Thursday 4 September 2014

Upsettlement

Either Dollar in Teeth or Return of Django appear on just about every ska compilation ever...compiled. And they're seriously good tracks. Other than those two though I admit, my knowledge of Upsetters instrumentals was scanty.  Anyway, the other week, after twenty years of not really being that bothered I decided to check out some of their other output. I pondered which track to post and was torn between Sipreano and Tipper Special. Ska and more so dub can test even my taste for repetition, but these two though I find thoroughly satisfying, mainly on account of their slight weirdness I think, a defining attribute of the famous Lee Perry production. Regarded as a legend in this household and I know all my friends feel the same way, is he famous in the real world?

I was going to leave it on the question there, but I spoke to my brother shortly after I'd written it and so I asked him. He had absolutely no idea who he was. Didn't even know what he did.

Anyway, Tipper Special. I opted for this one on the grounds that it's drier.

5 comments:

  1. He's big here at Medd Towers too. Whether or not that makes him famous is another matter. But without him, Marley, I Roy and Tosh there would be no reggae, ska, blue beat or dub. Or Joe Strummer, probably.

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  2. I once taught a kid whose names was Lee Perry. I said 'you know there's a reggae artist with the same name as you?'. He said 'what's reggae?'

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  3. John - he played a gig in Holm Firth a bit back and I was tempted to try and get there from Sheffield with a few friends. We were a bit bemused at his choice of venue. But then there was that thing in the Guardian a few weeks ago, about how Huddersfield was a bit of a Mecca for Reggae artists on account of a German bloke there who made valves for amps.

    SA - Oh dear.

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  4. My ten year old loves Perry. The two albums with the Orb are excellent, bonkers but brilliant

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  5. He's the Spike Milligan of Reggae. And I mean that in a good way

    It's funny the way people seem to section a lot of music off from kids - I can understand why they'd want to shield them from profanity laden songs, but it's odd that a kid listening to, say, Can would seem somehow inappropriate.

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