Essential reissue of 3LP's on 2CD's Classic era early Reggae from 1973-74 with Lee Perry and friends.
Heavy smooth intricate unusual rhythms (still with a Rocksteady lean), subtle horn lines, floating (and some squelchy) keyboards, slight echo-o-oes and top songs (many Soul influenced), chants and instrumentals all with Lee Perry's eccentric approach, with some of the best Reggae people. -Dan
This outstanding two-disc box set compiles some of reggae revolutionary Lee "Scratch" Perry's very first albums under one cover. Early-1970s recordings AFRICA'S BLOOD, RHYTHM SHOWER, and DOUBLE SEVEN (a compilation of Perry-produced singles featuring instrumentals and tracks with vocalists I Roy, U Roy, and David Isaacs) are all represented here. Although less overtly experimental than Perry's later '70s work (he would push toward generating an increasingly dense, effects-filled sound), these releases are still a revelation.
The tracks from AFRICA'S BLOOD and RHYTHM SHOWER are heavily steeped in American-influenced R&B and the chugging rocksteady of late-'60s Jamaica. Still, they bear traces of Perry's emerging dub experiments, with dramatically slowed tempos and washes of reverb, echo, and shuddering sound effects. Most of the tracks are instrumentals played by Perry's killer house band, the Upsetters, who mine an insistent, laid-back island groove. The DOUBLE SEVEN cuts feature guest toasters, some synthesizer-heavy jams, and even a cover of the Sam & Dave hit "Soul Man." This was the beginning of Perry's ascendancy to the top of the reggae recording game, and contains the seeds of all that was to come. -AllMusic
Lee Perry - Africa's Blood
One of the first "albums" released by the Upsetter, this is a good peek into what was happening at the time on the mighty isle of Jamaica. Ska was still in the grips of American R&B, and that influence runs rampant here. But, as always, the personality of Perry shines through and gives each track that Upsetter twist that keeps this stuff from being relegated to footnote status. A perfect example of this is the cover of "My Girl" here. Sure, it's the same song, but it also bears the unmistakable stamp of Perry, turning a cover of a song you've heard too often into a foot-tapping good time. Heartily recommended. -AllMusic Review by Rob Ferrier
Upsetter - Rhythm Shower
Rhythm Shower is one of producer Lee "Scratch" Perry's more obscure efforts; it was originally released in a limited pressing in Jamaica and in an even more limited edition in England. Despite its obscurity, Rhythm Shower is a pivotal album in Perry's career as a producer and bandleader; it finds him beginning to experiment with dub and developing the distinctive studio sound that would come to full maturation in subsequent years. Whereas earlier albums had offered plenty of instrumental versions, on Rhythm Shower, Perry really starts making use of the studio tricks that characterized what was then the emerging art form of dub -- dropping voices in and out of the mix (as on " Uncle Charlie" and a dub cut of the George Faith classic "To Be a Lover") and doing the same with individual instruments (as he does with Augustus Pablo's melodica on "Kuchy Skank") to create a trippy, hypnotic effect. There are a couple of fine DJ turns from the great Dillinger, but the main attraction is the mighty Upsetters themselves, whose rock-solid rhythms give Perry all the room he needs to maneuver. This is classic Scratch. -AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson
Upsetters - Double Seven
This set finds the Upsetters in transition. Like most others on the island, here he's still under the spell of American soul music, evident in his joyous cover of "Soul Man." Things are starting to fray around the edges, though, in that wonderful Upsetter fashion. "Kentucky Skank" is strong evidence of this, as is the magnificently loony "Waap You Waa." This is a pivotal moment in Scratch's remarkable and unique career. A lot of this stuff is available elsewhere, but fans will want to hear it here, as it first rocked the nation. -AllMusic Review by Rob Ferrier
Disc 1:
Africa's Blood
1. Dave Barker / The Upsetters - Do Your Thing 3.49
2. The Upsetters - Dreamland 2.40
3. The Upsetters - Long Sentence 2.26
4. The Upsetters - Not Guilty 3.12
5. The Upsetters - Cool And Easy 2.33
6. Addis Ababa Children / The Upsetters - Well Dread (Version 3) 2.34
7. The Upsetters - My Girl 3.16
8. The Upsetters - Sawdust 2.23
9. Winston Prince/Junior Byles The Upsetters - Place Called Africa (Version 3) 2.52
10. The Hurricanes / The Upsetters - Isn't It Wrong 2.53
11. The Upsetters - Go Slow 2.58
12. The Upsetters - Bad Luck 2.49
13. The Upsetters - Move Me 2.33
14. The Upsetters - Surplus 2.14
Rhythm Shower
15. Dillinger / The Upsetters - Tighten Up 2.27
16. Sir Lord Comic / The Upsetters - Django Shoots First 2.32
17. The Upsetters - Uncle Charly 2.54
18. The Upsetters - Sokup 2.23
19. The Upsetters - Double Power 2.48
20. The Upsetters - Lover Version 2.42
Disc 2:
Rhythm Shower
1. The Upsetters - Rumpelsteelkin 2.45
2. Dillinger / The Upsetters - Skanking 3.07
3. The Upsetters - Kuchy Skank 2.57
4. Dillinger / The Upsetters - Connection 4.04
5. The Upsetters - Operation 7.20
Double Seven
6. Lee Perry / The Upsetters - Kentucky Skank 3.34
7. U-Roy / The Upsetters - Double Six 2.22
8. David Isaacs / The Upsetters - Just Enough To Keep Me Hanging On 3.10
9. The Upsetters - In The Iaah 2.48
10. The Upsetters - Jungle Lion 3.12
11. David Isaacs / The Upsetters - We Are Neighbours 3.15
12. Lee Perry / The Upsetters - Soul Man 3.17
13. U-Roy / The Upsetters - Stick Together 2.48
14. I-Roy / The Upsetters - High Fashion 2.14
15. The Upsetters - Long Sentence 2.06
16. I-Roy / The Upsetters - Hail Stones 1.56
17. The Upsetters - Ironside 2.01
18. The Upsetters - Cold Weather 3.02
19. The Upsetters - Waap You Waa 3.22
Notes
1988 reissue on CD of Vinyl LP Box set previously published by Trojan in 1985.
Three classic albums from The Master on double CD.
Featuring: 'Africa's Blood', 'Rhythm Shower' &'Double Seven'.
"'Rhythm Shower' first issue ever", according to the cover. This is not completely true. Steve Barrow writes in the liner notes "Rhythm Shower', heretofore only available in Jamaica in a limited pressing and briefly in the UK as a pre-release (...)". Rhythm Shower is also included in the original albuns discography compiled by David Katz at the end of his People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee Scratch Perry.