February 8th, 2006
by Neil Ferguson
Return of the Upsetter
"I am the best record producer that Jamaica has seen," claims Lee "Scratch" Perry. Who are we to disagree?
Before we go any further, let's get one thing straight: Lee "Scratch" Perry isn't mad. Got that? Good.
Eccentric? Sure. Erratic beyond belief? Absolutely. A hyperactive huckster, trickster and holy fool given to spouting some of the most deranged psychobabble bollocks known to man, all rolled up into one bewildering, manic, wiry whole? Damned straight. But mad? Forget about it.
Granted, in the past he's been prone to wearing electric fires on his head, burned down his near-mythical Black Ark studio, was seen walking around Kingston, Jamaica, backward for two days, and has on more than one occasion claimed both divine provenance and to be a survivor of ancient Egypt.
Which, frankly, is pretty much par for the course and wholly expected when you're a bona fide musical genius. And make no mistake-Perry is one of the rare few in the annals of popular music who truly deserves the much abused accolade "genius."
Too much is made of his "mad as a box of small frogs" shenanigans, and god knows he's done nothing to dispel this image. But according to those who know him well, it's an act he developed years ago to keep the wolves and vultures of the music biz at bay.
Besides, when the music's doing the talking, the facts speak for themselves. If he'd merely discovered the likes of Toots and the Maytals and Delroy Wilson, nurtured and encouraged a fledgling Bob Marley, and produced arguably the Clash's finest moment ("Complete Control")-all of which he did-then he'd be an all-time heavyweight great.
But it's primarily his work at his own Black Ark studio-particularly his dazzling mid-'70s golden streak when, seemingly incapable of doing wrong, he produced landmark records by the likes of Junior Murvin, the Congos and Max Romeo-that truly pushed the proverbial envelope.
He made, to paraphrase a fellow musician, "the impossible happen"-music that transcended practical, technical and physical limitations, music that still reverberates wildly today. A dub alchemist, he took sound and stretched and turned it in on itself to create music that was exhilarating, wondrous and at times downright spooky.
Now Perry's about to play Philly again. And at this point I feel I should issue a word of warning for those who haven't had the "privilege" of catching Scratch live before. The tickets ain't cheap, but hey, what price a legend? Just don't go expecting a recreation of past glories or, god forbid, anything much resembling coherence. On a good night Perry's still fun, but the last time I caught him he spent barely 45 minutes on stage gibbering about his cock, while endlessly honking a car horn like a weed-addled Krusty the Clown.
That's the trouble with eccentric legends-you pays yer money, you takes yer chances.
Five Perry Essentials
Congos Heart of the Congos (Blood and Fire)
Max Romeo War Ina Babylon (Mango)
Lee Perry Super Ape (Island)
Lee Perry Roast Fish Collie Weed & Corn Bread (VP)
Various Artists Arkology (Island)
