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Appearing a year after Lee "Scratch" Perry's death at the age of 85, King Scratch is the late musician's first posthumous anthology, though far from his first compilation issued by Trojan Records. The collection mainly focuses on Perry's work from the '60s and '70s, from early rocksteady singles (like his own "People Funny Boy," a vicious putdown of former employer Joe Gibbs, and Upsetters tracks like "Return of Django") to productions from his legendary Black Ark studio, with only a taste of his later output at the end of the set. For the most part, the compilation concentrates on songs Perry produced for other artists rather than dub versions and experiments, with a large percentage being concise 7" single mixes, and only a handful constituting extended 12" versions or album cuts. A considerable amount of Perry's best-known productions is on here, with many of them included in rare or previously unreleased mixes largely unheard outside of Jamaica. These include undisputed timeless classics like Susan Cadogan's "Hurt So Good" (a Top Five hit in the U.K.) and Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" appearing in a 12" mix accompanied by DJ Jah Lion. Similarly, Max Romeo's "Chase the Devil" (known to ravers for being sampled by the Prodigy on the 1992 single "Out of Space") leads into Perry's truly wild "Disco Devil," which dunks the same rhythm in a vat of acidic distortion and echo. The two songs included by the Congos originate from the same time period as the 1977 opus Heart of the Congos, a truly visionary fusion of Rastafarian roots lyrics and Perry's otherworldly sonics, though neither track appeared on the original album. The final stretch of the compilation concentrates on solo Scratch, including late-era Black Ark recordings like "Bafflin' Smoke Signal," then ending with two cuts that appeared on Trojan-issued albums from the early 2000s. A warped take on Bob Marley's "Exodus," here included in a rare 7" mix, and the title track to the Grammy-winning Jamaican E.T. demonstrate the hallmarks of Scratch's later work, from his inimitable creaky vocals and free-associative wordplay to his still-unconventional approach to production, with multiple voices and strange, ear-catching noises layered in the mix. It would be nearly impossible to compile a truly definitive anthology of Perry's daunting body of work -- even an exhaustive dozen-disc box would likely miss some essentials and leave several corners of his discography untouched. That said, King Scratch's format, focusing mostly on singles while including numerous rare and alternate versions, makes it both an ideal starting point for novices as well as a must for longtime fans, not unlike 1997's vital Arkology. [In addition to the standard double-CD and streaming edition and a truncated double LP, King Scratch was also issued as a massive box set consisting of four LPs and four CDs, with no overlapping material, and a 50-page book.]
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1968 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Derrick Harriott, Composer - The Inspirations, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1968 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - The Upsetters, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Val Bennett, Saxophone, FeaturedArtist, Featured Saxophone
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1968 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - The Upsetters, Performance, MainArtist - Dave Barker, Performance, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1970 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Little Roy, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Earl Lowe, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1971 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Junior Byles, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - George Meikle, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1972 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - The Gatherers, Composer, MainArtist - Sangie Davis, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
The Upsetters, Instruments, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist - Unknown at Data Takeon, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Producer, Instruments, MainArtist - The Upsetters, Instruments, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1973 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Phillip Mitchell, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Susan Cadogan, Composer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1974 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Byles, Composer, Writer, MainArtist - Pauline Morrison, Composer, Writer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1974 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Bunny & Ricky, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1975 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Max Romeo, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1975 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Susan Cadogan, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1974 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Prince Jazzbo, MainArtist - Linval Carter, Composer, Writer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer, Writer - Max Romeo, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Prince Jazzbo, MainArtist - Linval Carter, Composer, Writer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Leroy Sibbles, Vocals - The Heptones, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Murvin, Composer, MainArtist - Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Jah Lion, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Max Romeo, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Max Romeo, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Maxie Smith, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Producer - Glen Adams, Composer - Watty & Tony, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1976 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Max Romeo, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, Engineer, MainArtist - Maxie Smith, Composer - The Full Experience, Contributor, Instruments, FeaturedArtist, With Vocals, With All Instruments
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Leo Graham, MainArtist - Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Watty Burnett, Composer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Murvin, Composer, MainArtist - Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1978 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Murvin, MainArtist - Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Mervin Smith, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1980 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
The Congos, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Cedric Myton, Composer - Roydel Johnson, Composer - Yvonne Myton, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1977 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Junior Delgado, Composer, MainArtist - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer - Unknown at Data Takeon, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1978 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
The Congos, MainArtist - Roydel Johnson, Composer
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1978 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1981 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 1986 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd, a BMG company
Bob Marley, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Producer, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
Lee Perry, Composer - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Performance, MainArtist
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2001 Trojan Recordings Ltd., a BMG Company
Album review
Appearing a year after Lee "Scratch" Perry's death at the age of 85, King Scratch is the late musician's first posthumous anthology, though far from his first compilation issued by Trojan Records. The collection mainly focuses on Perry's work from the '60s and '70s, from early rocksteady singles (like his own "People Funny Boy," a vicious putdown of former employer Joe Gibbs, and Upsetters tracks like "Return of Django") to productions from his legendary Black Ark studio, with only a taste of his later output at the end of the set. For the most part, the compilation concentrates on songs Perry produced for other artists rather than dub versions and experiments, with a large percentage being concise 7" single mixes, and only a handful constituting extended 12" versions or album cuts. A considerable amount of Perry's best-known productions is on here, with many of them included in rare or previously unreleased mixes largely unheard outside of Jamaica. These include undisputed timeless classics like Susan Cadogan's "Hurt So Good" (a Top Five hit in the U.K.) and Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" appearing in a 12" mix accompanied by DJ Jah Lion. Similarly, Max Romeo's "Chase the Devil" (known to ravers for being sampled by the Prodigy on the 1992 single "Out of Space") leads into Perry's truly wild "Disco Devil," which dunks the same rhythm in a vat of acidic distortion and echo. The two songs included by the Congos originate from the same time period as the 1977 opus Heart of the Congos, a truly visionary fusion of Rastafarian roots lyrics and Perry's otherworldly sonics, though neither track appeared on the original album. The final stretch of the compilation concentrates on solo Scratch, including late-era Black Ark recordings like "Bafflin' Smoke Signal," then ending with two cuts that appeared on Trojan-issued albums from the early 2000s. A warped take on Bob Marley's "Exodus," here included in a rare 7" mix, and the title track to the Grammy-winning Jamaican E.T. demonstrate the hallmarks of Scratch's later work, from his inimitable creaky vocals and free-associative wordplay to his still-unconventional approach to production, with multiple voices and strange, ear-catching noises layered in the mix. It would be nearly impossible to compile a truly definitive anthology of Perry's daunting body of work -- even an exhaustive dozen-disc box would likely miss some essentials and leave several corners of his discography untouched. That said, King Scratch's format, focusing mostly on singles while including numerous rare and alternate versions, makes it both an ideal starting point for novices as well as a must for longtime fans, not unlike 1997's vital Arkology. [In addition to the standard double-CD and streaming edition and a truncated double LP, King Scratch was also issued as a massive box set consisting of four LPs and four CDs, with no overlapping material, and a 50-page book.]
© Paul Simpson /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 40 track(s)
- Total length: 02:31:44
- Main artists: Lee "Scratch" Perry
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Trojan Records
- Genre: Reggae
© 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company ℗ 2022 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., a BMG Company
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