Lee Scratch Perry Presents Soulful I - The Jamaican Upsetter Singles 1969-1970

Following the double-CD compilation People Funny Boy: The Upsetter Singles 1968-1969 by a few months, Soulful I is another generous serving of early Lee Scratch Perry productions, which originally appeared around the time Trojan Records began releasing Perrys music in the United Kingdom. Like the previous collection, this one compiles material from the era when Jamaican popular music was transitioning from rocksteady to reggae, and Perry was beginning to establish himself as one of the genres most innovative producers. The first disc largely consists of more uptempo rhythms similar to ska and rocksteady, while much of the material on the second disc (including a tune called "Slow Motion") settles into the smoother, more relaxed tempos that would become more commonplace in reggae. More than half of the selections on this release are Upsetters instrumentals, and several songs are presented in multiple takes. Renditions of Otis Reddings "Hard to Handle" and the Bee Gees "To Love Somebody" (sung by Carl Dawkins and Busty Brown, respectively) appear early in the set, but aside from a few other covers, most of the tracks are Perry originals. The material ranges from sincere and passionate love songs (such as the Silvertones "Endlessly") to moments of joy and silliness (David Isaacs "Whats Wrong with You aka Bookie Man"). Other featured singers include the Louis Armstrong soundalike Pat Satchmo, legendary vocal trio the Silvertones, and rocksteady trio the West Indians. The instrumental tracks by the Upsetters start out jaunty, organ-heavy, and sometimes spooky ("Night Doctor," "The Vampire"). Things get stranger on the second disc, which is almost all Upsetters. "Love Me Baby (Take 2)" is particularly fascinating, being a tightly wound deep funk instrumental with notes sporadically cutting in and out, pointing to the experimentation of Perrys dub work. Soulful I contains some of Perrys more pop-influenced work, but it largely focuses on his skills as a rhythmic arranger during a crucial turning point in his career. ~ Paul Simpson