Reggae Greats-Lee 'Scratch' Perry

This was the album that turned me on to reggae music. 'Wisdom' is absolute perfection, Natty Dread Skank in close behind, Dreadlocks in Moonlight, Soul Fire, Groovy Situation.....just awesome choon after choon

Awesome

In 1984 Island Records unleashed from their vaults a number of compilations of classic Reggae artists under the collective title of "Reggae Greats". The first CDs of the "Reggae Greats" series appeared in 1985. These were reissued in 1990 with the same mastering as part of the "Reggae Refreshers" campaign. In 1998 they were remastered and re-released by Spectrum as the "Island Reggae Greats" series. This review is for the 1985 Lee Perry CD (Mango/Island 260 855) from the first series.Although it's quite an old release and has a relatively limited tracklist, "Reggae Greats" remains to this day one of the better Lee Perry compilations. Yet it was unique in the "Reggae Greats" series because the named performer was not the sole featured artiste. With the exception of just two tracks this CD consists of material produced (and in some cases co-authored) by Perry for other performers. Recorded during his classic "Black Ark" period, it functions both as a fantastic primer for essential 70s Reggae and as a brilliant exhibition of Perry's signature production work from the time. Its a measure of the overall quality that almost all of these songs are today recognised as Reggae classics in their own right.The mastering of the disc is AAD and sounds like a straight transfer from the original tapes. It has a lovely natural warmth. My experience with these original "Reggae Greats" CDs has been consistantly positive in that respect. Those responsible for mastering these discs did a great job of not messing with the original sound - the later Spectrum reissues seem to have been tweaked slightly in comparison.In conclusion, this compilation works on a number of levels. It's a great little collection for the Lee Perry fan, but because of the diverse selection of performers you don't have to be a Lee Perry fan to enjoy it. And if you're new to the genre with a collection currently extending no further than Bob Marley's "Legend" and/or the soundtrack to "The Harder They Come", this CD would be the perfect next step along the Reggae trail.So I'll give Lee Perry "Reggae Greats" a solid 4 stars out of 5.

This album features some of the best of Scratch's mid-'70s work at the legendary Black Ark studio, when this lunatic visionary was arguably at his peak. The production is so deep and three-dimensional that you could sink into it, and the whole sound positively glows. This is some of the sweetest sounding music you'll hear.With material, arrangements and productions as strong as these, Scratch was able to bring out career-best performances from almost anyone, from established stars like Max Romeo, Prince Jazzbo and the Heptones, to (at the time) unknowns like Junior Murvin and George Faith.There's a good mixture of the obvious classics like "Party Time", "War Ina Babylon" and "Police & Thieves" with less well-known but equally fantastic tracks like "Groovy Situation", "Croaking Lizard" and Scratch's own "Dreadlocks In Moonlight". These songs are amongst the very best roots reggae ever recorded, and at the price, this is a total steal. It's just a shame there isn't room for "Curly Locks", "People Funny Boy", "Mr President", "Sufferers' Time", "Open Up The Gate", "Chase The Devil" and many, many more.At the end of the '70s, Scratch "exorcised" the Black Ark by burning it to the ground. The utterly unique sound of that studio has never been recreated, not even by Scratch himself, which is a great loss. However, if you're looking for an intro to roots reggae, this is an excellent and not-too-scary place to start.

It's short cos it was compiled when we still bought cassettes and such but you can't fault the selection. If you're new to LSP and want to check him or if you just want a good reggae selection this is ideal. I've upgraded from cassette to CD now!

best reggae lp ever

I didn't have any information about Lee Scratch Perry before a friend told me he had heard it for the first time and he enjoyed it. So I decided to look for it and order one CD. And although the kind of reggae has a "classical" reggae basis it has some most interesting new sounds, at least for me. I was very happy with a new sound at home.

Just to mention an anecdote... One of my colleagues at work is a true Reggae lover. He's got dreadlocks (he's a white guy) and he plays in a Reggae band, they perform gigs, etc... I think you see the picture. Well the guy really likes Lee Scratch Perry, and he was very happy when I lend him this CD because it contains 2 tracks that he had never heard of before, called "Soul Fire" and "Roastfish & Cornhead". If it were only for these 2 ones, it would be worth the shot, but the whole CD is really great. My husband bought the original record (vinyl) a long time ago. The sound has been well rendered on the CD. I even think it is better (finer). Once again: worth the shot!