Blackheart Man

Overview

The songs on the album are regarded as the finest written by Bunny Wailer, and explore themes such as repatriation ("Dreamland"), and his arrest for marijuana possession ("Fighting Against Conviction", originally titled "Battering Down Sentence"). "This Train" is very loosely based on the American gospel standard of the same name. The album features some of Jamaica's leading musicians and also contributions from Bob Marley and Peter Tosh of The Wailers on backing vocals, and the Wailers rhythm section of Carlton and Aston Barrett on some of the tracks. The origins of the album title goes back to Wailer's childhood in the Jamaican countryside, where he grew up in the same village as his friend Bob Marley.

Wailer said:

Bunny Wailer himself considers Blackheart Man to be his best solo album. As he told Jamaican newspaper The Daily Gleaner in June 2009:

This is one of the three Wailers solo albums released in 1976, along with Peter Tosh's album Legalize It and Bob Marley's Rastaman Vibration. The album was listed in the 1999 book The Rough Guide: Reggae: 100 Essential CDs.

Release history

The original LP release of the album was released in two different mixes. The international mix is what is most widely available and has appeared on CD. The Jamaican mix has longer versions of songs and different overdubs. In particular, the Jamaican mix of This Train lasts a full minute longer. Although the Jamaican mix has not appeared on CD, it remains a favorite amongst reggae aficionados.

The album has been released on compact disc several times; first in 1989 on Mango Records, then in 2002 on Island in a remastered edition. A new remastering was released on iTunes in 2009, with some of the songs in newly extended and dub versions.

Track listing

All songs written by Bunny Wailer.

Side one

1. "Blackheart Man" – 6:17
2. "Fighting Against Conviction" – 5:11
3. "The Oppressed Song" – 3:22
4. "Fig Tree" – 3:07
5. "Dream Land" – 2:47

Side two

1. "Rastaman" – 3:51
2. "Reincarnated Souls" – 3:43
3. "Amagideon (Armagedon)" – 6:46
4. "Bide Up" – 2:33
5. "This Train" – 8:28

Musicians

Production