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$17.99 CD
$22.99 LPx2
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$17.99 CDx2
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LEE PERRY & THE SUFFERERS
Sound Doctor: Black Ark Singles and Dub Plates 1972-1978
(Pressure Sounds)
 "Army of Love" Junior Byles
"Sound Doctor" Bobby Floyd
LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY
Disco Devil: The Jamaican Discomixes
(Trojan)
"Disco Devil" Lee Perry & the Full Experience
"Neckodeemus" The Congos
Once again, we have the pleasure of more rare singles from Lee 'Scratch' Perry finding their way onto our shelves. First up, Pressure Sounds continues their fruitful relationship with the Upsetter on The Sound Doctor; the label's last installment in this series, High Plans Drifter, focused on Perry's output during the end of the 1960s leading into the 1970s, and now they have collected singles and dub-plates dating 1972-1978. After Perry's relationship with Bob Marley & the Wailers grew uncomfortable, and as the producer simultaneously soured on working in other's studios, he began to build his own production house, to be called the Black Ark. By the end of 1972, Perry had completed a functioning studio in the yard of his Kingston home, and as his main vocalist had jumped ship, Perry brought in a new group of talented local musicians and vocalists he named "the Sufferers." The Sufferers were his like-minded brethren, mainly downtrodden, spiritual men from his area, and he wanted to give them a platform for their inner-city tales. Included in the loose-knit group were Junior Byles, Dillinger, Jah Lion, Keith Poppin, Pat Francis, Jimmy Riley, and Delroy Butler, among many others. Like some Caribbean offshoot of the Motown hit factory, Perry's Black Ark began churning out small pressings of local talent on his Justice League and Upsetter imprints. This compilation is the first to focus on this era in Perry's long discography, as within this sacred space (or was it a space ship?), Perry let his brethren make songs that referenced the Bible, Rastafarian philosophy, and the poor man's struggle. The Sufferers inspired Perry to create his own version of earthy roots reggae, providing the needed lyrical, spiritual, and musical foundation that Perry seemed hungry for following the departure of Marley. These songs are filled with heartfelt harmonies, meaningful lyrics, and Perry's undeniable slow-burning grooves. Included with many of the songs, most only serving as local singles (not licensed to the UK, as much of this stuff was at the time), are their accompanying dubs. If you are fans of Perry's early work with Marley, outsider roots reggae, or simply a fellow Scratch-oholic, this is a great glimpse into the core of Lee Perry's foundation.
If that last collection did not whet your appetite, you may need to fast for a bit, but regardless this next comp is simply, absolutely essential listening and is sure to tingle your auditory taste buds. Trojan had the amazing idea of compiling a two-disc set of Perry's disco mixes from the late seventies, most originally released in 1977. Oh man, I love this material, probably my favorite year in Perry's discography; by '77, the Black Ark was fully functional (and still a year or so from being burned to the ground), and Perry had perfected his dripping and moist sound technique. And while acetates and dub plates had been used by Jamaican sound systems since the 1950s, in the mid-'70s the extended-play 12" format was becoming a prime tool for producers and sound systems to test out and break new tracks, and Perry took to this format with much love. For years, most Jamaican singles would come in different versions: a vocal, instrumental, dub, and possibly a re-voicing or "DJ" version (which was essentially the Jamaican term for a toaster i.e. rapper). Typically, different versions could be on the A and B side of a 7", though these were always limited by the short time frame. Perry began splicing these versions together, creating an extended "disco mix," doubling and sometimes tripling the playing time of a favorite rhythm. Along with the longer run time, by pressing these tracks to 12" the sound quality was also richer, due to the ability to cut the grooves wider, allowing for deeper bass and more dynamic range. Perry loved that aspect and took advantage of it, creating waves of sonic tides, filled with tasty effects and his unusual signature soundscapes. And Perry was also always looking to the dance floor with his rhythms, and in these extended versions, his sound bounces, shimmers, and shakes like never before.
These cuts also showcase the roots of Perry's influence on contemporary dance music, especially on British dub-influenced electronica, as well as NYC DJs/engineers/producers like Walter Gibbons. This is Jamaican disco at its finest and most otherworldly. Like much of the recently resurfaced material from Perry, most of these versions never made it outside of Jamaica the first time around, and the original 12"s are collector's choice picks. Included among the more obscure artists are great version songs from his stable of late-'70s stars, like the Congos, Max Romeo, Junior Murvin, the Heptones, Junior Delgado, and George Faith. Most of the tracks last in the seven-to-nine-minute range with a big climax being Perry's own thirteen-minute jam "Free Up the Prisoners." I cannot recommended this one enough, and I'm sure we will run out of them, so don't wait. If you haven't bought a reggae record this year, this would be the only one you need. The document of a man at his creative peak. In my top five comps of the year! [DG]
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