(4 / 5)
Two seminal Trojan albums from the golden age of reggae, on one disc, delivering two dozen tracks from the final days of the 1960s.
Released by Trojan Records at the height of the reggae explosion of late 1969, “The Upsetter” introduced the world to the work of dub innovator Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Here, we get nine strong instrumental sides from the Upsetters, and the collection also features a brace of vocal tracks from Busty Brown – “To Love Somebody” and “Crying About You”and “Kiddy-O” by the Silvertones, under the guise of the Muskyteers.
The following year, Trojan released the popular follow-up, “Scratch The Upsetter Again”, which further demonstrated the producer’s increasingly innovative approach to music making; beginning to display elements of the developing dub sound.
The set includes “Will You Still Love Me”, attributed to Dave Barker & The Upsetters, “Mule Train” from Count Prince Miller & The Upsetters and the Alva Lewis & The Upsetters contribution, “She Is Gone Again”.
Annotated by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry biographer, David Katz, here is an opportunity to experience the early work of a man who significantly contributed to the transformation of the sound of Jamaican music.
He still tours today at the age of 83, and in 2013 starred on the big screen in an acclaimed biopic of his life and career, “Vision Of Paradise” which was released on DVD in 2015.
In May 2019 he will perform in Norwich, Bristol and London and is due back to “the smoke” in June for a gig at XOYO. A real legend who you need to go see before it’s too late.
Mad as a box of frogs but without Lee, reggae music would have lost out.
By Billy Owen
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’ (4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
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