Natty Dread by Bob Marley and the Wailers (#4) and In the Dark by Toots and the Maytals (#52) are the only albums by Jamaicans which made Rolling Stone magazine’s 74 Best Albums of 1974 list.

The respected American trade publication revealed the list on November 20.

On the Beach by Neil Young is ranked at #1.

Other albums that made the list include Truck Turner by Isaac Hayes (#68), Sheer Heart Attack by Queen (#67), Waterloo by ABBA (#65), Can’t Get Enough by Barry White (#62), Perfect Angel by Minnie Ripperton (#43), Walls and Bridges by John Lennon (#38), Al Green Explores Your Mind by Al Green (#27), Jolene by Dolly Parton (#19), and Mighty Love by The Spinners (#7).

In the Dark, which was executive produced by Byron Lee, was recorded at Dynamic Sounds on Bell Road in St Andrew. Producers featured on the project include Warwick Lyn, Neville Hinds, and Carlton Lee.

The 12-track set was released via Dragon Records, a subsidiary label owned by Island Records mogul Chris Blackwell. It was distributed in the United Kingdom by Trojan Records.

Hux Brown (guitar), Jackie Jackson (bass), and Winston Grennan (drums) were some of the musicians who worked on In the Dark.

Songs featured include Time Tough, Got to Be there, Sailing On, Take a Look in the Mirror, and a faithful interpretation of John Denver’s Take Me Home (Country Roads).

Natty Dread, released by Island Records in October 1974, peaked at #43 in the United Kingdom. It sold more than 100,000 copies and was certified gold. The album also charted at #92 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and at #44 on Billboard’s Black Albums chart (now known as the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart).

Kingston-born Bernard “Touter” Harvey, who now resides in the United States, played organ and piano on Natty Dread.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday, he recalled working on Natty Dread.

“Unlike most records in Jamaica at the time, a man come to do a session and you run over the songs there at the studio. In Bob’s situation, on that particular album, all those songs were rehearsed before we got into the studio. So by the time we got into the studio everyone knew their part,” Harvey shared.

He continued: “At the time, nobody knew the songs on the album would have turned out the way they did. We got some input from Blackwell [Chris] about certain songs; for example, we sang in English, so that people could understand what we were saying. We all learnt a lot from Blackwell in terms of production.”

Locally, according to Harvey, Natty Dread was well-received.

“I thought at the time that it was the biggest reggae album out there. I remember seeing some of the sales receipts from Tuff Gong, and I was a little bit shocked at the time. Back then, Jamaica had an industry. A single could sell over 100,000 copies in Jamaica,” Harvey disclosed.

He remains proud of his association with Natty Dread and its success through the years.

“Looking back, I am very proud. I have done work with other artistes like Ken Booth, John Holt, and Dennis Brown, and this was definitely my biggest achievement at the time,” said Harvey.

Harvey, who attended the Excelsior High school, started out as a member of Youths Professionals, a group that played at nightclubs on the weekend. His association with the band would later morph into him doing sessions with other musical aggregations.

Natty Dread has received a few other accolades, among them a placement at #181 on
Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003. A remastered edition released by Universal Record in 2001, featured a bonus track.

Tracks on the original Natty Dread album include the title track, Bend Down Low, Talkin’ Blues, Lively Up Yourself, No Woman Nuh Cry, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), and Revolution.

Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Al Anderson, and Jean Roussel were among the musicians who played on Natty Dread.

Chris Blackwell and The Wailers are credited as producers.