No One Else

At 83, Lee 'Scratch' Perry is still alive and kicking, recording and gigging. And that's cool of course. But as I prefer the early output of the wizard producer from Kendal, Jamaica, let's skank to a trio of deep cuts from the Upsetter years today. "I am the avenger, you'll never get away from me..."

Lee 'King' Perry - I Am The Upsetter
The Upsetters - French Connection Chapter 2
The Upsetters - Bad Lamp

In Your Pipe

"Smoke rings fill the air, blues is a-comin' my way..." Sick and tired of smoking guns, so how about a smoking six pack? Sooty sugar lump artwork - as usual - by Tinca. Bafflin' indeed, folks.

Joe Maphis - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)
David Wiffen - Smoke Rings
Lee Perry - Bafflin' Smoke Signal
Voice Of The Seven Thunders - Out Of The Smoke
Wooden Shjips - Black Smoke Rise
Kikagaku Moyo - Smoke And Mirrors

Inevitable smoky bonus tracks:

The Smoke - My Friend Jack
Lazy Smoke - There Was A Time

Hot Heads

It's one of 'em summers alright. Even the geraniums are wilting on the balcony, no matter how much water you give them. City definitely red hot, too hot... So how about a boiling, sweaty six pack for your listening pleasure, my amigos da musica? Hot time artwork as usual by the mighty Tinca.

The Soul Lifters - Hot, Funky And Sweaty
The Explosions - Stepping Hot
The Samurai - Fresh Hot Breeze Of Summer
Lee 'Scratch' Perry - City Too Hot
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Hot Head
William Harris - Hot Time Blues

For Jah's Sake

And since we were talkin' Chi-Lites just now, here's a righteous, heavily rewritten Scratch version of their '71 masterpiece (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People. "Justice to the white, justice to the black..." Crying children? Priceless of course.

Lee Perry - Justice To The People

Elephant Stone

Horns and jungle drums unite as Scratch & company dub it up dreader than dread. Trust me, this is upsetting. Find it on Blackboard Jungle Dub, a true reggae masterpiece. This one goes out to Marlon James by the way, first Jamaican to win the Man Booker prize. Can't wait to start reading his Brief History Of Seven Killings, my brethren.

The Upsetters - Elephant Rock

Whip Them

Relatively unknown singer Raphael Green holds his own alright, but the good Doctor from Kingston clearly steals the show in this extended, high quality Scratch discomix. "Let the men who stand firm never be eaten by no worm..."

Raphael Green & Doctor Alimantado - Rasta Train

What You Shall Reap

Rejoice Jah people, for once more the sublime folks over at Pressure Sounds have managed to dig up some hitherto unreleased material from the Lee Perry vaults. Roaring Lion, subtitled 16 Untamed Black Art Masters & Dub Plates, is yet another wonderful showcase of the genius they call Scratch. Rarities galore, featuring Junior Byles, Augustus Pablo, Jah Lion, and the Fantels, an ensemble I had never even heard of before. Their Stand And Look shimmers just right.

The Fantels - Stand And Look

I & I Soul

The first outing of the velvet-voiced mr. Moses was the wonderfully titled I Man A Grasshopper, recorded by Scratch at his famous Black Ark headquarters. Note the rocky guitar work, especially near the end: take a bow, Mikey Murray.

Pablo Moses - I Man A Grasshopper

El Salvador

If you're even remotely interested in reggae music, pick up Lloyd Bradley's indispensable book Bass Culture. Guy knows what he's talking about. Here's he is on Lee Perry's dub masterpiece Super Ape for instance: "...a jungle of a soundscape so thick you need a machete to hack through the undergrowth, while the vines and creepers continually swing back and hit you in the face. Like nothing else at the time, it shows how far roots reggae could have gone, as it explores roots both thematically as well as musically, Rastafari, righteousness and repatriation from a perspective so skewed it comes back into line as the absolutely spiritual. This man is the Salvador Dalí of dub."

Scratch & The Upsetters - Croaking Lizard

Foshan To Hong Kong

This in honour of Wong Kar Wai's amazing new arthouse kung fu flic The Grandmaster. Took his Foshan to Hong Kong trip a couple of days back and was totally bowled over. Granted, the story line was a bit confusing at times, but with this kind of superb photography and mesmerizing choreography, who cares? If deadpan fortune cookie one-liners and the most badass slomo's ever are your thing, too, don't hesitate. Alternative soundtrack by Scratch the mighty Upsetter, a surprising fellow aficionado of the genre.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters - Kung Fu Warrior
Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters - Deathly Hands
The Mighty Upsetter - Black Belt
The Mighty Upsetter - Kung Fu Man

Some Like It Dread

I know I do... So it's roots time once again on For The Sake Of The Song. Always harder than the rest, seen? Presenting one more ten pack straight outta Trenchtown. Ride on, natty... ride on.

Big Youth - Some Like It Dread

Rupert Reid - See The Dread Deh

Mighty Diamonds - Jah Jah Bless The Dreadlocks

Linval Thompson - Ride On Dreadlocks

Johnny Clarke - Dread A Dread
Prince Jazzbo - Dreadlock Corner

Evon Jones - 4 And 20 Dreadlocks
Lee Perry - Dreadlocks in Moonlight
Roots Rockers - Moses Was A Dread Locks
Jah Devon - Move Out Of Dreadlocks Company

Scratch Candy

Wouldn't want to call this one a Black Ark classic exactly, but it's cool to hear a forgotten Scratch production just the same. Inglan-born miss McKenzie was flown in with high hopes by Chris Blackwell's Island label to record her debut in Lee Perry's famed Trenchtown studio, but what she found was a wizard pretty much at the end of his tether. Which is probably why the resulting, rather tepid-sounding tracks remained in the vault for decades, except for two songs that got a very limited local release on Perry's own label. For a taste, here's one of Candy and Lee's better moments.

Candy McKenzie - Jah Knows

From The High Plains

Where other reggae reissue labels slowly fade away or have just plain given up, the mighty Pressure Sounds refuses to knuckle under. What's more: it digs deeper still. Just when I thought the Scratch vaults were all but empty, here's High Plains Drifter, a wicked collection of pre-Black Ark Lee Perry productions of 45's only issued in Jamaica.

The Ethiopians - Awake

The Faithful Brothers - Iniquity Workers

Megaton

King Tubby may have been the dub organiser supreme, but Lee Perry wasn't that far behind. So here's Scratch behind that rickety mixing desk of his in the legendary Black Ark studio, with a couple of inventive and - contrary to the album titles - rather laidback tracks from his two tough to find Megaton Dub volumes.

Lee Perry - Freedom Dub

Lee Perry - Megaton Dub

Lee Perry - Big Neck Dub

Lee Perry - Zion In Dub

Dragons & Owls

I am a brother to dragons and a companion to owls. Job said that, but I sure can relate. I'm southbound tomorrow, looking for some sunshine, but will write the odd post provided there's WiFi on the menu somewhere. As usual, you won't get a christmas ditty out of me, but I do wish you all a feliz navidad.

The Mighty Upsetter - Flames Of The Dragon

Jack Rose - Song For The Owl

Beasts Of Bourbon - Chase The Dragon

The Champs - Nite Owl

All Saints

"Well... ya wanna catch a saint, then bait yer hook, let's take a walk..." Presenting a holy six pack for all you hip priests out there. Original artwork by the amazing Tinca.

The Breeders - Saints MP3

Me & Stupid - Dear Saint Rita Of Impossible Dreams MP3

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Saint Huck MP3

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - By Saint Peter MP3

The Grateful Dead - Saint Stephen MP3

Albert Ayler - Saints MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 51

Just another Wild Weekend, and the beat goes on. Here's edition #51, bringing you rock from the motor city, lofi psychedelica from Brooklyn and roots reggae from the island. And we dig up the unjustly forgotten Jerry Riopelle. Get wild or get even.

Saint Julian Cope's been busy again, this time compiling an inspiring 38 song list - with fitting over the top commentary of course - of Electrifying Edisonian Rock ’n’ Roll from sixties and seventies Detroit. Which doesn't omit certified greats like the Stooges and the MC5, but also features lesser known revelations as The Up, Terry Knight & The Pack, and the Rationals. I guess you'll all agree the latter's Guitar Army is a stone cold classic. And pssst... you can dl the complete package over at IPunkSound. Meanwhile, we're moving to warmer climes with the angelic voices of reggae vocal duo the Congos, in a cool Lee Perry sculpted soundscape. Their Heart Of The Congos just may be my all-time fave roots album, but the sharp selection below hails from Arkology, one out of many great Perry collections.

The Rationals - Guitar Army MP3

The Congos - Don't Blame On I MP3

Acid folker Chris Hickey has just reissued his first two solo albums from the late eighties. Get busy here if you dig Dark Cold Day, which sets to music part of a poem by W.H. Auden called In Memory of W.B. Yeats. "The mercury sank in the mouth of the dying day, the day of his death was a dark cold day..." Chew on that, pop kids. On a brighter note, the together again Feelies will be releasing a new album soon and judging by taster Should Be Gone, not much has changed. Which is a good thing for once. I'm not a big fan of reunions in general, but I gladly make an exception for New Joysey's finest beatmakers. Btw: the guitar work near the end instantly reminded me of an early Television song, but I can't put my finger on it yet. Anyone?

Chris Hickey - Dark Cold Day MP3

The Feelies - Should Be Gone MP3

Remember Jerry Riopelle? Probably not. Dude was always busy as a producer and songwriter for others, which may have overshadowed his career as a solo artist. Riopelle was one of those typical critic's darlings, who heaped tons of praise on rootsy rock albums like Saving Grace (´74) and Dangerous Stranger (´79). If you dig the faintly Feat-like Blues On My Table, try picking these up for next to nothing on eBay or in the bargain bin of your local record store. And we've reached yet another Wild Weekend finish line with one more album of last year I managed to miss when it came out. Hey, nobody's perfect. Would have been a shame to do without the psychedelic lofi of Brooklyn-based Woods and their cd At Echo Lake though. To illustrate my point, here's the Powderfinger-inspired opener Blood Dries Darker. Have a wild one, see ya next week.

Jerry Riopelle - Blues On My Table MP3

Woods - Blood Dries Darker MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 37

It´s gonna be a Wild Weekend, issue 37. Where East meets West and the well known goes hand in hand with the obscure. What have we got in store for you this week? Some Britfolk, soul, and afro-reggae, a shot of dino-rock, an Indian ghazal, and a promising new Americana trio to boot. Have a wild one, y´all.

We´ll kick off with some shimmering soul featuring brother Ry and friends, who give the Maurice & Mac classic Why Don´t You Try Me a whole new coat of paint. From the mighty fine Borderline album (´80). Give it a try why don´t you. Time to go pentangling now. I was enjoying some beers with a friend of mine recently when he put an old Pentangle album on, and it amazed us all over again how fresh these British folkrockers still sound today. Bert Jansch and John Renbourn: a wiz guitar team if ever there was one. "Look around for someone lying in the sunshine, marking time, hear the sighs, close your eyes..." And in case you were wondering: that´s the underrated Jaqui McShee on vocals.

Ry Cooder - Why Don´t You Try Me MP3

Pentangle - Light Flight (Take Three Girls Theme) MP3

May we continue with a new band now? Thanks. Presenting Woodsy Pride, an Americana threesome all the way from Redhook, Brooklyn. Wasn´t that the birthplace of Joey, the famous mafioso Dylan wrote such a great but controversial song about? Cool. Anyway, they call their stuff ´southern gothic´ and I sure can live with that. Nice lap steel, too, which is always a good thing. Next we move all the way to India for a relaxed ghazal by a contemporary singer called Hariharan. If I´m not mistaken, the delicate Hasti Apni Habab Ki Si Hai was written by Mir Taqi Mir, the most famous Urdu poet of the eighteenth century. Yes, it´s that old. No idea what he´s on about though. Anyone?

Woodsy Pride - As Always A Good Thing MP3

Hariharan - Hasti Apni Habab Ki Si Hai MP3

On to Jamaica now, with one of the weirdest ventures in the Lee Perry catalogue: his collaboration with Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo. These two singers from Zaire were brought to Kingston in the year when the two sevens clashed, by some malafide promotor who abandoned them almost right away. The duo didn´t speak the language and had no money, but did manage to locate Perry´s famous Black Ark studio somehow. Scratch then worked his magic and produced what was probably the first Afro-Jamaican crossover. Irie or what? And we´ll be off with a pastoral classic by Led Zep. This time Sir Percy´s in pursuit of a Californian beauty who´s never been born. "Meet you up there where the path runs straight and high..." Deal.

Seke Molenga & Kalo Kawongolo - African Roots MP3

Led Zeppelin - Going To California MP3

Jonkanoo Ten Pack

Thought it was about time for a new dub ten pack, so here goes. All strictly roots, all killer no filler. Mixing board wizardry guaranteed. Don´t forget to turn up that bass, my brethren.

Jack Ruby & The Black Disciples - Slavery Days Dub MP3

Skin, Flesh & Bones - Boxer Dub MP3

Lee Perry - Fisher Man Dub MP3

Glen Brown & King Tubby - Termination Dub MP3

Augustus Pablo - Up Warrika Hill MP3

Impact All Stars - Jaro MP3

Tappa Zukie - Dub MPLA MP3

Revolutionaries - Jonkanoo Dub MP3

Ossie All Stars - Dub Down Babylon MP3

Techniques - Ghetto MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 34

Yes... and here we go again. Wild Weekend #34 is here, and the hits just keep on coming. Soul, new wave, garage, reggae: you name it, we´ve got it. Just have another wild one.

Reading Eric Davidson´s inspiring Gunk Punk book found me digging up all kinds of garagey sounds from the wild nineties again. Enter Seattle´s Fall-Outs, whose short, sharp and snotty Here I Come used to be a favorite of mine back in the days. Moving into soul territory now, with an early seventies, Swamp Dogg-produced gem by the obscure Freddie North. If you ever chance upon the slogan 'Freddie loves Mary' somewhere, I bet you five dollars it was him back when he was still young and in love. "Now I write my letters with a fancy pen, but my mind goes back to the chalk every now and then..."

The Fall-Outs - Here I Come MP3

Freddie North - Sidewalks, Fences And Walls MP3

I came rather late to the Black Swans, whose presence on a just-released split single with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy urged me to check out their earlier stuff. And guess what? It didn´t disappoint at all. Au contraire. Try the moody Shake, with a cool Scarlet Rivera-like gypsy violin, to see what I mean. Cover time now, featuring the new wave pride of Swindon. On their second album White Music, XTC surprisingly climbed Dylan´s rickety watchtower, where a forgotten mouthharp lay waiting for them.

The Black Swans - Shake MP3

XTC - All Along The Watchtower MP3

I take it you´re all familiar with that tired old folk warhorse about that whorehouse down in New Orleans, but did you ever catch Frijid Pink´s motor city version? From 1970, with Bonzo-inspired drums and wicked guitarwork. Find it on their eponymous debut, a more or less forgotten classic. And it´s bye bye for now with a track from Sound System Scratch, an excellent new Pressure Sounds release dedicated once more to the great mr. Perry. And here I was thinking the vaults must be empty by now... Locks In The Dublight is a dub version of his classic Dreadlocks In Moonlight: short but very very sweet.

Frijid Pink - House Of The Rising Sun MP3

Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Locks In The Dublight MP3