Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Croaking Lizard [1976] (With Lyrics)

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The video starts out with the song "Croaking Lizard" From Lee Perry's dub album "Super Ape"(Prince Jazzbo on lead), after that comes the "Disco Devil", by Lee Perry

And at last comes the original, "Chase The Devil" by Max Romeo.

In a BBC interview recorded in 2010 Romeo describes the meaning of the song. He explains that the devil is everything negative in our minds, the iron shirt is our strength of spirit that allows us to cast out the devil.

Composed by Perry and Romeo, "Chase the Devil" was released on the album "War Ina Babylon" in 1976. Also in 1976, The Upsetters recorded a version with different lyrics. The track, called "Croaking Lizard" and credited to The Upsetters and Prince Jazzbo, was included in their album 'Super Ape'. Later, Perry later made a dub remix of both versions, called "Disco Devil".

Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith; 22 November 1944) is a Jamaican reggae and roots reggae recording musician who has achieved chart success in his home country and in the United Kingdom.

In 1976, Romeo released War Ina Babylon, an album perceived as his best work. The politically and religiously themed album included the popular single "Chase the Devil", which would become one of his most known songs.

Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in Kingston, Linval Roy Carter (who would become known professionally as Prince Jazzbo) began his career with sound systems such as The Whip in Spanish Town.[2] He began recording with Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in the early 1970s under the name Prince Jazzbo, and also recorded for Glen Brown and Lee "Scratch" Perry. He went on to work on his own releases with Bunny Lee, producing as well in collaboration with many artists as a vocalist and producer for labels including his own, Ujama. The Perry-produced album Super Ape featured Jazzbo toasting on "Croaking Lizard". Jazzbo and fellow toaster I-Roy had a well reported, but friendly and mutually beneficial on-record clash during 1975, including the cuts "Straight to Jazzbo's Head" from I-Roy and the retort, "Straight to I-Roy's Head" from Prince Jazzbo.

Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks. He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, The Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, The Orb, and many others.

In 1973, Perry built a studio in his back yard, the Black Ark, to have more control over his productions and continued to produce notable musicians such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Byles, Junior Murvin, the Heptones, the Congos, and Max Romeo. He also started the Black Ark label, on which many of the productions from the studio appeared. With his own studio at his disposal, Perry's productions became more lavish, as the energetic producer was able to spend as much time as he wanted on the music he produced. Virtually everything Perry recorded in The Black Ark was done using basic recording equipment; through sonic sleight-of-hand, Perry made it sound unique. Paul Douglas mentions:

"Scratch had a particular sound and everybody was fascinated by his sound. He had this way of putting things together; it was just his sound and it influenced a lot of people. I’ve even gone to the Black Ark with Eric Gale for that Negril album; I remember myself and Val Douglas, we laid some tracks there, Eric Gale overdubbed stuff on there, but I honestly don't remember what happened to it."

Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history. He was known to remain in the studio for days at a time when mixing, taking no visitors or calls, and very little food or drink.

By 1978, stress and unwanted outside influences began to take their toll: both Perry and the Black Ark quickly fell into a state of disrepair. Eventually, the studio burned to the ground. Perry has constantly insisted that he burned the Black Ark himself in a fit of rage.

Perry died on 29 August 2021 at the Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea, Jamaica, from an unspecified illness, aged 85

Special thanks to Natty Dougman for assisting with transcribing these lyrics,
Natty Dougman has a YouTube channel where he talks about different albums, artists and just general history of Jamaican music, so if you like reggae music I highly suggest you check out his channel linked below.

‪@FatCityVinyl

Note: All the videos posted on my channel are demonetized.

#Reggae #Dub #MaxRomeo #LeePerry #SuperApe #ChaseTheDevil