Saturday Scratch #23

In 1977, as Lee Perry and The Congos worked on the legendary 'Heart of the Congos' LP, Jeremy Marre, an English film maker, was in Jamaica gathering footage for a BBC documentary entitled 'Roots Rock Reggae'. When Marre knocked on the door of The Black Ark and asked if he could film some musicians at work in the studio, Scratch, Junior Murvin, The Congos, The Upsetters and The Heptones obligingly improvised a tune for the camera crew entitled, 'Play On Mr Music'. It was subsequently assumed that the song remained unfinished, with the only evidence of it's existence captured in these brief, priceless moments from the documentary.

In 2012, however, the DVD release of 'Beats of the Heart; Roots Rock Reggae' unexpectedly included a complete version of this most sought after of lost Black Ark nuggets amongst it's bonus features. Now, 35 years later, the tune is finally available for all to enjoy. One can only imagine what other gems might be stashed away in the Black Ark vaults.

 Previously on Saturday Scratch.

Saturday Scratch #21/Version City #6

Quite often on Saturday Scratch, I attempt to shine a light on a lesser known gem or overlooked nugget from Lee Perry's back pages. Today's tune, however, is an unarguable, stone cold classic, from what is, in all probability, the strongest vocal album produced by Scratch. The album is 1977's 'Heart of the Congos' by The Congos and the track is the adapted and updated traditional song, 'Fisherman.'

I've chosen this particular piece as a way of introducing another musical favourite of mine, Micah Blue Smaldone. Micah started out playing in bands from America's hardcore punk scene in the 1990's, but by the time of his solo debut, 'Some Sweet Day', in 2004 he had become what can best be described as an old-timey acoustic folk-blues troubadour. Since then he has released two further studio albums, the magnificently titled 'Hither and Thither' and 2008's deep and dark 'The Red River', in addition to the 'Live in Belgium' EP in 2007. His extra curricular activities betray his increasingly neo-traditional folk leanings as evidenced in his ongoing collaboration with Fire on Fire and his mid-noughties work with Death Vessel.

I will delve further into Micah Blue Smaldone's oeuvre at a later date, of that you can be sure, but for the time being check out his inspired live reading of that Congos classic.