Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry Presents: Better Times - The Jamaican Upsetter Singles 1971 - Chapter II

As a stand-alone compilation or an accompaniment set to previous Doctor Bird anthologies of Perry’s Jamaican singles, ‘Better Days’ is a must for any serious fan of his always compelling work, as well as all enthusiasts of classic reggae sounds.

By the summer of 1971, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry was widely recognised as Jamaica’s most creative music-maker. Since launching his career as an independent producer in 1968, his experimentations with sound and style had resulted in some of the most exciting and popular works to see issue during reggae’s formative years. Now, primarily employing one of the island’s most accomplished band, The Now Generation as his regular session crew, the sound of Perry’s output from the latter half of 1971 contrasted strongly with the more rugged style the epitomised many of his earlier productions. Otherwise, however, his general approach to music-making remained unaltered and during this six-month period, he released a series of popular singles by some of Kingston’s finest, performing a variety of compositions that ranged from covers of soul and pop songs to original early roots material.