In his first album without Peter Tosh and Bunny Waller, 1974’s Natty Dread, Bob Marley doubled down on themes of social injustice and spirituality, with a dash of sex thrown in for good measure.
To help fill the gap left by his departing childhood friends, Marley brought on a trio of female vocalists, the I-Threes, one of whom was his wife Rita. Their backing vocals add a new texture to the songs in contrast to the harmonies of Tosh and Waller.
Continuing a torrid release pace, The Wailers dropped their fifth album in three years, and their second in just six months, in October of 1973. That album was Burnin’, their second straight release recorded in Jamaica and mixed and overdubbed by producer Chris Blackwell in London.
Like Catch a Fire before it, Burnin’ features some of Marley’s best-known tracks, including opener ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and ‘I Shot the Sheriff,’ which Eric Clapton took to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 just a year later.
R.E.M.’s 1987 album Document, their fifth, is an underrated entry in their discography. Underrated by me, at least. I rarely think of this album when I conjure up R.E.M.’s best work, but it is a consistently great collection.
Document started the band’s collaboration with producer Scott Litt, who would go on to produce their most successful albums, and it featured their first top ten hit in ‘The One I Love.’ It was also their first album to go platinum.
‘Takin’ It To the Streets’ is the title song from The Doobie Brothers’ 1976 album, their seventh studio release. This was the first album to feature Michael McDonald on lead vocals, and he also penned this track and a few others.
McDonald’s arrival marked a significant shift in the band’s sound, from straight-forward rock to a fusion of pop and soul. It’s the post-1976 material that pops up on my favorite Yacht Rock radio station.
Bob Marley and the Wailers released their first major-label album in 1973, when Catch a Fire was distributed by Island Records. Marley would release every subsequent album in his career through the Island label.
Catch a Fire was recorded in Jamaica, after Marley received an advance from producer Chris Blackwell to help him and the band — flat broke — travel back home after a tour of Great Britain. Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Waller recorded seven new tunes penned by Marley, plus rerecorded two Tosh songs previously released on other albums (‘400 Years,’ ‘Stop That Train’).
Meet Me In Montauk 