Used-Bin Bargains: Lee "Scratch" Perry

Sorry about the absence last week. We have been uber-productive lately and I think we deserved the weekend off.



Lee "Scratch" Perry - People Funny Boy (Upsetter 1968)

Watty Burnett - Rainy Night in Portland (Upsetter 1977)

Lee “Scratch” Perry - A Live Injection: Anthology 1968 to 1979 / Trojan

As anyone knows who has even just explored the surface of reggae music, Lee “Scratch” Perry is one of if not the most prolific producer in shaping the sound of reggae, and his colorful background only sweetens the legend. Burned bridges, copyright infringements, stolen masters, mental deterioration, whacked out sound experiments, fire-starting demons, its all there, as well as a mind-boggling number of singles and dubs that has solidified Perry among music’s most interesting careers. As if getting a clear account of what actually happened during his most potent era of music making in the early 70s isn’t hard enough already, attempting to find a good starting point or a conclusive representation of these years in his massive discography is damn near impossible. There have been many, many compilations of Perry’s music put together over the years attempting to pull the best of particular stages of his career, but for my particular tastes as well as being a good assessment of the mammoth role he had in guiding the development of reggae music, 2000’s A Live Injection: Anthology 1968 to 1979 on what should already be your starting point for anything reggae, Trojan Records, takes the cake. A double record anthologizing some of Perry’s most popular productions from the heyday of Upsetter Records is near impossible to beat if you want to really understand his contribution to the genre and scene.

Stories obviously vary among the many artists involved in the late 60s Jamaican music scene of when exactly and by whom ska was mutated into the rollicking reggae genre we know today, but most fingers point directly to 1968’s “People Funny Boy.” The first track of the compilation and one of the most infamous in the entire genre, Perry’s pissed-off rant at former employer Joe Gibbs ushered in a new Jamaican sound that sold amazingly and showcased the ferocity possible within the music. Perry took “Long Shot” by The Pioneers, a collaboration between the two producers, and flipped the gentle rocksteady riddim into a chugging backing track for Perry’s aggravated insults and genius use of a sample of a baby crying. It was Upsetter 001 and introduced the new wave of what was soon to be called reggae. From here the compilation moves chronologically through the end of the 60s and right on until 1979, about the time he burned down his studio, The Black Ark, in a fit of rage and stress (though the story varies). The majority of the tracks feature Perry as producer and arranger rather than as the songwriter and performer, which makes it almost just reggae’s greatest hits from the era. If you are looking for more of a mix of original songs, remixes and dubs, checkout out 1997’s three-disc Arkology on Island Jamaica, but for a great assessment of Perry’s ability to take an artist to the next level, stick with A Live Injection.

Three of the six pre-1970 tracks come care of Perry’s studio band The Upsetters, featuring Alva Lewis on guitar, Glen Adams on organ and perhaps the greatest rhythm section the genre ever saw, brothers Aston “Family Man” Barrett on bass and Carlton Barrett on drums. They were instrumental in the development of the sound, and 1969’s sax-riding “Return of Django” was not only a huge hit in Jamaica but introduced the genre to the UK as a #5 hit single. From here we begin to get into Perry as the producer with the infectious keyboards and uplifting vocals of The Bleecher’s “Come Into My Parlour” from 1969 and two of the most important early reggae singles, Bob Marley & the Wailers’ “Duppy Conqueror” and “Place Called Africa” from Junior Byles. The first of three tracks from the important and sometimes sadly ignored (by the mainstream) Perry/Marley collaborations, “Duppy Conqueror” (as well as “Small Axe” a few tracks later and “Keep on Skanking” on disc two) showcases the potency of what two such prolific artists can create when working together. Like Perry, Marley eventually conflicted with Coxsone Dodd and left Studio One to work with the Upsetters. The alliance only lasted a year and resulted in life-long recording rights disputes, but there were some great results that in my opinion eclipse Catch a Fire and Burnin’ released a few years later. Junior Byles’ beautiful “Place Called Africa” from 1971 instigated the repatriation theme in reggae music and featured one of Perry’s most elegant arrangements, the gentle riddim and twirling melodica melody easily match Byles angelic vocals and bittersweet lyrics. Dennis Alcapone’s version, “Africa Stand,” follows and hints at dancehall and rap as Perry dubs the Byles track for Alcapone’s toasting. Byles and Perry team up for a few more tracks over the course of the compilation including the heralded and rebellious “Beat Down Babylon” and the evocative “Curly Locks” from 1974 that finds Perry at his most elegant.

The rest of disc one features productions through 1973, including a couple of pop covers like Busty Brown’s lively rendition of “My Girl” and Horense Ellis’ soulful “Just One Look,” some elaborations of his own tunes, like Neville Grant’s “Sick and Tired” which builds on “Return of Django,” and previews of the wackiness yet to come like I Roy’s sci-fi sample-heavy “Space Flight” and Perry’s own quirky “Bucky Skank.” At this point as we switch to disc two, Perry has built The Black Ark in his backyard and his arrangements began to take life of their own. The production actually seems to sag in fidelity because of the poor recording equipment in the Ark, but the arrangements more inventive thanks to his ability to work in the studio whenever he liked. The ambidexterity of his backing tracks are easily heard in Delroy Denton’s “Give Thanks” and Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace’s “Herb Vendor,” both from ’74. They each utilized the same easy-going Perry riddim, but counteractively Denton’s version comes off spiritual and moving while Wallace’s seems playful and chill. Also as the tracks and concurrently year of production progress, the little recording quirks begin to multiply, like the playful sound-effects and instruments on Judge Winchester’s “Public Jestering” (which reminds me a lot of his work with Dr. Alimantado) and the vocal overdubs of The Upsetter’s “Enter the Dragon.” He also seems to take an interest in particularly soul music whose likeliness shows up on multiple occasions in the second half of the 70s. Mighty Diamonds’ “Talk About It,” Junior Delgado’s “Sons of Slaves” and especially the wonderful “Rainy Night in Portland” by Watty Burnett all clock in at over six-minutes and feature hypnotic combinations of soul, reggae and dub. It would have been interesting to see what would of became of Perry if he had stuck with the musical pathway, but alas, as heard on “White Belly Rat” (a name he has adopted for his latest band) from 1976, odd, quirky, rambling vocals over inventive productions would be the norm (if you can call it normal) from here on out.

In the early 80s, Perry’s livelihood of long hours cooped up in a small studio, the stress of the Jamaican recording industry (and you thought rap was a tough world to live in) and the combination of psychedelic drugs took their final toll on Perry and he burned down the Black Ark convinced that Satan had taken refuge there. Regardless, Perry has continued to produce an unbelievable amount of music over the years and while there is a lot of shit to sort through with his discography in the 80s, 90s and 00s, there gems sprinkled through out including most recently Panic in Babylon (an Audiversity favorite) originally out on Damp in 2004 and re-released through Narnack in 2006. But if you are aching for some classic Perry production from the 70s, grab A Live Injection: Anthology 1968 to 1979 and you will not be disappointed. If you are more interested in Perry solo albums from the era, check out 1976’s Super Ape on Island and 1978’s Roast Fish Collie Weed & Corn Bread on VP as well as the many compilations covering that time period. I suggest doing your research first though, because Perry is the quintessential hit-or-miss artist and I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of his genius/lunacy.