Lee "Scratch" Perry & Friends - Ethiopia (CD)

All Music Guide

Just when you think you've probably heard all of the material recorded by Lee Perry at his legendary Black Ark studio, another collection pops up with tracks you haven't heard by artists you've never heard of. This one includes a few frequently collected classics (Perry's own "Stay Red," the Upsetters' "Thanks We Get"), but most of the program is less familiar -- future Third World vocalist Bunny Ruggs covers "I Am I Said," and there's the repatriation anthem "Ethiopia," just to name two obscurities. Actually, one or two of these tracks could have remained buried and it wouldn't have hurt anyone -- the Silvertones' excruciatingly polytonal rendition of "How Deep Is Your Love," for example -- but most of this material is priceless. Other highlights include Leo Graham's classic "News Flash" (listed here as "News Splash") and the Upsetters' creepy horticultural anthem "Bless the Weed." Everything partakes of the signature Black Ark ambience: the splashy echo, the eerie, slightly distant v...ocal mix, and that slight edge of utter madness that characterizes every session over which the mighty Upsetter presides. - Rick Anderson, All Music Guide Read more Less