BMW's Iron Lion Zion - Recording date?

[Yardie]

Hi everybody,
first of all I want to say greetings to all of you!
It is a long time that I search for infos in the Roots Archives and I think that this is a beautiful site! It's serious work, here; and I can only thank you for what you did and keep doing!

Now let's come to my first request.

I know that maybe there is already the answer somewhere in the forum, but I tried to look for it without success.
"Iron Lion Zion" can be found in "Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On" (1995), but anyone knows the year of the original?
I heared about 1973, but I'm not sure.
Can you help me please?
I thank all of you in advance for any reply.

One Love

[Olaf Steinhilb]

Recording date is around 1973/1974 according to Roger Steffens Dicography from the Wailers; Rumours has it, that even Bunny Wailer was on background vocals, but his voice was deleted from Island Records when they release the original version on Songs of Freedom Compilation.

[Guest]

when was peter tosh's version of "lion" released? he is talking about iron lion but you cant go a zion. sounds older but i think it was the counteraction to marleys tune.. any more info?

[Funkyfred]

Irie.....

Yes, wasnt this the tune that was "found" in Ritas vaults a couple of years ago?

And then they remixed it with sleazy saxophones just to make it chart-friendly...... Grrr!!

Nuthin wrong with saxophones, but in this case it was!

[Ites]

i'm not totally sure but my guess with 'lion' is circa '71 or '72

great song, tosh wrote some of his best songs in that period for sure

[Guest]

is it a joe gibbs production?

[Ites]

it may have been recorded there, not sure, but it was issued on the original tuff gong label

[Gong]

Yardie got the answer on Blood & Fire.

Gong

[Yardie]

Thanks to all of you for the answers!
One Love