OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0079

Artist

Bob Marley and the Wailers

Title

“Simmer Down / I Don’t Need Your Love”

Release Details

7-inch single issued in Jamaica in 1964 on Coxsone (catalogue number: none listed). The present copy is a factory-distributed white-label promotional pressing, consistent with informal Studio One–era distribution in which titles were often identified by hand annotation rather than full print labeling. 

Edition & Variant Identification

First press promotional edition, factory-distributed white label with hand-written song identification on both sides. The label additionally bears a faint “MUSIC CITY 136d ORANGE ST” stamp (most legible on the B-side), with partially readable promotional copy including fragments consistent with: “First with the Latest Foreign and Local Records.” This stamp is substantially worn on the A-side but remains partially visible.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Matrix / Runout (Runout A): C DODD – II – 13

Matrix / Runout (Runout B): C DODD – I – 12

Physical Description

7-inch record pressed on translucent blue vinyl. Issued without a sleeve. Both sides carry white paper labels with hand-written identifiers: “Simmer Down” is clearly legible on Side A and partly crossed out on Side B; “I Don’t Need Your Love” is also visibly present on Side B, with additional hand annotations consistent with informal titling practices for Jamaican promotional and working copies of the period. The B-side label shows the “MUSIC CITY 136d ORANGE ST” stamp most clearly; the A-side shows the same stamp in more degraded, partially legible form.

Factory-Origin Characteristics

White-label presentation with hand annotation and address-stamping is treated as a distribution characteristic rather than a defect, reflecting non-standardized Jamaican manufacturing and circulation practices in early-1960s local release ecosystems, including shop- and sound-system-adjacent handling. 

Condition Report

Extensive in-period surface wear consistent with heavy handling. Audible surface noise is present throughout, with pronounced crackle at lead-in and quieter passages; playback reported as stable with no skips or locked grooves. No cracks, repairs, edge fractures, or heat warp are reported; the disc remains structurally intact. Labels show heavy wear and abrasion with significant loss and discoloration; nonetheless, hand-written title identifiers remain clearly visible. The “MUSIK CITY 136d ORANGE ST” stamp is substantially worn on the A-side but remains legible on the B-side it remains more legible, including fragments of promotional copy. (“First with the Latest Foreign and Local Records”) Overall, a high-use early Jamaican working/promotional copy. OMMA grade VG.

Provenance

Acquired directly from a Jamaican collector operating as Discogs user readyvinylrecords, described as a collector/seller active for over 20 years. Seller correspondence indicates the record likely came from early personal/family holdings (including a grandmother’s Wailers records) and was sourced from the seller’s private collection rather than current market stock. Purchased by OMMA 1/1/2026.

Photomatching & Verification

OMMA maintains photographic documentation supporting identification features of the present copy, including translucent blue vinyl, white-label format, hand-written title identifiers, the “MUSIK CITY 136d ORANGE ST” stamp (strongest on B-side), and runout inscriptions.

Market Context & Historical Notes

“Simmer Down” represents the first commercially successful recording by Bob Marley and the Wailers and stands among the most significant early releases in Jamaican popular music. Issued during the formative Studio One era, the record documents the transition from ska to more socially assertive vocal group recordings and marks Marley’s emergence as a central figure within Jamaica’s recording industry.

Records such as this circulated in Jamaica’s sound-system musical culture, which featured mobile DJ crews who played in public venues with speaker stacks. Crews competed for exclusivity and the presence of quick-turn singles, and heavy play were structurally central. Studio One (Coxsone Dodd’s enterprise) developed in direct relationship with this sound-system economy. As a result, well-used copies such as this function as primary historical artifacts of the music’s original social life.

Canonical Status in OMMA

This release is recognized by the Origins of Modern Music Archive as the canonical debut single entry for the artist in the archive.

Bibliography / References

Discogs. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Simmer Down / I Don’t Need Your Love (Coxsone, Jamaica, 7”). https://www.discogs.com/release/1513450-Bob-Marley-The-Wailers-Simmer-Down