Lee Scratch Perry* – Arkology

I truly believe this is one of the most influential compilations across any genre. In the 1990s, before the internet was widely available, this kind of music wasn’t played on the radio and was hard to find. For a younger generation growing up at that time, this compilation was a revelation. It's a mystery to me why Island never reissued this comp after the 1990s or followed it up with a volume 2

An excellent selection collection of some of Perry's best work . It also shows how consistent his productions were in this era when 'Super Ape ' , 'Return of the Super Ape' , ' Revolution Dub' , 'Ital Corner' ,' Best Dressed Chicken' , various 'Dubstramental' lps, ' Kung Fu meets the Dragon' , 'Revelation Time' 'Jolly Brothers ' & much more barely get a look in on the discs .
Of course this may due to licensing & copyright issues - noting the lps released by Max Romeo ,Heptones, Jah Lion ,George Faith , Junior Murvin on Island label supply a number of tracks , & also tracks from lps that Island turned down :the Congos , Perry's own 'Roast Fish ....'
So after sampling this ' 3 disc 'Lee Perry Primer' any newly converted fans had a whole collection of excellent Perry comps & reissues to peruse if they so felt - 'Voodooism' ,'Rastafari liveth Itinually ' , 'Produced & Directed by...' &
various 'Scratch Sound System' issues (& many more) to keep those that may not have realised how prolific & constantly worthwhile his work was from the mid to later 70s ( & that's before trawling through his pre Black Ark time which included work with Junior Byles, the Wailers, proto dubs & a real Dub milestone with 'Blackboard Jungle' )
Some may have been a bit disappointed that his more extreme sounding experimental sonic releases are not present on this collection, but I feel having a coherent similarity on the discs -(even if it was mostly due to copyright issues) with the steamy phased 'river of sound' style makes a more enjoyable experience, & one that can be played even to those who wouldn't usually listen to much of Perry's output - it's noticeable there are not many of his own own vocal releases present , the quality of which could be variable.
I think 5 takes of 'Police & Thieves' is 2 (or 3) too many , & possibly a few dubs could have been replaced with vocal cuts . Possibly the extended 'Memories' , 'Garden of life' , 'Reggae music (dis a)' with Alimantado or if possible the 12" 'Sons of Slaves' ,Carlton Jacksons 'History ext'/'Old dub' or 'Vampire Horns version'
having the 3 discs all subtitled 'Dub....' was most probably due to the renewed interest in the JA sub-genre at the time of release rather than Perry's own dubbing abilities . Really his genius lay in arrangements, knowing what to add to a track e.g. adding Watty Burnett to the Congos or knowing when a vocalist Iike Junior Murvin was ready to do an lp & producing a 'trademark sound' that few could create - & having the ability to not just reuse & update old rhythms from Studio One or Treasure Isle , but to find his own path through experimentation & a gift for knowing how to get the 'Right Sounds' on tape ...
And it shouldn't be forgotten what a big release this was at the time & the belief that more packages like this would be released - & certainly a few did appear & Island label have released a lot of good discs at low prices , as have Greensleeves ,VP ,Doctor Bird & even Trojan...while Virgin have just carried on with seemingly no ability to make decent releases from their storeroom..!
But why did Mr Perry get such a lavish set ? As only a few years earlier he was playing half hearted shows to an odd mix of ageing skinheads ,out of date punks n rastas & the still curious .
Well classic JA sounds were getting noticed again due to 'Blood & Fire' ,'Pressure Sounds' , 'Soul Jazz ' etc & with those not caught up in 'britpopmania' realising just how good these sounds from the 70s were- suddenly the 'Essential roots festivals 'were ,well essential & seeing Perry (& others) around the time of this release they seemed to realise there was still interest in what they were doing & having a larger than life personality like Perry certainly helped to create interest.....& hopefully made him some well deserved money along the way .(just a shame about most of his subsequent releases)

One oversight by the team that put the cover images together is the very much 'wrong era' picture of Mr Perry working a console while wearing a 'Queen' - 'it's a kind of Magic ' T-SHIRT ,that most certainly wasn't released during Scratch's prime era featured on the discs inside the the box !!

Formidable compilation de LEE PERRY qui avait un poster des CLASH sur les murs de son mythique studio BLACK ARK, le seul poster d'un groupe de blancs ! Le son, bien que transféré de l'analogique vers le numérique, est vraiment excellent et l'essentiel y est quant à ses différentes collaborations. C'est jouissif et renversant, à tomber en pamoison. OBLIGATOIRE !!!!

This 3 CD box is an absolute masterpiece : discover the incredible sound of Lee Perry’s Black Ark Studio !
Deep Roots !

!!!!!!!!ESSENTIAL¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡.Masterful display of the Dub Shepherd in his glorious time in Black Ark.
;-( A real and great pity that it has not been released on vinyl :-(

nattygreg is right, this is a killer compilation!

the extended versions of classic tracks are worth the money alone, roots train for example with additional toasts by dillinger is essential stuff, i love it so much.

this is beyond words and criticism, this is pure magic, recorded by the genius lee perry at his now mythical record studio, which he burned down due to mental distortions...

what he created there is pure dope, pure creativity and absolute timeless.

this is a must have to any lover of reggae & dub and the perfect starting point for the journey into lee perrys world, a very unique world.

was he crazy? insanity and genius are often close, many real artists had troubled minds like syd barrett.
he talked sometimes things hard to follow and behaved in strange ways...so in a way one can tell that he was really crazy, but he was able to put that into very unique music.

i had the luck to see him in concert with mad professor, i think it was his last tour...he lighted a big spliff with every track and ed them to the audience after some puffs, it was a the most "weeded" concert you can imagine and a wonderful one.
lee was in fine form and moved not like a old man he was, he improvised his lyrics and had fun on the stage, it was a special experience.

Killer 1997 collection and a perfect starters guide to Black Ark work with Classics tunes, unreleased tracks and alternate mixes... Perfect !
Really need a LP Press !!!

So lucky to have this on CD from back then. From the few things that I have listened always / in this age of constantly listening to new stuff without staying on a particular track or album for long. RIP Lee. Thank you.

Brilliant!! Somewhat bittersweet also . The way Perry regressed during the 90's till the present day .
Living in Switzerland with countless sycophants around him who'll adore his every fart .

this box set is realy unique all the tracks are top one by one !