Lee 'Scratch' Perry- The Black Ark Years- The Jamaican 7"s (1974-1978)

 I see the studio must be like a living thing, a life itself. The machine must be live and intelligent. Then I put my mind into the machine and the machine perform reality. Invisible thought waves - you put them into the machine by sending them through the controls and the knobs or you jack it into the jack panel. The jack panel is the brain itself, so you got to patch up the brain and make the brain a living man, that the brain can take what you sending into it and live.

The Black Ark Studio was built in Lee Perry's backyard (5 Cardiff Crescent, Washington Gardens, Kingston, Ja.) .  He achieved an amazing sound using a rudimentary 4 track set up. The  interior was cluttered with archetypal (no pun intended) Perry eccentricities- the drum booth made of chicken wire ( I read somewhere about a  pond?). Mr Perry's  strange experiments inspired by mysticism included exposing the tapes to potentially damaging  substances (blood, piss, whiskey,candlewax, ganja and incense smoke... burying tapes in the ground etc....)
Too much stress in Jamaica, all the time. Everybody want money, everybody want paid. Everyone got problem and want me to solve their problem. Nobody gave me anything, people just took everything. Everybody take this, and take that. So the atmosphere in the Black Ark studio was changing; it wasn’t like it used to be. Then I decided to make a sacrifice as the energy wasn’t good anymore.

In 1979 the Black Ark burned down.
Mr Perry has given several contrary versions of how this came about.
1- he burned it down because he felt there were evil spirits at work there.
2- he burned it down because he wanted to avoid extortion from gangsters.
3- the wiring was faulty, which caused the blaze.

 Disc 1
1. Enter The Dragon - Lee Perry And The Upsetters
2. Hurt So Good - Susan Cadogan
3. Babylon A Fall - Watty Burnett
4. Curly Locks - Junior Byles
5. Dreader Locks - Junior Byles, Lee Perry
6. Stay Dread - Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Upsetters
7. Do It Baby - Susan Cadogan
8. The Long Way - Junior Byles
9. Three Blind Mice - Max Romeo
10. Three Times Three - King Tubby
11. Bury The Razor - The Upsetters
12. Down Here In Babylon - Brent Dowe
13. Be Thankful For What You've Got - Bunny Clarke
14. Woman Gotta Have Love - Jimmy Riley
15. Bush Weed Corntrash - Bunny & Ricky
16. Roast Fish & Cornbread - Lee "Scratch" Perry
17. Sipple Out Deh (Jamaican Mix) - Max Romeo
18. Ital Corner - Prince Jazzbo
19. Police & Thieves (Single Version) - Junior Murvin
20. White Belly Rat - Lee "Scratch" Perry
21. Sufferer's Time - The Heptones
22. A Wat Dat (7" Version) - Junior Dread
23. Mr. Cop - Gregory Isaacs

Disc 2

1. Vibrate On - Augustus Pablo
2. Better Future - Errol Walker
3. Mistry Babylon - The Heptones
4. Stand Up - Eric Donaldson
5. No Peace - The Meditations
6. Ethiopia Land - Pete & Paul Lewis
7. My Little Sandra - Leo Graham
8. Green Bay Incident - Lord Sassafrass
9. Think So - The Meditations
10. Home Gard - Michael Campbell
11. Travelling - Debra Keese & The Black Five
12. Peace And Love - Shaumark & Robinson
13. Dread At The Control - Michael Campbell
14. Forward With Jah Orthodox - Mystic I
15. Land Of Love - The Sons Of Light
16. Brother Noah - The Black Shadows
17. Thanks And Praise - Junior Ainsworth
18. Mr. Money Man - Danny Hensworth
19. Cross Over - Junior Murvin
20. Guideline - George Faith
21. Babylon Falling - The Heptones

http://d01.megashares.com/dl/SG11Xt3/Black Ark Disc 1.rar
 http://d01.megashares.com/dl/yWexfcS/Black Ark Disc 2.rar

Laurel Aitken-Rudi Got Married (2004)

In a recording career that spanned over 45 years Laurel Aitken (1927-2005)- The Godfather of Ska- only registered one top 100 record in the UK. His influence, however, far exceeded his commercial success (or lack of it), and he enjoyed renewed and prolonged fame following the resurgence of interest in Ska brought about by 2Tone.

Born in Cuba, raised in Jamaica, Laurel Aitken lived in London for 3 years (1960-63) and then came to the UK again and settled in Leicester from 1970 onwards. His career spanned the development of Jamaican music from mento right through to dancehall, and he was playing gigs well into his seventies.

Plaque erected at Mr Aitken's former house by Leicester City Council (? the year of his birth- most sources give 1927)

Trojan Skinhead Reggae

What are we for? nothing really. We're just a group of blokes. We're not for anything.
A Skinhead quoted in You'll Never Be 16 Again: An Illustrated History of the British Teenager by Peter Everett (1986).

For all its aggression , skinhead was a curiously passive phenomenon with no obvious interest in interacting with, let alone changing society. And, in a first for a post- war youth cult, it didn't even produce its own music, preferring to dance to the early versions of reggae that were coming out of Jamaica.
From Crisis? What Crisis? Britain In The 1970's by Alwyn W. Turner (2008)

One Original Step Beyond

The 2Tone scene revived an interest in Jamaican sounds of the sixties and early seventies amongst young white listeners.
The Specials LP contained covers of songs by Dandy, Prince Buster and The Maytals; Madness began with a tribute to Prince Buster and followed it up with a cover of One Step Beyond.
Consequently Skinhead classics like Longshot and Liquidator reappeared in the UK charts, and acts like Derrick Morgan and Laurel Aitken enjoyed popularity with new audiences.
The original Trojan LPs became much sought after and a steady stream of compilation albums featuring the ska/ rocksteady/ reggae classics loved by the Skinheads of 1969 appeared.
This compilation was much later, 1992. From a personal point of view it was a Friday night favourite through which many of my younger friends learned about the music, whilst the older members of our gang wallowed in nostalgia.
The back cover gives the track listing along with the reasons for inclusion.

Dancehall '69

This compilation gives us a change from the usual 'classics' (but we'll have some of them soon!)

Ride Your Donkey- (1969)

Oh yeah, it's Skinhead month at Burning Aquarium. Here is some music for Skinheads...a
Trojan Records compilation from 1969.

Santic and Friends- A Even Harder Shade of Black

Not the best known of the Jamaican record producers of the 1970's, Leonard 'Santic' Chin did however work with many big names, producing roots, dub and DJ version hits. He had a great studio band to work with:
Reggy- guitar
Family Man Barret, Leroy Sibbles- bass
Tin Leg- drums
Augustus Pablo- melodica and keys
Leonard moved to London in 1975 (he was still only 22 yrs old) and remains active to this day.

Bob Marley and The Wailers- Redemption Song 7" (1980)

Includes the flip side- a band version...

The Maytals- Sensational Ska Explosion (1964/65)

The Maytals were Toots Hibbert, Raleigh Gordon and Jerry McCarthy- and they first got together as a vocal trio as early as 1961.

I'm not going to write at length about The Maytals here as the album includes an excellent booklet tracing the early history of the group. These songs were recorded prior to Toots' imprisonment. Later, as Toots and The Maytals, they recorded such seminal early reggae numbers as 54-46, Monkey Man and Pressure Drop, and were one of the most consistent quality acts in 70s Jamaican music.

The third and (for the moment) final installment of Ali Baba

Here’s a few more based on this riddim.
Still can’t find a few cuts by U-Roy and I- Roy based on this, but this’ll do for now...
Natty Chase The Barber- Ranking Joe
Nuclear Bangarang- Devon Clarke
Ali Baba- Joseph Cotton aka Jah Walton
The Ruler- High Plains Drifter
Lightning & Thunder- Sluggy
Move Dem Out- Richie Spice
I Trim The Barber- King Tubby
Don’t Let Them Suffer- George Nooks

More Ali Baba…

I’ve managed to unearth a few more tracks based on the delightful Ali Baba Riddim- here we have a cross section of the evolving styles of Jamaican music right up to the digitalized age of Ragga, as well as a contribution from the sophisticated Dreadzone.

Ali Baba- Sidney Mills
My Decision- Glenn Washington
I Don’t Want To Wait- Sluggy
Ali Baba- Dreadzone
I Killed The Barber- Dr Alimantado
Wish It Was Me- Al Campbell
Too Much War- George Nooks & Merciless
Nice n Slow- Razah
Militant Profile- Michigan

Got a couple more on the back boiler for next week.
Infectious or what?

Augustus Pablo- Original Rockers (1979)

Augustus Pablo (Horace Swaby 1953-1999), started out as an organist. When a girl gave him a melodica to try out, he became besotted with the instrument. Pablo transformed the humble melodica, previously considered a children’s instrument, into a staple of reggae music through a series of successful releases such as East of the River Nile, Song of the East, and The Red Sea between 1971 and 1973 for Herman Chin-Loy's Aquarius Records, bringing a new, exotic sound to reggae.
Chin Loy had used the name Augustus Pablo for any keyboard artist appearing on his label, and the success of Swaby’s early cuts for him with his band Now Generation caused the name to stick.
Augustus Pablo suffered from the nerve disorder myasthenia gravis, and died as a result of a collapsed lung on 18 May 1999. He was a devoted adherent of Rastafari.




Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Robbie Shakespeare - bass
Carlton Barrett - drums
Earl "Chinna" Smith - guitar
Augustus Pablo - melodica, organ, piano, clavinet
Dirty Harry- tenor sax
Don D Junior- trombone
Bobby Ellis-trumpet
Producer - Augustus Pablo
Mixed By -King Tubby,Philip Smart,Prince Jammy
Recorded at Dynamic Sounds & Channel One Studios. Mixed at King Tubby's.
Record date : 1972-75

Don Letts- Social Classics Volume 2 - Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown (2001)

For me, punk still works on a day-to-day basis. It's an ongoing dynamic, and, if you're brave enough and smart enough, you can be part of it. I could have chosen an easy path and followed the herd, which is very much in vogue now. Instead, I revelled in individuality.
Don Letts -The Guardian, Saturday 4 April 2009.

Londoner Don Letts has quite a CV.
As a 19 yr old he was running the clothing store Acme Attractions, which drew in many stars of the proto punk scene. He became a friend of Bob Marley in 1976. When the legendary Roxy club opened, Letts was the first house DJ, and his playlists of reggae had a lasting influence on the punk clientele, particularly The Clash. Letts later appeared on the cover of the Black Market Clash LP (the rasta seemingly facing off a legion of coppers in Brixton). In 1978 he made his first film, The Punk Rock Movie, the most authentic document of the early punk scene.
Letts’s first foray into the music industry itself was a brief spell as manager of The Slits (he got them a supporting slot with The Clash). He was associated with early Basement 5 before they made it on to vinyl and in 1978 recorded an EP, Steel Leg v the Electric Dread, (with Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, and Steel Leg).
In 1984 he teamed up with Mick Jones and former Basement 5 bassist Leo Williams to form Big Audio Dynamite.
As a director he has made videos and documentaries for a diverse range of artists, including Tony Christie, Franz Ferdinand, George Clinton, The Jam, Sun Ra, Gil Scott-Heron, Elvis Costello, Musical Youth, The Pretenders and , of course, The Clash.

About this record: Social Classics Volume 2 - Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown (2001)
On the sleeve: Selected by DJ Don Letts. The soundtrack to London's legendary Roxy Club December '76 - April '77.
Don Letts wasn't the bringer of Reggae. Paul (Simenon) was into reggae, Joe (Strummer) was into reggae and John (Rotten) was into Reggae. They were turning me onto tunes. It wasn’t always the other way around. It was one of the reasons we got on. Don’t forget that early skinheads were into reggae, Trojan and ska. Black music was and will always be rebel music…Both reggae and punk was rebel music.
Don Letts- Punk77 Oct 2005.


Despite this modest assertion there is no underestimating the importance of Don Letts in introducing the punk generation to reggae. What we have here is
a compendium of some of the finest reggae records that were finding their way to London from Jamaica in the early and mid seventies. A great compilation (ideal for the car?)
There’s a good interview with Mr Letts here.

Kung Fu Meets The Dragon- The Mighty Upsetter (Lee Perry)- (1975)

I'll let the great Mr Perry himself introduce this one- here are his sleeve notes:
Good evening and greetings you people of the universe-this is Lee Scratch Perry- The Mighty Upsetter- madder than the mad, dreader than the dread, redder than the red, dis yah one heavier than the lead. We are here at the turntable terranova, it means we are taking over. We’re taking over the air, we’re taking over the mounts, we’re taking over the star, we’re taking over the sun, we’re changing time, we’re changing power, we’re changing space, we are doing things that His Majesty sent us to do in this Armageddon.

Augustus Pablo- melodica
Boris Gardiner- bass
Earl Smith- guitar
Mickey ‘Boo’, Benbow- drums
Bobby Ellis, Dirty Harry- horns
E. Sterling- piano
Lee Perry, Skully- percussion

Ali Baba.

One of the things I love about reggae is the way in which producers would recycle tunes, using the same backtrack as the basis for numerous versions, dubs and toasts.
What we have here is a 1970 single by the super smooth Mr John Holt, recorded for Duke Reid's legendary Treasure Isle Studios.
The studio band were The Supersonics, led by Tommy McCook.
In 1975 Jackie Edwards released a version under the direction of Bunny 'Striker' Lee which formed the basis for a number of versions. King Tubby had a particular fondness for the 'Ali Baba Riddim'.
This is not a definitive collection of the tracks that employ this rhythm-there are plenty more out there, but here are seven to be getting on with...

Duke Reid

Tommy McCook and The Supersonics.

John Holt

Bunny Lee

Jackie Edwards

King Tubby

Dr Alimantado

Jah Stitch

Prince Jammy

U-Roy- Your Ace From Space (1969-70)

Wake the Town! Here is U-Roy- recognised as the Godfather of DJ music. These 30 tracks were recorded for producer Duke Reid at The Treasure Isle Studio, Kingston JA, in 1969-70. The rhythm tracks are provided by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics.

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry- From The Secret Laboratory (1990)

The yellow sticker on the case tells me that I paid $29.95 for this disc in The Sound Tunnel- that would have been Cairns, Queensland early 1997.
Judging by the cover it looks like the mighty Scratch has dubbed himself king of his adopted Switzerland.
A truly great record on which Mr Perry is backed by Dub Syndicate and Roots Radics, and shares the production credits with Adrian Sherwood.

Prince Far I- Under Heavy Manners (1976)

I’m not one for religion. Generally speaking I believe that it belonged to some earlier stage of man’s development, and find it hard to stomach the fact that after centuries of oppression we are still expected to some degree to live and die by the tenets set out in the folk tales of some Middle Eastern Iron Age goatherds.
But there can be no doubt that religious feelings have inspired great art, which brings us on to Michael Williams, aka Prince Far I- The Voice of Thunder.

One of those great biographies that litter the Jamaican music industry of the time- an erstwhile DJ and bouncer who got his recording break through a no show by another artist.

His debut, Psalms For I, was recorded in 1975.
1976 saw the release of the breakthrough album, Under Heavy Manners, chanting thunderous Old Testament fire and brimstone over some truly classic Joe Gibbs tracks with a righteous growl.
Remarkably, Between 1978 and 1981 he released twelve albums .
He was shot dead at the age of 39, in 1983.

Ranking Trevor- Penny a Look 7" (1974)

Here's another Jamaican 7" record from the seventies. Early rub a dub style Ranking Trevor on Channel One Records- their phone number is on the label.

Keith & Tex- 2 singles (1967)

Still no heatwave, but I'm going to stick with the reggae theme for a day or two...
Keith & Tex were a Jamaican rocksteady duo who recorded for Dereck Harriott in the late 1960's (they were teens at the time).
These two songs have enjoyed longevity thanks to various versions:
Tonight formed the basis for Augustus Pablo's Bedroom Mazurka (Pablo and Fay) in its various forms, and was also covered by Shabba Ranks.
Stop That Train was the basis for Scotty's Draw Your Brakes (featured in the movie The Harder They Come ) and a version by Clint Eastwood & General Saint in the 1980's.
Keith later recorded for Lee Perry under his full name, Keith Rowe. I don't know what became of Texas Dixon...