Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Dub Revolution, Pt. 1 - Lee "Scratch" Perry & the Upsetters
2. One Step Forward - Max Romeo
3. One Step Dub - The Upsetters
4. Vampire - Devon Irons
5. Vamp a Dub - The Upsetters
6. Sufferers Time - The Heptones
7. Sufferers Dub - The Upsetters
8. Sufferers Heights - Junior Dread
9. Don't Blame on I - The Congos
10. Much Smarter - The Meditations
11. Much Smarter Dub - The Upsetters
12. Life Is Not Easy - The Meditations
13. Life Is Not Easy Dub - The Upsetters
14. Tedious - Junior Murvin
15. War Ina Babylon - Max Romeo
16. Revelation Dub - The Upsetters
17. Mr. President - The Heptones, Jah Lion
18. Chase the Devil - Max Romeo

Disc 2:

1. Dreadlocks in Moonlight - Lee "Scratch" Perry
2. Dread at the Controls - Mikey Dread
3. In These Times
4. In These Times Dub - The Upsetters
5. Norman - Max Romeo, The Upsetters
6. Police & Thieves - Junior Murvin
7. Magic Touch - Glen DaCosta
8. Soldier and Police War - Jah Lion
9. Grumblin' Dub - The Upsetters
10. Bad Weed - Junior Murvin
11. John Public
12. John Public [Version]
13. Roots Train - Dillinger, Junior Murvin
14. No Peace - The Meditations
15. No Peace Dub - The Upsetters
16. Rasta Train - Dr. Alimantado, Raphael Green
17. Party Time, Pt. 2 - The Upsetters

Disc 3:

1. Vibrate On - Augustus Pablo, The Upsetters
2. Vibrator - The Upsetters
3. Bird in Hand - The Upsetters
4. Congoman - The Congos
5. Dyon Anasawa - The Upsetters
6. Rastaman Shuffle - The Upsetters
7. Why Must I [Version] - The Heptones, Lee "Scratch" Perry
8. Make up Your Mind - The Heptones
9. Closer Together - The Upsetters
10. Groovy Situation - Keith Rowe, Keith Rowe
11. Groovy Dub - The Upsetters
12. To Be a Lover (Have Some Mercy) - George Faith
13. Soul Fire - Lee "Scratch" Perry
14. Curly Locks - Lee "Scratch" Perry
15. Feast of the Passover - The Congos
16. Roast Fish and Cornbread - Lee "Scratch" Perry
17. Corn Fish Dub - The Upsetters

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48330 in Music
• Released on: 2004-07-12
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com
The nearly four hours of astounding music encoded on these three discs merely scratch the surface of the highly personal sonic universe created by this legendarily eccentric, yet ridiculously prolific, dub-reggae producer. It's still the best source of entry into Lee "Scratch" Perry's world, though, a place defined by homemade avant-garde production techniques applied to the wittiest, angriest, sexiest, and most soulful reggae tunes ever written. Perry was born in 1936, and his career spans the history of Jamaican music. These 52 tracks, however, derive mainly from the late 1970s, when he was at the height of his considerable powers and recording hits like Max Romeo's "War in a Babylon" and Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" for Island. Helpfully annotated, with a healthy handful of unreleased tracks, Arkology is a beginner's banquet of tracks that sound increasingly deep, daring, and downright frightening as the depth of Perry's talent is plumbed. --Richard Gehr

Customer Reviews

a must buy right now set
More than most of my 500 or so reggae, etc. cds and lps that I own, I turn to this "Scratch" Perry set for laughs, oohs and aahs, and general amazement.

The tracks on here are priceless, with many of the takes better than the album releases they were on (Junior Murvin's classic "Police and Thieves," and "Roots Train," and Max Romeo's "War Ina babylon" and "One Step Forward" are prime examples). Add to many of these tracks alternate takes or sizzling dub takes (the quartet of "Police and Thieves" is just amazing stuff, as is Perry's phat grooved dub on the Meditations' beautifully harmonized yet potent "Life Is Not Easy," complete with mooing cows..wow), and the cup of Perry's greatness runneth over.

There is no doubt that what Perry did during his time in the fabled Black Ark are among the most important works of dub ever done. More so, the fact that established trios like the Heptones, Congos, and Meditations, all went to Perry is no small measure of the deep respect that Perry garnered all through Jamaica.

Folks, this is a no-brainer. Get this set, listen to it 20 times, THEN pass judgement on it. I have owned it from the day it came out, have listened to it hundreds of times, and am still finding new nuances mixed deep in these mixes. As an audio engineer, I have access to recording agdgets all the time- top of the line stuff, and what "Scratch" was able to do with simple echplexes and the like is beyond my comprehension. The mixes and dubs are THAT incredible.

Go get this set and enjoy.

A Goldmine !
If you`re a music fan that wants to discover the genius of Lee Perry , or simply someone that wants to own an instant classic reggae collection , this is the place to start .

This boxset contains 4 hrs worth of some of the greatest music to have come out of the legendary Black Ark studio , and therefore Jamaica in the Seventies . Tracks such as " Police And Thieves " , " War In A Babylon " , " Roots Train " , " Chase The Devil " , and " Tedious " have reached near mythical status whilst everthing else in this collection is a reggae classic in its own right . The 52 page booklet that accompanies this set only reinforces the fact that this is one of the greatest reggae/dub compilations ever to have been released . BUY IT !

Wonderful Boxed Set
Lee Perry's music is not merely the greatest music ever created in Jamaica (remember: he produced most of Bob Marley's essential work), but it ranks up with the most important and influential music of the 20th century. Perry was able to transform even the simplest composition into something new, original, unique. He demonstrated to generations of musicians the unlimited power of the recording studio, where any and all musical visions can be realized. The music on this collection is the best of Perry's work, and it is essential for anyone serious fan of popular music.