Author: Perry, Lee "Scratch"

Release Date: 02-12-2008

Details: Amazon.ca Lee "Scratch" Perry is inarguably one of the most important figures in the history of Jamaican reggae. Launching his career as a producer for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label, Perry helped mold the signature sound of the Wailers, was a pioneer in the invention of dub, and in the 1970s released a stream of brilliantly eccentric 45s with a roster of artists that included Max Romeo, Junior Byles, and the Congos from his own Black Ark studio. Unfortunately, widely reported mental health problems over the years and a love of hallucinogenic experiences have apparently robbed him of the focus and continuity needed to produce a creative act as sustained as a single song. That said, Jamaican E.T. still has the merits of a spacey ambience, and in terms of content it's an avant-garde document that makes the most out-there rap attack seem conservative by comparison. On each track, a super-tight instrumental outfit outputs a no-nonsense reggae groove occasionally abetted by female choristers. Scratch stirs up the mix with multilayered voice transmissions from Planet Perry that cross a nursery rhyme aesthetic with boasts and cryptic observations. While the result isn't exactly Sun Ra, the whacked-out value is both inestimable and unexpectedly pleasant. And if buying this CD helps keep one of Jamaican music's most seminal, mysterious, and mystical figures with a full stomach and roof above his head, consider the gesture your faith-based initiative for the year. --Bob Tarte

UPC: 060768026629

EAN: 0060768026629

Languages: English

Binding: Audio CD

Item Condition: New