Quality and quantity reign on this mind-blowing set. First of all, Lee "Scratch" Perry truly is a musical genius, and all the proof is here. This four disc set gives a comprehensive, compelling overview of Perry's golden years, displaying a wide range of artists and styles in a carefully organized manner. We are treated to many Scratch solo works, as well as plenty of wildly creative production for other artists. We see Scratch's production talents grow from brilliant to absolutely mind-blowing (check out the eight minute "City Too Hot," for example). There is an entire disc devoted to highlighting Perry's dub works, but there is even more great dub spread throughout the entire collection, and Perry's work is profoundly creative and engaging no matter what the medium. Here we have dub, roots reggae, soul, rocksteady/proto-reggae, grooving instrumentals, and all-around wild, unbridled sonic creativity.
The packaging here is beautiful, and the liner notes (really a small hardcover book) are thoroughly researched and enlightening. There is overall commentary on Perry's career, as well as information and commentary for each individual track, and also historical perspective for the musical styles and formats represented. Importantly, sonic quality is absolutely excellent, usually improving significantly upon tracks which are duplicated on existing releases. The price is almost ridiculously low.
I unreservedly and enthusiastically recommend this set to Perry beginners and experts alike. Long story short, this is absolutely essential Upsetter music. Thank you, Trojan Records.
Get it!
