Track Listing

1. Blackheart Man
2. Fighting Against Conviction
3. The Oppressed Song
4. Fig Tree
5. Dream Land
6. Rastaman
7. Reincarnated Souls
8. Armagideon (Armagedon)
9. Bide Up
10. This Train

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6547 in Music
• Released on: 2002-08-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 46 minutes

CD Description
Following Bunny Wailer's 1973 departure from the Wailers, he spent three years retired in the Jamaican countryside before returning to the recording studio. The result was the triumphant BLACKHEART MAN, an essential album for any serious reggae collection. Backing Wailer were a number of legendary Jamaican musicians including the Barrett Brothers (Carlton and Aston), Robbie Shakespeare, Skatalite Tommy McCook and former bandmates Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Although the original Wailers trio harmonises on one of their old numbers ("Dreamland"), it's Tosh who contributes the most by playing a number of instruments. The fiery singer's contributions include sinewy melodica on the mesmerising "Amagideon (Armagedon)" and harmonica on "Bide Up", a remake of an early Wailers single.
Staying true to the righteousness of his Rastafarian faith, Wailer composed a number of songs addressing the afterlife ("Reincarnated Souls"), poverty ("Fighting Against Convictions") and injustice ("The Oppressed Song"). It's easy to hear the influence of American R&B in the swaying hornsand chugging rhythms. Wailer's gorgeous tenor wraps itself around the optimistic "This Train", a song Curtis Mayfield might have written had he grown up in Kingston rather than Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Militant, tender and always intelligent
Surely one of the most satisfying of all reggae albums, as Bunny is, by turn, militant and tender but always intelligent. "Knock and it shall be opened/Seek and Ye Shall Find/Wisdom is Found in the Simplest of Places in the Nick of Time."

His voice is as expressive as ever - with the backing adding to the subtlety. Sounds as good, maybe better, now that when it came out over 20 years ago.

One of the best roots reggae albums ever
By far the least prolific songwriter of the original Wailers trio (with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh), Bunny nevertheless began his solo career with an album that equalled any album by Marley or Tosh - it's a shame he never managed to make another one as good as this.

Blackheart Man is a gentle record and where Bunny has a militant message he makes his point far less stridently than Peter Tosh would have done. While it is steeped in Rastafarianism, it largely eschews the roots-by-numbers lyrics that are particularly prevalent both in modern roots reggae and to a lesser extent during the 1970s - he actually has something to say, and a gorgeous melody to sing it to.

It's hard to single out the best tracks as the overall standard is very consistent, but the upful Bide Up, the gently militant Fighting Against Conviction, the beautiful title track and the amazing adaptation of the old gospel song This Train are all superb and they're not the only ones.

If you like Bob Marley's more reflective and tuneful material, you'll like this, if you already have a lot of roots reggae and haven't heard this then I guarantee it's better than nearly anything else you'll hear in the genre.

One of the best albums ever - of any style of music
This album has been criminally overlooked in virtually every 'classic regggae albums' type round-up that I've read, and that baffles me. This is Bunny Wailer, refreshed and revitalised, free from the constraints of international touring with The Wailers, and releasing the finest piece of roots reggae you'll probably ever hear. From the flute introduction of the title track, to Bunny's epic re-interpretation of the classic 'This Train' - it's miles better than anything Bob did after the original trio split up. If you are in any way interested in reggae, or just music with a groove, you can't go wrong here.