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Okay, okay, let's take it from here...
After a few years without any notable Scratch re-releases, Island/Trojan (now both under the thumb of the giant Universal) are going to upset with a deluxe 2CD version of Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves.
The deluxe set looks pretty tasty, with some rare dubs and some of the seldom heard tracks that Junior cut at the Black Ark after Police And Thieves. Most of the material has already been released on collections such as Arkology and Baffling Smoke Signal, but to have all of this material in one set will be very nice. No definite release date; the Trojan website lists it as "this summer".
Big up to the man Arkmaster who has relaunched www.blackark.com with a dynamite new podcast, Black Ark Sound System. It's been developed with the help of Rhygin Records, who have just released a terrific 12" from Tino Ranks and Sandollar Sound that is straight up 1960s Upsetter style instrumental groovy. The rest of their mighty 7" catalog is a must as well.
Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed me about the end of Radio Scratch. I think the best comments came from James:
A quick lament on the passing of the last and final episode of Radio Scratch. Without knowing it, you have made great company in distant corners of the planet and speeded the passing of thousands of miles in planes and cars. I stuffed almost all of the Radio Scratch sessions on my iPod on a recent trip that took me from Maputo (Mozambique) to Majuro (Marshall Islands) by way of Johannesburg, Sydney, Port Moresby, Fiji, Hawaii and back. Sure was a long time in plane seats! High points? The opening moments of Doug Wendt's November 2007 episode (Scratch with Dub Syndicate) and something wild towards the end of the February 2008 session with heavy organ flavour ("The Jumper").
I also got this great messagel from the man Nico in Amsterdam. He was listening to a Radio Scratch episode and was reminded about his chance encounter with the Upsetter:
I am listening to "The Last Days of the Black Ark" – great stuff.
I'm from Amsterdam and I have a story to tell you. Just past 50 years of age, I've been buying and listening to Upsetter music since the seventies. Last year one of the best and oldest music stores in Amsterdam closed their doors: Boudisque. Quite a legendary place. Music stores are closing one by one in Holland; it's the downloading thing of course.
Anyway, around 1978 there was a very special lady working in Boudisque who was responsible for the reggae department. She imported the best of the best. I remember clearly how I first heard the Sangie Davis "Words" 12 inch single very loudly through the big shop speakers and I thought "wow, this it it". I bought it instantly. I didn't have much money then (still don't) but I bought whatever I could afford. A life long deep affection for the Mighty Upsetter's music was beginning.
I became friendly with the Boudisque lady (Eleanore), and when she left Boudisque she started working for a small record company based in Amsterdam: Black Star Line. One day she told me that they had invited Lee Perry to come to Holland, that he was actually coming on Saturday and, if I liked, I could come down to meet him. How could I refuse?
That Saturday I went to the Black Star Line office based in the Vondelstraat. Very big speakers were pumping Upsetting music while we were waiting for Scratch. When he finally entered, his Roast Fish album was given a spin and Lee started singing along with the record to "Soul Fire". He was relaxed, in a good mood and very friendly. And smoking weed constantly.
Lee had this big painted briefcase with him and when he opened it, it was filled with all kind of stones. Quite a heavy briefcase! When asked why he carried this briefcase full of stones with him he replied with a very long story: "The stones are the creation of the Earth and Jah gave us life..." and so on.
Lee was smoking weed from an ordinary water tap you can find in every household, turned upside down to make a pipe. When asked why he did so, he answered as if it was a stupid question: "Well, because I used to be a plumber in Jamaica."
We had a great afternoon. Later on, some recordings were made in Amsterdam and the Return Of Pipecock Jackxon album was released on the Black Star Line label. I still have a cassette Eleanore gave to me with a different mix, recorded directly from the soundboard. She also told me that there were chickens walking around in the studio and that Scratch could make the chickens do some kind of dance. Yes, Scratch is a very special person!
The idea that Radio Scratch is being heard around the world is very cool. Despite these good vibes coming my way, I still don't have any plans to start doing the podcast again on a regular basis. It wasn't an easy decision for me to end Radio Scratch, but I don't think I can do anything new or interesting with it and felt that the time was right to pull the plug.
Other than these nice e-mails, all is quiet with the Upsetter. I don't know of any new projects, tours or re-releases. It's been awhile since Pressure Sounds or Heartbeat gave us something new from the vaults. Soon come?
After three upsetting years of Radio Scratch, I have decided to upset and stop producing any new episodes. I feel that I have taken the podcast as far as it can go. I have championed Scratch's new music, explored the depths of his 1970s productions, covered every era in his 40-year career and selected some of the rarest material I can find. It's getting to the point where I feel I simply can't do anything new or interesting with Radio Scratch. I'm also getting to a point in my life where noodling around on a computer is quickly losing its appeal. I need some hobbies that don't involve a keyboard or a mouse.
The final episode of Radio Scratch features some of my favourite tunes from the more than 30 podcasts I have produced since 2006. Looking over three years of playlists, I'm quite proud of the podcast and grateful for all of the praise that it has gathered over the years.
Special thanks to Doug "Midnight Dread" Wendt and Ron "Smokey Room" Wittenkoek for being guest selecters and especially to Kelly "Eight For Eight" Maurice for providing me with so much rare music over the years. A friendly nod also must go out to Steve Barker from On The Wire for providing me with some boss sneak previews of Scratch's latest works via Adrian Sherwood. And finally, thanks to Melanie Zaitsoff, whose velvet tones bid you "welcome to Radio Scratch" on every episode.
I'll certainly continue to update Eternal Thunder every once in awhile, but other projects are commanding more of my attention these days. There seems to be an ebb and flow with this website since I launched it way back in 1996. The past couple of years have certainly been a flow – now it's time for an ebb, a rest, some time away from regular updates and a breath of fresh air.
 All will be well in the garden... Adrian Sherwood puts on his iron shirt and dubs Lee Perry out of Earth. Dubsetter, the dubwise version of The Mighty Upsetter, was just released in Japan on Beat Records and will get a UK release in May on On U Sound. I've heard a few sneak previews from the album, and it makes a very nice companion album to The Mighty Upsetter. Check out Reggae Record for a tracklisting and song samples.
Scratch has once again been nominated for a Grammy. Not for the excellent Mighty Upsetter or the worthy Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered, but for the ridiculous Repentance, produced by Andrew WK. While in some ways it's nice to see Lee Perry nominated, clearly his work is so far removed from modern reggae that I have to wonder what the Grammy nomination committee is thinking.
The latest episode of Radio Scratch is now online. This time around, you can dig some crucial selections from the early days of the Black Ark. Primitive, low-fi and spooky.
A few days under the weather with a miserable winter flu delayed the usual production schedule of Radio Scratch, but I threw some water in and the latest episode is now online.
At last! Some new articles at Upsetter Station.
The genius scoundrels at Afflicted Yard have an upsetting gallery of Scratch at the Black Ark in October 2008. Check it! And be sure to take in all of the other Afflicted Yard articles, including this hilarious one.
This month's episode of Radio Scratch is a solid Junior Byles selection. The music that Byles and Perry made together is not only a high point in their careers but in Jamaican music. Strictly crucial.
Lee Perry fan Rogier Godschalk-Hissink recently returned from a trip to Jamaica where he got to meet Scratch's old spar Bunny Lee. Check out this great photo of Bunny with his meticulous archives:
Since the holidays are here, I want to thank everyone for tuning into this website and to Radio Scratch. Your enthusiasm and your donations make it all worthwhile. Happy holidays and all the best for 2009!
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