Lee "Scratch" Perry & Freinds — Land Of Kinks-The Jarmaicain Upsetters Singles
Land Of Kinks is a double disc/fifty-two track compilation focusing on the work of legendary/ innovative reggae producer Lee’ Scratch’ Perry in the early 70s. The collection moves from the quirky/ tuneful/ grooving, to the creative/ wacky, to the ahead of its time material. Aside from a few repeated tracks & the odd suspect covers, this is another mighty fine ‘n’ excellent 'Scratch' compilation, which is a must for fans of this creative/ important legend, whose impact stretches way beyond the confines of the reggae genre.
The two CD sets appear on Doctor Bird- the reggae sub label of Cherry Red. The two discs come presented in a slim-line/ clear jewel case, this features red, yellow, green and black colour palette, with a picture of a rather stoned looking, flat cap wearing, and goatee sporting Scratch on the front cover. The set comes with a colourful sixteen-page inlay booklet- taking a six-page write-up, single labels, release cover art work, newspaper clippings.
Each of the discs takes in twenty-six tracks a piece, with these spanning single releases from Perry’s band The Upsetters, and related projects during the early 1970s.
On disc one, we move from the pared back/ steady groove meets dragging/ knocking/ smashing tones of “Ok Carrol” which sounds like a ragged industrial/reggae crossbreed. Through to the percussion dizziness meets light jangling guitar/ bass groove of “No Gwow”. There’s the strutting guitar, wavering organ layers, and hypnotic tapping on a pan lid percussion of “Time Out”. Or the bonding dub groove, jiving keys, and detailed scratching/hissing/ tip-taping percussion of the wonderful entitled “ Pick Folk Kinkiest”.
On disc two we go from jigging groove, jaunting piano and steady organ plods of “Haunted House”. Through to the galloping- yet -locked jiving flow of “This Man( Version)" with its clip-clopping percussion, guitar, and organ tones. Onto wow-wow organ swoon and tip-toping beats of “Chocking Kind”. And the waltzing keys, descending guitar strum, and grooving organ purr of “You Are The One”. This disc is not quite as consistent as the first, as it does get a little clogged up midway through with more different versions of the same tracks- but again there are some great moments on display.
The Land Of Kinks is another( largely) great dig through Mr Perry’s 1970s crates. I can see this appealing to the normal ‘Scratch’ crowd, but equally if you enjoy creative grooving and beat-bound fare.