It was, Chris Blackwell said, the "most enhanced" of all the records he made with Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was also arguably the most significant reggae album ever. Not only did it expose the Wailers to an international audience and introduce people around the world to a music that had been confined largely to a Caribbean fan base; it also cemented a relationship that would help make Blackwell's Island Records one of the world's most successful and respected labels.
In 2009, Blackwell was named by Music Week magazine as the most influential figure in UK music for the previous half-century - and it's entirely possible that would not have happened without an album called Catch a Fire.
The album's story started on an autumn day in London in 1972, when three homesick and down-at-heel young Jamaican musicians strutted into the Soho offices of Island Records. Broke they may have been, but they were still supremely confident in their own abilities.
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer - the core members of the original Wailers - were in England to do some recording, but they had been left stranded when their manager suddenly dashed to New York on pressing business. They weren't working, they hated the cold and damp of England and they were eager to get back to Jamaica, where they were established hit-makers. They had managed to get an appointment with Blackwell, who also had Jamaican roots but was from a very different background. They were Rastafarians living in the Trench Town ghetto; he was a British-born, Harrow-educated member of one of Jamaica's most prominent families.
"They were nobodies, but they were like big stars, their attitude and the vibe they gave off," Blackwell would say in a documentary years later. He was impressed, and decided to give the three enough money to return to Jamaica and make an album - £4,000 (Dh22,256). They flew home and set about recording Catch a Fire. With the aid of an all-star cast of Jamaican studio musicians, it was completed in three epic sessions at Kingston's Dynamic Sounds studio in October of 1972. The vocals were all recorded in one day, with Marley singing lead on seven tracks (Concrete Jungle, Slave Driver, No More Trouble, Kinky Reggae, Stir it Up, Midnight Ravers and Rock it Baby) and Tosh on two (400 Years and Stop That Train). Bunny Wailer contributed harmony vocals, as well as percussion on all the tracks and bass on Rock it Baby.
Before long, Marley was on a plane back to London to help with the overdubs and remixing at Island's Basing Street Studios in Notting Hill. Blackwell loved what he heard, but he also decided that the original arrangements - with thundering Jamaican basslines and palpable ghetto vibes - were just too heavy for an international audience.
He enlisted the services of two accomplished American studio musicians, the guitarist Wayne Perkins and the keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick. The wailing guitar on Concrete Jungle, the first track on the album and the first notes of reggae heard by tens of thousands of people worldwide, were played by a Texan, who, by his own admission, had at first been thoroughly baffled by the music.
"Compared with anything else I'd ever heard in my life, this was back to front," said Perkins. With the keyboard input of Bundrick - another Texan - the remixing of Catch a Fire was soon complete, and Marley, ever the pragmatist when it came to getting his message to as wide an audience as possible, was not at all averse to having two white Americans embellish the rootsy, Jamaican sounds he had presented them with.
The end product was dramatically different from the original - in addition to the contributions of Perkins and Bundrick, the high end was brought forward, with the bass lines of Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Robbie Shakespeare, Wailer and Ian "Munty" Lewis shaded down. "This record had the most overdubs on it," said Blackwell. "This record was the most, I don't say softened, I more say enhanced, to try to reach a rock market. Bob always seemed to have a very clear idea of what he wanted from the recordings. I would basically mix them and put them together in an arrangement and compile the albums in terms of their running order. Somebody said to him one time I was his producer and he said no I was his translator, and I liked that. I was very happy with that. I think that was probably what I was doing."
Marley would make only one more album - Burnin' - with Tosh and Wailer before the three went their separate ways, but by then, with Catch a Fire having been released in early 1973 to critical raves, he was on a path that would carry him to international superstardom.
And years later, Blackwell would admit: "Frankly, on hearing Catch a Fire now, I prefer it in the raw version, it sounds to me much better than what we actually did with it."
As usual, Blackwell wasn't just talk. In 2001, Island released both versions in a two-CD package.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Ferrari
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now