side concludes with "Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)" and features some mean harmonica that accompanies a cool riff led by some low, low bass. Keyboards, drums and guitar sound nice as well as they form the main beat. The harmonica sounds really good as everyone comes together nicely. I love Bob's yells in the chorus, and Anderson plays a nice lead guitar. The main riff is a little repetitive, but the guitar, organ and especially harmonica keep this song interesting throughout.

Side two opens with "So Jah S'eh" and is led by some nice sax and keyboards, though it's unclear who is playing the saxophone. It's got a typical reggae beat with Bob's relaxed voice overtop. Anderson adds some cool electric guitar towards the end but it's a fairly simple song. Up next is "Natty Dread" and once again horns are very prominent in this one, arranged by Roussel. The I-Threes echo Bob throughout the song as we hear some great sax and trumpet that carry the tune. It's a very happy and upbeat feel to this cool song. Track 7 is called "Bend Down Low" and is led by a cool organ riff and backed by some good bass and drums from the Barrett brothers. Anderson plays some nice lead guitar in the chorus and Bob and the I-Threes sing their own parts at the same time in an interesting vocal bit. The keyboards are great throughout and this song even ends with a short flute bit! The next song is "Talkin' Blues" which features classic reggae guitar and some nice drumming by Barrett. The I-Threes are all over this song as well as they provide some solid backing vocals. Bob laments about sleeping outside in this blues-reggae mix that is slow and simple. The album ends with "Revolution" which has more cool drums and more soothing sax that carry this fight song. Bob sings about freeing the prisoners and the evil of politicians and the lyrics become very aggressive, escalating to total wipe out. This revolution sounds pretty crazy! This song is unlike most laid-back Wailers songs as Marley lets out some anger in another cool jam.

That is the end of "Natty Dread" and I thought it was another solid reggae record from this main group. It's very simple for the most part, and not quite as diverse as their past two albums but I enjoyed it still and thought the first two songs were my favourites. But how does it compare to those other albums? While I like Al Anderson on lead guitar, I think the group misses Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer a bit, as having two other prominent songwriters contributed to a greater variety of songs. Therefore, I rank this new offering the worst of the three Wailers albums I have, but perhaps with some more time this new line-up can improve. Until next time!