Reggae, rocksteady ... go

By ADAM BENNETT

Reggae's clown prince Lee "Scratch" Perry is not modest about his shows at London's Jazz Cafe.

"It was the best show on earth ... the very best show on earth. "I am He, A to Z, abracadabra, the great ball of fire. I am not a fake, I am for real, the reel to reel ... "

If that doesn't make too much sense, don't worry, Perry is famous for his stream of consciousness monologues in response to interviewers' questions.

Just how much of Perry's exuberant lunacy is genuine and how much is a performance for fans and journalists remains a mystery, but there's no denying that along with fellow fruitcakes Phil Spector, George Clinton, Sly Stone and Prince, Perry's madness is matched by musical genius in the recording studio.

His career spans five decades, from the ska and rocksteady of the 60s to today's digital dub. But it was his work in the 70s that cemented his place in musical history.

Between 1974 and 1979, working out of a shed at the bottom of his garden known as the Black Ark studio, Perry collaborated with the cream of Jamaica's singers and players to produce what are widely regarded as some of the greatest musical riches to emerge from the impoverished nation's hugely influential music scene.

He is credited by many with guiding Bob Marley and the Wailers to develop the soulful but militant style with which the group would go on to conquer the world. Perry also pioneered the use of the recording studio as a musical instrument in its own right.

His prolific streak of musical innovation came to an end, however, when under mysterious circumstances he burned Black Ark to the ground, and then battled mental illness and alcohol problems.

Emerging from this dark period, Perry enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as a singer and performer in the late 80s, when he teamed with then-fashionable producer Adrian Sherwood.

Perry's work with Sherwood introduced him to a new audience, and since then he has worked with London-based dub producer the Mad Professor. Although his creative peak may lie in the past, Perry remains a charismatic performer.

His live shows are celebrations of a fuzzy, ganja-fuelled spirituality, and he promises uplifting shows here.

"I programme only the holy who are looking for a future to come to my show - telepathically, magically, scientifically, technologically.

"Those that expect any prosperity and any future will have to come and see I and those that don't deserve any future and any place in the sun will not come and see I."

The last time Perry was here he was accompanied by the Mad Professor's group, the Robotiks. This time it's just him, another musician and the Professor at the controls. Or maybe it just looks like the Mad Professor ...

"There won't be any Robotics in New Zealand, it will be Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetters. No robots. Real for real perfect perfect extraterrestrials will be there."

Perry warns that his musical extraterrestrials are not here for the sole purpose of laying down some righteous reggae. They have another mission.

"Extraterrestrials come to clean up politicians, to wipe out politicians ... all the politicians I programme to die unless they repent. If they don't they shall surely face death by my sword Excalibur given to I by Merlin the greatest magician on earth."

Apparently Perry's shows can be hit-and-miss affairs, but on a good night he can build a mutually euphoric rapport with the audience, something he says he treasures.

"I'm feeling richer than Rockefeller ... richer than Tony Blair, who don't have any magnets in his hair."

- NZPA

* Lee Scratch Perry - St James, Friday September 20; Starlight Ballroom, Wellington, Saturday September 21.