DOUBLE SEVEN/VINYLE ARGENT AUDIOPHILE 180GR

Description

This classic 1973 album sees its creator, Lee “Scratch” Perry, explore synthesizers and begin to develop his Black Ark sound. At the time, the enigmatic producer was in the process of building his famous studio and refining his ideas on dub as a musical form. The album opens with the strange “Kentucky Skank,” Perry's ode to KFC, with its fried chicken sounds, interspersed with tape loops, a ghostly trumpet, and a futuristic Moog synthesizer, all recorded at London's Chalk Farm studios. U Roy's “Double Six,” I Roy's “High Fashion,” and “Hail Stones” illustrate the strength of The Upsetter's DJ repertoire, while versions of The Chi-Lites' “We Are Neighbours,” Sam & Dave's “Soul Man,” and a cover of Al Green's “Love and Happiness” (renamed “Jungle Lion”) betray the funky soul influence increasingly shaping his work. The backing tracks illustrate the best of the producer; the sound spectrum is perfectly differentiated, while spatial placement is an important element—an aspect that would take him years to achieve at the Black Ark.