There have been several “live” videos of Bob Marley and the Wailers released over the years, but nothing captures the intimacy and chemistry of the group’s interplay quite like The Capitol Session ’73. Filmed at Hollywood’s famed Capitol Records Tower on October 24, 1973, the performance finds all the musicians at ease, tapping into the soul and rhythm of reggae and the Rastafarian movement, and primed and ready for the fame and accolades that awaits.
Producer Denny Cordell was behind the filmed documentation and recording of 12 songs. Shooting with four cameras and mixing “on the fly” to a colorized tape, the long-lost footage was pieced together and restored, bringing together a remarkable and vibrant session. The groove is set from the get-go with “You Can’t Blame The Youth,” featuring Peter Tosh on lead vocals, plus ample backing from Marley and the rest of the Wailers. Seeing Tosh start things off lends to the democratic spirit that existed within the group at the time, though Marley pretty much takes the reins from there.
Much of the material that follows, including “Slave Driver,” “Burnin’ and Lootin’” “Rastaman Chant” “Duppy Conqueror” and “Kinky Reggae,” come from the group’s two albums released in 1973 — Catch A Fire and Burnin’. Both would serve as introductions to Bob Marley and the Wailers and reggae music in general to an unsuspecting international audience. At the time of the taping, the Wailers lineup was especially tight. You had Earl Lindo’s sharp keyboard skills combined with Tosh and Marley’s guitar, all propelled by the rhythm machine of the Barrett brothers (Ashton on bass, Carlton on drums). Joe Higgs — a reggae pioneer in his own right who mentored Marley early in his career and took over for Bunny Wailer when the group toured in 1973 — filled in on backing vocals and percussion.
On “Stir It Up,” Marley “stirs up” romantic overtures and has the band swinging like a frantic pendulum, while on “Get Up Stand Up,” the singer asserts a defiance against oppression. Marley and Tosh wrote and sang the song, which was influenced by their upbringing in Jamaica, where they had to fight for respect and acceptance of their Rastafarian religion. The Capitol performance may well be the best representation of the unity and passion that was pushing the group forward at the time.
Bob Marley And The Wailers: The Capitol Session ‘73 is available as a DVD+CD set, a standalone CD, digitally, or a double LP set pressed on green marble or Rasta swirl vinyl (red, yellow and green). Whichever flavor you choose, the sweet sway of reggae from these exceptional musicians is bound to make your home theater or listening quarters more colorful and happy.
~ Shawn Perry
