The Bob Marley album that features “I Shot the Sheriff” is Burnin’. Released in October 1973, Burnin’ was recorded by the Wailers during a crucial period in the group’s international rise. The album opens with “Get Up, Stand Up” and includes several of the band’s most enduring songs, including “Duppy Conqueror,” “Small Axe,” and “Burnin’ and Lootin’.”
“I Shot the Sheriff” was written by Bob Marley and originally appeared on Burnin’ before becoming even more famous through Eric Clapton’s 1974 cover. Clapton’s version reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, but the original recording is the Wailers’ track from Burnin’. That success helped introduce Marley’s songwriting to a much wider audience.
The album is sometimes confused with Catch a Fire because Catch a Fire was the Wailers’ breakthrough international album immediately before it. Burnin’ was also the final Wailers album made by the classic trio of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer before their paths increasingly diverged.