'Love Thy Neighbour' by Ras Michael
and the Sons of Negus is an album
produced at the Black Ark by Lee Perry
and originally released in 1979. That
all appears to be straight forward
enough, right? Well appearances can be
deceptive and it's not as simple as it
seems.
Apparently a dozen tracks were
recorded by the band with Scratch at
the helm in 1978 and over the years
several different permutations of
these tunes have seen the light of
day, released under the 'Love Thy
Neighbour' banner. Unfortunately
though, so far, there has been no
compilation of the complete sessions.
So there's a massive opportunity for a
label like Pressure Sounds to step in
and gather together the definitive
version of this great album.
My copy of 'Love Thy Neighbour' boasts
just seven tracks and I've managed to
track down a couple of others on my
journeys around the interweb. The
sound is haunting and drenched in echo, even by
Black Ark standards, and the nyabinghi
drums reverberate like a clattering
heartbeat through each tune. The reverb and delay create a claustrophobic, menacing atmosphere throughout. I've read
some criticism of the production being
too murky and dense, but I wouldn't
have it any other way.
Here are two tracks from
the album. If you dig 'em,
check out the rest, or at least those that are easy to find.
Enjoy the tunes and your weekend.
Previously on Saturday Scratch.
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6 comments:
Have not heard these before and they are excellent....I must check this out....after the Olympics...Even a big sports fan like myself is being worn down.
Nice video. Keep sharing more.
Glad you like 'em OPC. The album has a great atmosphere. (I've managed to avoid the Olympics so far...not long to go now!)
Hello EPS and thanks for dropping by. More on the way next Saturday, all being well!
Oh yes...strictly roots!! Love dem Nyabingi drums. Not heard any of this stuff but can't beat that Lee Perry smoked out production.
Far out. Scratch was definitely brewing something odd here. Will have to look up more of these recordings. On my travels last week I picked up an very smart little double disc compilation of some fine mid to late 70's Black Ark recordings. Didn't have all of them previously by any means so it's added some true delight these past few days. An untouchable producer.
flycasual, It's a great album and worth investigating further for the cover of 'London Bridge Is Falling Down' alone!
SB, There are still so many new Scratch compilations appearing with unreleased tracks, one wonders how much more there can be left in the vaults, but if Black Ark period tunes are involved - i'll always find the cash!
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