Lee Perry: Africa's Blood Purple Vinyl LP

Why you'll love it

This is a numbered, 180g purple vinyl pressing limited to 1,000 copies. Africa's Blood catches Perry at the turn of the 70s, mixing vocal cuts by Dave Barker and Winston Prince with lean instrumentals and early versions.

This edition

180g vinyl
Purple vinyl
Limited to 1,000 numbered copies

About the album

Before the studio wizardry and the legend, Lee Perry was a working producer with a stack of rhythms and a queue of singers at the door. Africa's Blood is a snapshot of that moment: fourteen short, sharp tracks that sound like a Kingston session day pressed straight onto wax. It gathers singers, toasters and instrumentals under one roof.

Dave Barker kicks things off with the smooth, talky "Do Your Thing," Winston Prince turns up on "Place Called Africa Version 3," and The Hurricanes join Perry on "Isn't It Wrong." The Upsetters' rhythms carry "Dream Land," "Long Sentence" and "Well Dread Version 3," the latter with the Addis Ababa Children, and there's a loose, sunny run through Smokey Robinson's "My Girl" for good measure. Perry produced every track, and the short running times keep it moving like a jukebox in a busy bar.

The version tracks point straight at where Perry was heading next, with the rhythm stripped back and the echo creeping in. Fourteen tracks in about 39 minutes; Perry never did believe in wasting tape.

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