Clint Eastwood/Many Moods of the Upsetters

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry needs little introduction, being both a celebrated pioneer and producer of Jamaican music and an in-demand performer at festivals across the world today. Perry is famously eccentric but in the studio he is a visionary and The Upsetters were the band he assembled around himself in the late 1960s. Why, I can imagine you asking, did Perry release an album named after the American movie star noted for his violent films and support of Donald Trump? Well, these recordings took place in 1969 and Jamaicans loved the Italian spaghetti Westerns that made Eastwood a star. So Perry has named several of his instrumentals after such films – and one track is simply called ‘Clint Eastwood’.

The music employs the proto-reggae rhythms that were taking shape at the time, while Perry uses very elemental recording equipment to create all manner of sonic effects. Alongside these are other Perry productions of the time including an early recording by U Roy, the dancehall pioneer. Some of the tunes here are simply studio doodles but others demonstrate Perry's eerie talent for the weirdly evocative. The two albums gathered here each come with 12 bonus tracks and informative sleeve notes by Songlines contributor David Katz – for Scratch fans this is a must.