LEE SCRATCH PERRY Vinyl & CDs

Review: The legend of the late great musical maverick and fascinating soul that was Lee 'Scratch' Perry will never diminish, such was the impact of what he did in the world of dub and reggae. He sure did a lot of it, too, so reissues will always come thick and fast with the latest being Jamaican E.T.. It came on February 5, 2002 via the Sanctuary/Trojan label and went on to win the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. His psychedelic dub roots are at the heart of each tune with elements of modern, roots and lovers rock all featuring. Check his cover of 'I'll Take You There' for the real highlight here.

Review: 'Open The Gate' is a 1989 box set of Lee 'Scratch' Perry's most enduring productions, involvements and features until that date - most of which were laid down at his legendary yet ramshackle recording studio Black Ark. These were the tunes that cemented Perry's name as an oddball, prodigal, outsider producer; classics including 'Words', plus The Upsetters' versions of their contemporaries The Heptones' tracks Babylon Falling and Mistry Babylon, all appear.

Review: Following on from the posthumous Lee 'Scratch' Perry box set courtesy of the star's main advocates Trojan Records which included a digital version, a CD and a 4xLP version, as well as a 50-page fully illustrated book written by Perry's official biographer David Katz comes this more compact double vinyl collection of most of the best bits of music. It contains rare and unreleased mixes and tunes, including a mix of Junior Murvin's reggae staple 'Police And Thieves'.