R.I.P. Lee Scratch Perry

[CrowleyHead]

King Tubby was a scientist, Lee Perry was an alchemist

False Binary. Alchemy is a Science, it's just a Science with a goal and not a path. Tubby and Pablo and Niney and Perry and all the names we can invoke were all working and building off one another as were your Reids and Coxsonnes and the various systems, labels, etc. etc. etc.

As stated in the thread earlier, Scratch's neo-canonization turns him into the auteur figure which subsequently flattens the scene of any other moments of brilliance because he is so Unique a figure (and also alive, a key contrast from Tubby).

If Scratch is an all around producer, that also brings into question what his real strength was when he relies so much on a (brilliant) bandleader who kept the actual music at the heart of the record from ever getting too staid. Likewise Tubby was one of the people who took what Scratch made as incidentals and affects and enhanced them into gestures. It's the difference between a slur/stutter and a colloquial. If Scratch was the visionary people want him to be, he would be able to command people to do this and conceive of this himself, but more often than not his Jamaican collaborators found him to be a liar and a cheat. Bunny Wailer infamously called him a sellout on numerous occasions due to his dealings with Scratch. I mean the man had to have multiple comeback albums anchored by *shudders* Europeans.

 

[william_kent]

I'm not knocking Tubby, he was a genius, it's just a different approach from Perry

 

[CrowleyHead]

Oh you didn't knock Tubby. I'm addressing multiple people at once here.

 

[john eden]

I think that’s fair @CrowleyHead but Scientist’s unfortunate collabs in the 90s onwards suggest that Tubbs may have gone off the rails then too. Similarly Niney didn’t come up with much worth thinking about after the 70s.

It’s always hard to unpick the person from the marketing, but the Black Ark stuff stands out.

 

[william_kent]

I think that’s fair @CrowleyHead but Scientist’s unfortunate collabs in the 90s onwards suggest that Tubbs may have gone off the rails then too. Similarly Niney didn’t come up with much worth thinking about after the 70s.

There's a controversial assertion made in Thibault Ehrengardt's book, "King Tubby's the dub master", that Tubby stopped mixing in 1975 and the majority of recordings credited to him after that date are actually mixed by his apprentices ( Philip Smart, Pat Kelly, Scientist, Jammy )

Tubby probably stopped mixing for financial reasons - what was the point of working without getting paid, when he had bills tp pay? Even more so when he could focus on the lucrative part of his business - electronics? "Tubby nah mix nothing for no one 'cause none of them producer have money to pay him", Scientist states.

Although I'd stress that this doesn't detract from Tubby's legacy in the slightest - and, allegedly, Scientist may not be the most credible source

 

[martin]

Tubby = earth
Perry = fire
Scientist = air
Bovell = water

 

[woops]

Tubby = earth
Perry = fire
Scientist = air
Bovell = water

Plus the 5th element, which is dub

 

[bassbeyondreason]

Keith Hudson - Oil

 

[woops]

You still drunk?

Never quite

 

[luka]

hes working on it

 

[woops]

hes working on it

Tuning up

 

[catalog]

Lee Scratch Perry - special guest On The Wire 16/12/1984

Long before Grand Royale & Arkology we in the North West were regularly blessed with the sounds of the Upsetter, courtesy of BBC Lancashire & Steve Barker's "On The Wire" radio show



"On the wire" was an amazing show, introduced me to all sorts of fantastic music, and they did some brilliant three hour specials - the best of which was the Yabby You one which formed the basis of the Blood & Fire set "Jesus Dread" ( although the B&F one just can't match the original radio show which featured tunes that are rare as hens teeth )

was listening to the perry one the other day and never knew that it's where kode9 got the sample for '9 samurai'

it's about 40 mins in. always loved that tune

 

[catalog]

Lee Scratch Perry - special guest On The Wire 16/12/1984

Long before Grand Royale & Arkology we in the North West were regularly blessed with the sounds of the Upsetter, courtesy of BBC Lancashire & Steve Barker's "On The Wire" radio show



"On the wire" was an amazing show, introduced me to all sorts of fantastic music, and they did some brilliant three hour specials - the best of which was the Yabby You one which formed the basis of the Blood & Fire set "Jesus Dread" ( although the B&F one just can't match the original radio show which featured tunes that are rare as hens teeth )

got the yabby you special on now and it's brilliant. he puts me in mind of big youth with the improvs.