The Upsetter Shop, Vol. 2: 1969-1973 (CD - 1999)

Personnel includes: Lee Perry (vocals, percussion); Eric Donaldson, Dave Barker, Dillinger, David Isaacs, Pat Satchmo, Glen Adams, Carl Dawkins (vocals); Lynford Brown, Ranford Williams, Alva Lewis (guitar); Val Bennett (tenor saxophone); Goldstone Anderson (piano); Winston Wright, Glen Adams (organ); Jackie Jackson, Aston Barrett, Linval Martin (bass); Hugh Malcom, Winston Grennan, Carlton Barrett (drums); Denzil Laing, Scully (percussion); The Silvertones, The Inspirations, The Bleechers, The Mellotones, Al & The Vibrators, The Wailers, The West Indians.

Engineers include: Errol Thompson, Lynford Anderson. Barrington Lambert.

Includes liner notes by David Katz.

Digitally remastered by Toby Mountain (Northeastern Digital Recording, Southborough, Massachusetts).

The follow-up to 1998's excellent UPSETTER IN DUB, this 21-track compilation of 1969-73 recordings collects Jamaican hits, alternate mixes, unreleased tracks, and rarities by one of reggae's most important and influential figures. Though the collection focuses mostly on Perry's productions of harmony groups like the Mellotones, the Inspirations, and Eric Donaldson and the West Indians, the album's true stars are the Upsetters, Perry's amazing house band, whose supple, powerful rhythms are the collection's focal point. The lengthy, informative liner notes detail the origins and other uses of the rhythm parts and the thoughtful sequencing demonstrates how a single rhythm part was often used as the basis for several radically different songs. Fans of Perry's later, more extreme and harder-edged dub work might find THE UPSETTER SHOP VOLUME TWO somewhat lightweight in comparison to bizarre Perry classics like BLACKBOARD JUNGLE DUB, but it's an excellent exploration of early reggae history. minimize