Burnin' (The Wailers album)

Burnin' is the sixth studio album by Jamaican reggae band The Wailers, released in October 1973. It was written mostly by bandleader Bob Marley and produced by Chris Blackwell. 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.

Burnin'
Studio album by The Wailers
Released	19 October 1973
Recorded	April 1973
Studio	Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica mixed at Island Studios, Notting Hill, London
Genre	Reggae
Length	38:28
Label	Island Tuff Gong
Producer	Chris Blackwell The Wailers
The Wailers chronology
African Herbsman (1973) Burnin' (1973) Rasta Revolution (1974)
Singles from Burnin'
"I Shot the Sheriff" Released: 12 February 1973 "Get Up, Stand Up" Released: 1973

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	A[2]

Music and lyrics

The sixth album by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer (the last before Tosh and Bunny departed for solo careers and the band became known as Bob Marley and the Wailers), Burnin' opens with a signature song, 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", "Put It On" and "Pass It On" are re-recordings of songs previously released.

The Wailers' gold record award for Burnin' in Nine Mile, Jamaica

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'.'"[2]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 319 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3] The album maintained the same position in a 2012 update of the list.[4] American singer Lauryn Hill's album cover for her debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was inspired by the album cover of Burnin'. In 2007 the album was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for its historical and cultural significance.[5]

Track listing

Original album release (1973)

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Get Up, Stand Up"	Bob Marley, Peter Tosh	3:15
2.	"Hallelujah Time"	Jean Watt	3:27
3.	"I Shot the Sheriff"	Marley	4:39
4.	"Burnin' and Lootin'"	Marley	4:11
5.	"Put It On"	Marley	3:58

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Small Axe"	Marley	4:00
2.	"Pass It On"	Jean Watt	3:32
3.	"Duppy Conqueror"	Marley	3:44
4.	"One Foundation"	Tosh	3:44
5.	"Rasta Man Chant"	Traditional; arranged by Marley, Tosh, Livingston	3:43

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

The Definitive Remastered edition (2001)

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Reincarnated Souls" (b-side of "Concrete Jungle")	Jean Watt	4:01
12.	"No Sympathy" (previously unreleased)	Tosh	3:08
13.	"The Oppressed Song" (previously unreleased)	Livingston	3:16

Text from 12 June 2001 Tuff Gong cat# 314 548 894-2 CD liner notes:[6]

• 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)

Disc one: Burnin' remastered (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Get Up, Stand Up" (unreleased alternate take)	Marley, Tosh	3:42
15.	"Get Up, Stand Up" (unreleased single version)	Marley, Tosh	3:11

Disc two: Live at Leeds, 23 November 1973

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Duppy Conqueror"	Marley	6:03
2.	"Slave Driver"	Marley	4:59
3.	"Burnin' and Lootin'"	Marley	8:29
4.	"Can't Blame the Youth"	Tosh	5:08
5.	"Stop That Train"	Tosh	3:57
6.	"Midnight Ravers"	Marley	6:29
7.	"No More Trouble"	Marley	6:59
8.	"Kinky Reggae"	Marley	5:56
9.	"Get Up, Stand Up"	Marley, Tosh	6:15
10.	"Stir It Up"	Marley	7:25
11.	"Put It On"	Marley	4:29
12.	"Lively Up Yourself"	Marley	13:35

Personnel

The Wailers

• 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

Chart (1975)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[7]	151
US Black Albums[7]	41

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. "Bob Marley / The Wailers – Burnin'". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: W". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
3. "319 – The Wailers, 'Burnin'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
4. "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
5. "Recordings by Historical Figures and Musical Legends Added To the 2006 National Recording Registry". Library of Congress. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
6. "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Burnin' (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
7. "Burnin' – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2014.

External links

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