UPsetter Riddim Shower



LISTED ENTRIES
  • All song title entries are literally taken from the labels, in most cases including spelling errors
  • Mistitled releases will be listed with the proper title, accompanied by its (mistitled) label image.
  • If a release has no credits on the label, credits will be listed where possible.
  • Credits for flipside versions are not always listed.
  • Matrix numbers (not all) have been cross checked. Errors might still occur.
  • The YouTube links do not always represent the exact same release/mix.
  • UNDER CONSTRUCTION: I am currently working on the Riddim section. Once finished, you can click on any song title. This will direct you to a page that contains all other releases on that same riddim. Click on the following link for an example: 006 (U Roy)

CODES
  • Song titles with an underlining are clickable and will soon direct you to a page that will list all other versions to the song.
  • Song titles with a dotted underlining have extra information about the song. Hovering over the link with your mouse will show an info box. Some song titles have both underlinings. Info boxes may include the producers name, the recording studio, mis-titles or mis-credits or any other information as to why a release is listed.
  • Song titles marked with a ☒ means there is no (known) connection with Lee Perry.
  • Song titles with a clickable sound speaker at the end of the entry, will direct you to a YouTube song of the listed song. A new tab in your browser will be opened.
  • Song titles marked with cd and lp are either CD- or LP-release bonus tracks.
  • Matrix number marked with ...nvm... have no visible matrix.

RECORDED AT THE BLACK ARK STUDIO
Info boxes (as mentioned above), will sometimes have information about the recording studio. This means that the record, or part of it, was recorded at said studio. As for the Black Ark studio, in many cases it may be the rhythm only, with voicing and mixing carried out elsewhere, often at King Tubby’s studio. Some of these tunes sound very Perry/Black Ark like, whilst others don’t, but the influence of the studio can usually be clearly heard. The musicians used may have been The Upsetters, or may have been a visiting group, such as the Now Generation.

If the producer was solely the financer of the project, such as Sean De Laire and his Grass Roots imprint, the resultant tracks actually sound completely ‘Perry/Black Ark’. On the other hand, projects that credit the Black Ark studio may carry little, if any, or Perry’s or the Black Ark’s hallmark. For example, the album by I Kong hardly sounds ‘Black Ark’ at all, whilst his 12 inch disco Take a Hold is classic ‘Ark’.

In some cases, tunes are recorded in other studio, such as Randys or Channel One and tapes would be brought into the Ark to have them mixed or edited. Again, the info box should hold such information on any of these tunes.

As can be seen by the number of ‘Black Ark recorded’ records in the years 1973-1977, the hiring of his studio would have provided a good source of income for Lee Perry.

MATRIX NUMBERS
Matrix numbers are one of the few source of information on Jamaican singles as they provide evidence about who paid for the stampers to be made (this is usually the same person that produced the tune/song), but as with everything in reggae, this is not always the case.
They also show where the disc was mastered and enable rough dates to be worked out from known releases that can be easily dated.

In this discography we have tried to group labels together and have used matrix numbers from stampers made by different pressing plants as a way of grouping the releases. Whilst they remain undoubtedly the most accurate guide, the following scenario could happen:
Lee Perry pays for some of Niney’s tunes to have stampers created by Randys, but then the records are actually pressed at Dynamics (where Perry has some credit, or favour owing). Thus you have a Niney tune with a RRS LP matrix that was pressed at Dynamics.

For the Jamaican releases, small batches of stamper numbers that are consecutive appear, but clearly that doesn’t mean that the tunes were recorded at the same time. In the early years tunes often appeared with different pairings, sometimes making use of an old stamper.

BLANKS/WHITE LABELS
We have only listed 'Blanks' when they can not be traced to another labeled release. Some blank releases bare the same matrix numbers as a proper labeled release. In those cases, the blank release is not listed.
For example: All In One and All In One Part Two have been released as both a blank release as well as an Upsetter Records release, both with the same matrix numbers. We will then only list the release on Upsetter Records label.
Some tunes have been released on several blank labels, accompanied with different tunes on the flipside. Unless the A- or B-side is unique in its release we have only listed those tunes once.
For example: Return Of Django (WIRL 4405) and Dollar In The Teeth (FLP 7510) have both been released as one Blank. However, both songs appear on other blanks as well, accompanied by other tunes that appear elsewhere. We have then listed only one of the blank releases.
Use the Search box if you need to look up certain releases or matrix numbers.

WHAT'S NOT IN THIS DISCOGRAPHY
Although we have tried to be as complete as possible, there are plenty of releases that did not make it into this discography. Over the years, record labels like for example Trojan have released so many compilations and re-issues. We have tried to pick out the releases that are really worth mentioning. The same goes for the numerous semi-bogus albums. if it's worth it, it's here.
It is virtually impossible to have a complete Lee Perry discography, but we do try our best to keep this discography up to date and will continue to add old and new releases that are related to Lee Scratch Perry.