Max Romeo & The Upsetters

Recorded at Lee Perry's Black Ark in Kingston, Jamaica and originally released via Island, this collaboration between Perry and Jamaican vocalist Max Romeo remains one of reggae's most enduring statements. Raw and reverent, the record moves between apocalyptic protest and soulful ease - from the marching skank of 'One Step Forward' to the heavy-lidded defiance of 'Chase the Devil'. 'Uptown Babies Don't Cry' is melancholic and dub-soaked, while 'Tan and See' drips with Perry's warped, lo-fi brilliance. The Upsetters play tight and hallucinatory throughout, grounding Romeo's lyrics in a haze of echo, menace and uplift. It sits comfortably alongside Police and Thieves and Party Time as part of Perry's landmark Island trilogy - spiritual, confrontational, and timeless.