ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the sonic content and contexts of the opening song on The Wailers’ Catch a Fire album (1973) “Concrete Jungle.” Representing the first major step toward selling reggae globally as an album-oriented genre featuring a self-contained band writing and performing, the project also crucially involved production intervention resulting in additional overdubs from session musicians unfamiliar with reggae's dynamics. The album as a whole and in particular “Concrete Jungle” created another aural formula for reggae crossover, and the chapter's analysis is supported by the author's interviews with the overdub recording and mixing engineer responsible for commercially transforming the material, Tony Platt. The discussion also incorporates the original studio track sheets from the London recording sessions of 1972, adding a vital and authentic reference point for the essay's aesthetic and cultural observations.
