Produced & Directed By the Upsetter

Lee "Scratch" Perry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 12, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Pressure Sounds
• ASIN: B0007TFIBA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,440 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black Ark obscurities, July 8, 2000

By 

Derrick A. Smith (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Produced & Directed By the Upsetter (Audio CD)

In many ways the Jamaican music scene of the 1960s-70s was the perfect example of "independent music." In the U.S., a few massive conglomerates produce almost all of the music that reaches the charts and the sales bins, while many indie labels struggle to survive. However, in the relatively tiny country of Jamaica during the rocksteady and reggae years, the vast majority of music was made in studios flung throughout Jamaica, appearing on hundreds of different labels, allowing for hundreds of artists to record. Many of these far-flung recordings were then licensed to U.K. affiliates, notably Trojan; but Jamaica's music as a whole at this time could be considered "independent", with a few studios predominating in the dancehalls and on the radio but with plenty of real competition from many other studios.

In such a climate, a studio like Lee Perry's Black Ark received a never-ending flow of variable talent, the "arkives" of which continue to be plundered for treasures. The set kicks off with Watty Burnett's "I Man Free", a touching Rasta affirmation of freedom from wrongdoing, adorned by Lee with siren effects, reflecting the strife-torn Kingston atmosphere. The Heptones's "Crying Over You" is a darkly sublime tune that may be one of their best. The Silvertones weigh in with "Financial Crisis," another reality tune leavened by a sweet delivery and positive message. Junior Murvin's tracks carry the Biblical point-of-view of his more well-known recordings with Perry, and are likewise classics of falsetto vocal delivery, creative reggae, and Scratch production. My favorite track is by the little-heard George Faith, whose "To Be a Lover" appeared in its discomix on ARKOLOGY; "Guide Line" is from a much different perspective, a reality tune calling for "Inity" set over a quick tempo with an eerie female chorus. It would be a fine track regardless of the production, but Perry went all out, calling up bubbles and bleats that have no logical relevance to the song but build around it a heady atmosphere.

The fact that these tracks are actual rarities, and that such rarities from Jamaican studios of the 1970s are continually being re-released (or released for the first time,) speaks for the creative potential possible when there is true competition among studios and the musical playing field is as wide as possible.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars * TOP NOTCH ESSENTIAL SCRATCH *, December 7, 2005

By 

Jasper (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Produced & Directed By the Upsetter (Audio CD)

This is a beautiful and lovingly assembled set of Black Ark material from Pressure Sounds. Every song comes with a version, and many of the songs and dubs are not only rare, but are prime examples of the musical synergy which was in full fruition in the heydays of the Ark. Easily on par with Pressure Sound's excellent Voodooism, any Lee Perry fan who wishes to look themselves in the mirror needs either to purchase this set, or give the asking price to charity. There are no other options for righteous living.