Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
After two albums and a series of highly successful singles, the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry's most dynamic group, decided to strike out on their own in 1971. A further blow was served to the producer months later when Aston and Carlton Barrett, his formidable rhythm section, joined them. Perry subsequently turned to his vast network of musical associates to build a new session outfit. These players, including bassists Val Douglas and Lloyd Parks and drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, would cut the next series of classic Upsetter rhythms. The first years of the 1970s found Perry working closely with Junior Byles, the singer who would temporarily fill the gap left by Marley. From the moment Douglas and the Now Generation band backed the singer on "Beat Down Babylon" in 1971, Scratch ensured that nothing but the finest rhythms were sent his way. Beat Down Babylon: The Upsetter Years includes the whole of Byles' excellent 1972 debut, adding classic singles from the same period, including "King of Babylon," "Pharaoh Hiding," and the sublime "Curly Locks." Byles has a soulful delivery that is probably rooted in the church services he attended as a child. It's the perfect vehicle for expressing his concerns as a young Rasta and a member of Jamaican society. Both "King of Babylon" and "Pharaoh Hiding" captured the optimism prior to the island's 1972 election, while "When Will Better Come" expressed the discontent many felt a year later when change failed to arrive. "Curly Locks," one of Byles' most enduring songs, is a touching tale of Rasta love for a non-Dread. Included among the plethora of bonus tracks are a handful of Perry's versions: trailblazing, proto-dub productions that reveal the muscle beneath the Byles material. Beat Down Babylon represents some of the finest product mixed by the Upsetter's hand and the pinnacle achievements of Junior Byles' career.
© Nathan Bush /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - George Meikle, Composer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Producer - Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, Composer, Writer, MainArtist - Lee 'Scratch' Perry, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - The Upsetters, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1992 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, Composer - The Upsetters, MainArtist - George Meikle, Composer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jah T, MainArtist - Junior Byles, Composer, Performance, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Composer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - The Upsetters, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Dennis Alcapone, Composer, MainArtist - Junior Byles, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, Composer, Writer, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer - The Upsetters, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, Writer, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, MainArtist - Eddie Cooley, Composer - John Davenport, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Jah T, MainArtist - Composer Unknown, Composer, Writer - Errol Thompson, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - The Upsetters, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, MainArtist - The Righteous Flames, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Junior Byles, Composer, Writer - The Versatiles, MainArtist
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
After two albums and a series of highly successful singles, the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry's most dynamic group, decided to strike out on their own in 1971. A further blow was served to the producer months later when Aston and Carlton Barrett, his formidable rhythm section, joined them. Perry subsequently turned to his vast network of musical associates to build a new session outfit. These players, including bassists Val Douglas and Lloyd Parks and drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, would cut the next series of classic Upsetter rhythms. The first years of the 1970s found Perry working closely with Junior Byles, the singer who would temporarily fill the gap left by Marley. From the moment Douglas and the Now Generation band backed the singer on "Beat Down Babylon" in 1971, Scratch ensured that nothing but the finest rhythms were sent his way. Beat Down Babylon: The Upsetter Years includes the whole of Byles' excellent 1972 debut, adding classic singles from the same period, including "King of Babylon," "Pharaoh Hiding," and the sublime "Curly Locks." Byles has a soulful delivery that is probably rooted in the church services he attended as a child. It's the perfect vehicle for expressing his concerns as a young Rasta and a member of Jamaican society. Both "King of Babylon" and "Pharaoh Hiding" captured the optimism prior to the island's 1972 election, while "When Will Better Come" expressed the discontent many felt a year later when change failed to arrive. "Curly Locks," one of Byles' most enduring songs, is a touching tale of Rasta love for a non-Dread. Included among the plethora of bonus tracks are a handful of Perry's versions: trailblazing, proto-dub productions that reveal the muscle beneath the Byles material. Beat Down Babylon represents some of the finest product mixed by the Upsetter's hand and the pinnacle achievements of Junior Byles' career.
© Nathan Bush /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 28 track(s)
- Total length: 01:18:28
- Main artists: Junior Byles
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Trojan Records
- Genre: Reggae
© 1972 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2020 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.