Skinhead Reggae mp3

musicology #0633

Milton Henry – No Bread & Butter


Day #6 of the Upsetter tribute and today’s cut is another Upsetter scorcher but this time from 1969. Voiced by Milton ‘Morris’, (aka Milton Henry) and recorded at either Dynamic, Studio 1 or ‘Randys’.

Former member of the Leaders with Keith ‘Prince Allah’ Blake and Roy ‘Soft’ Palmer, The Progressions, (Studio 1’s Jets), and the Emotions as well as one time member of the ‘Hippy Boys’….Henry got about !! but it was with this early piece of ‘Sufferers’ that he made an impact.

By this time the Upsetter was well and truly ‘shaking up Orange Street’ with his unique sound and those who had underestimated him were no doubt beginning to wish they hadn’t….

click on image to see it in all it’s glory.

ORIGINAL Royal blue Upsetter tribute tee..

available at bloOdsweatandtees

musicology #0632

the Inspirations – Down In The Park


Day #5 of the Upsetter tribute and after spending the first few years of his career helping to build Sir Coxson’s Studio 1, (and the Downbeat sound), into the #1 outfit on the Island Lee Perry became dissilusioned with Coxson’s lack of appreciation as well as any real opportunities to progress his career so he decided it was time to break free and make his OWN play but it wasn’t really until 1968 when things began to look up for the Upsetter.

Lee Perry was already well on his way to mastering the art of picking, creating and crafting hit records but funds were tight and it wasn’t easy but in the year of the earth monkey, (1968), the English market began to gather speed due, in part, to the rise of Jamaican musics popularity with the working class youngbloods who became known as Skinheads.

Today’s cut is another Upsetter scorcher from 1968. Voiced by the Inspirations, (Trevor Shaw & Ransford White), and recorded at either Dynamic or the Chin family’s ‘Randys’ studio. (Trevor Shaw went on to reinvent himself as ‘Jimmy London’)

the (Limited Edition) Upsetter tribute tee (available in 3 Colours), below was designed and produced as a direct reference to these times…

click on image to see it in all it’s glory.

the Upsetter tribute tee exclusively at bloodsweatandtees

musicology #316

SongsOfProtest&Freedom#2

(Max Romeo – Blowing In The Wind)

Generally speaking protest&freedom springs from the well of first hand experience concerning the trials and tribulations in question. Although, I hasten to add, not always as there is also a concept known as empathy whereby others can feel/appreciate the anguish and frustrations? I’ll be honest with you up until a few months ago this was a concept that I couldn’t accept but then it was explained to me in language I understood and subsequently I felt it.

Today’s cut is, for me, an example of this. A tune that many people know, (or at least have heard), that concerns a human’s right to freedom. The human beings in question are still judged in many ways by the colour of their skin and not the love in their hearts. It might not be as blatant these days but as with all discrimination it is rife. The point I am making here is that Bob Dylan, (the songwriter and original singer of this cut), was empathising.

It wasn’t his personal experience but still he ‘felt’ it and wanted to do what he could to highlight and make comment on the situation. Sam Cooke loved it and was almost upset that it wasn’t written by him.Accordingly ‘The Lion’ was inspired though and wrote one of THE most passionate ‘songs of freedom’ ‘A Change Is  Going To Come’ which, if it hadn’t already been thrown down on themusicologist would most certainly have been in this theme.

This 1969 version is by Jamaica’s own Max Romeo who unfortunately is perhaps best known, (outside of Reggae circles), for the forgettable but, at least in the UK, popular early ‘Skinhead’ cut ‘Wet Dream’. He is MUCH better than that as witnessed by his output over the years.

Listen Tune