Bob Marley and the Wailers
ListenSimmer Down · 1964
The Wailing Wailers — Simmer Down.
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1964 · Coxsone
Simmer Down / I Don’t Need Your Love
The Wailers began with voices brought together in a Kingston yard. Joe Higgs’s singing lessons helped Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh develop the harmonies heard on “Simmer Down.” [2]
| Accession | OMMA-0079 |
|---|---|
| Artist | The Wailers |
| Release | 1964 · Jamaica |
| Label | Coxsone · No catalogue number |
| Format | 7-inch translucent blue vinyl single · 45 rpm |
| Issue | Early Jamaican white-label issue |
| Runouts | A: C DODD – II – 13 B: C DODD – I – 12 |
| Recorded grade | VG · generic sleeve |
Release history and significance
In 1963 Marley and his childhood friend Neville Livingston, later known as Bunny Wailer, attended Higgs’s vocal classes in Trench Town. There they met Peter Tosh. Higgs helped the young singers turn their friendship into a group. [2]
They soon met Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, a sound-system operator turned producer who founded Studio One. “Simmer Down” was their first single for him. Its urgent ska rhythm urged young listeners to control their tempers; the harmonies reflected their admiration for Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. [2]
Marley had already recorded solo sides for Leslie Kong in 1962. “Simmer Down” marks the Wailers’ breakthrough as a group and the start of their run of Studio One singles. [2] The worn shop stamp on this copy gives that history a street address: Dodd’s Muzik City at 136D Orange Street, in the heart of Kingston’s record trade. [3]
Market context
Early Jamaican copies belong to the record’s original local circulation, before decades of reissues carried the song to a worldwide audience. This blue-vinyl white-label edition is catalogued separately from later pressings. [1] Its handwritten titles and Orange Street shop stamp retain features of the Kingston record trade in which it first circulated. [3]
Physical Description
Translucent blue vinyl with white paper labels and handwritten song titles. “Simmer Down” appears on the A-side and is partly crossed out on the reverse, where “I Don’t Need Your Love” is also written.
Both labels carry traces of a “MUSIK CITY 136d ORANGE ST” stamp, more legible on the B-side. Its address corresponds to Coxsone Dodd’s Muzik City shop. [3]
Condition
Graded VG. The disc shows extensive surface wear, with audible noise throughout and pronounced crackle in the lead-in and quieter passages. Playback is reported as stable, without skips or locked grooves. No cracks, repairs or edge fractures are reported.
The labels have heavy abrasion, discoloration and paper loss. The handwritten titles remain readable; the shop stamp is substantially worn on the A-side and clearer on the reverse.
Provenance
Acquired from a Jamaican collector on 1 January 2026. The seller described the record as coming from personal and family holdings that included his grandmother’s Wailers records.
Sources
- Discogs, Bob Marley & The Wailers – Simmer Down, release 1513450. 1964 Jamaican blue-vinyl white-label edition.
- Bob Marley, official history. Joe Higgs’s vocal classes, the formation of the Wailers and their early Studio One recordings.
- Tallawah, An Orange Street Remembrance. Dodd’s Muzik City shop at 136D Orange Street and an example of its hand stamp.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.