Lee "Scratch" Perry

Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle - 1973
Having been renamed, remixed and reorganized many times since its original release in 1973, the phenomenal Upsetters 14 Blackboard Jungle Dub has at long last been restored to its original incarnation and given the definitive remastering treatment it's deserved for decades. Arguably the first true dub LP, Blackboard Jungle is a landmark pairing of two of the greatest minds of the genre, Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby, both of whom leave their unmistakable imprint all over this record. It's tough to pin down exactly who did what and where, but from the sound of things, the bulk of the tracks were arranged and recorded at Scratch's Black Ark Studio - wobbly guitars, grimy bass and percussion, distant horns and all - while King Tubby reigned over the mixing board and dubbed it blacker than dread. Thanks to Tubby's meticulous technique, Blackboard Jungle is unlike anything else to come out of the Black Ark, incredibly precise, elegantly psychedelic, even flirting with American soul at points, and every bit as thrilling as anything either man would accomplish at the height of their career. One of the greatest albums of all time. If you're looking to dip your toe into the murky waters of dub, dip it here.

For this LP and more of the same, head over to the incredible You and Me on a Jamboree. They've got enough dub, roots reggae and classics to make you sick.

Lee "Scratch" Perry & the Upsetters

Super Ape - 1976

Lee Perry's dub reggae cornerstone was released in Jamaica on his own Upsetter label in July of 76 under the title Scratch the Upsetter, and unleashed upon the rest of the world a month later as Super Ape, albeit with a different cover and track order. And while volumes could be written on the influence of Super Ape, the album itself is a dark, brooding exploration of skeletal harmonies and the sonic manipulation of Scratch in his absolute prime. Psychedelic doesn't even begin to describe this music. The peaks are numerous, but the narcotic waves of dub bass and dense orchestration create a hypnotic soundscape that functions most effectively in album length doses. As essential as it gets.

Return of the Super Ape - 1978

The follow-up to Super Ape, released two years later as The Return of Super Ape, carried the good fortune of being the final album recorded in Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studio. Scratch himself allegedly burned it to the ground a year later in a ritual to cleanse the studio of the bad mojo that had permeated it in its later years. Although it serves as a nice companion piece, The Return of Super Ape is similar to its predecessor in name only, as it's more of an upbeat collection of bizzarre lyrical twists and wild experiments laced together with slinky dub grooves. Driven by the crack musicianship of the Upsetters, the instrumentation is less dense, and in turn, Scratch's surreal technical effects are pushed even further out front. As heady as it gets.