Barry 'Scratchy' Myers:Scratchy Sounds CD review
Essential Ground-Breaking Reggae Sounds from the 1960s and 70s
Jan 26, 2009
Punk and Reggae were ideal bedfellows. In the early '70s, Reggae had picked up the torch of protest white rock music had lost around the end of the 1960s. Punk brought anger, energy and a vital sense of creativity to the Britain of the mid 1970s where mass unemployment and a lack of options for young people were very real issues.
Punk and Reggae were ideal bedfellows. In the early '70s, Reggae had picked up the torch of protest white rock music had lost around the end of the 1960s. Punk brought anger, energy and a vital sense of creativity to the Britain of the mid 1970s where mass unemployment and a lack of options for young people were very real issues.
The Punky Reggae Party in the U.K
In the London clubs of the day such as The Roxy and Dingwalls, visionary DJ's like Don Letts and Barry 'Scratchy' Myers were busy bringing the hardline sounds of Jamaica to sympathetic young ears. The result was trailblazing bands like The Clash, The Ruts and Stiff Little Fingers forging their own blistering, reggae-influenced sounds to rock the nation.
Released through respected Reggae imprint Trojan Records (www.sanctuaryrecords.co.uk) Scratchy Sounds brings the finest Jamaican sounds of the era together in one handy double CD compendium. It's a vital collection for both long-term fans of the genre and the merely curious and will amaze anyone who believes Reggae begins and ends with Bob Marley.
Scratchy Sounds brings us Rock Steady and the Ska Explosion
Crucially, Barry Myers' selection recognises the development of Reggae's all-important sub genres during the '60s and '70s. Taking up from where the post-war Calypso boom left off, Scratchy Sounds brings us the fast, choppy guitar sounds of the original 1960s Ska explosion. Important singles like Derrick Morgan's Moon Hop, C.Hyman's self-explanatory Ska Rhythm and The Survivors' hilarious re-working of Cowboy theme Rawhide are all present and correct.
Rock Steady would supersede this sound, with the beat slowing down in the late '60s Jamaican scene. This era brought us some of Reggae's most soulful vocalists and Scratchy Sounds celebrates this period with tunes by enduring performers such as John Holt and Delroy Wilson, whose catchy hit Cool Operator was later namechecked in The Clash's White Man In Hammersmith Palais.
Dub Reggae, Bob Marley and the Spirit of Rastafari
During the 1970s, another pioneering Reggae innovation was the development of Dub. Originally devised to present instrumental versions of hit songs as B-sides, it would become an art form in itself. Tracks here from radical producers like Lee 'Scratch' Perry and King Tubby present basslines so low they go off the Richter scale and the listener being assaulted by cascading reverb and echo. Both disorienting and beautiful, it's a genre that's alive and kicking to this day.
Later in the 70s, Bob Marley would bring the militant spirit of Rastafari to a Global audience, but Myers (www.scratchysounds.co.uk) also recognises the importance of other enduring Rasta Reggae performers like Max Romeo and Dadawah. The latter's track Seventy Two Nations still sounds years ahead of its' time with its' mesmeric basslines, long and spacy jamming sections and tribal African drums. Impressive stuff for a song originally released in 1974.
Reggae continues to evolve. During the '80s and '90s, styles like Dancehall and Raggamuffin have held sway and producers have come to terms with the new digital rhythms. Nonetheless, it's still the super-creative sound of Jamaica's 60s and '70s that resonates loudest down the years. Scratchy Sounds celebrates this epochal spell in exhaustive and stylish fashion. It's a veritable little Reggae Bible.
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