The Upsetters
Encyclopedia
The Upsetters was the name given to the house band
for Jamaica
n reggae
producer
Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am The Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Coxsone Dodd
.
The Upsetters were originally Gladdy's All-Stars, led by pianist
Gladstone Anderson
and it was they who originally recorded
the international hits
"Live Injection" and "Return Of Django". The double A-side release of "Return of Django" / "Dollar in the Teeth", peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart
in November 1969. When other commitments prevented the All Stars from participating, another band named The Hippy Boys
were recruited to do the subsequent tour in the UK
. This line-up remained the studio band that is most associated with the name, going on to eventually to form the nucleus of Bob Marley
's backing band The Wailers
.
The band included guitarist
Alva Lewis, organist
Glen Adams
and brothers Aston "Family Man" Barrett
and Carlton Barrett
, on bass guitar
and drum
s respectively.
When the Barrett brothers became Wailers with Bob Marley by 1972, Scratch brought in other top musicians to fill their void. The main Black Ark Upsetters became Boris Gardiner (bass), Mikey Richards, Sly Dunbar
, Benbow Creary (drums), Earl "Chinna" Smith (guitar), Winston Wright (keyboards) and Keith Stirling (keyboards).
The tracks "Return of Django" and "Dollar in the Teeth" were used in the soundtrack
of Grand Theft Auto: London; and the track "I Chase The Devil
" from the album
, War Ina Babylon
, by Max Romeo
and the Upsetters is featured on the reggae
radio station
K-JAH Radio West, in the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004.
"Return of Django" was featured in the movie
, This Is England
, and was used on the advertisement for the Inland Revenue
on UK television.
Black Ark era
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
for Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am The Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Coxsone Dodd
Coxsone Dodd
Clement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond...
.
The Upsetters were originally Gladdy's All-Stars, led by pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Gladstone Anderson
Gladstone Anderson
Gladstone Anderson , also known by his nickname "Gladdy", is a Jamaican pianist, keyboard player, and singer, who has played a major part in the island's musical history, playing a key role in defining the ska sound and the rocksteady beat, and playing on hundreds of recordings as a session...
and it was they who originally recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the international hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Live Injection" and "Return Of Django". The double A-side release of "Return of Django" / "Dollar in the Teeth", peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in November 1969. When other commitments prevented the All Stars from participating, another band named The Hippy Boys
The Hippy Boys
The Hippy Boys was formed in 1968 by Lloyd Charmers. The band included guitarist Alva "Reggie" Lewis, organist Glen Adams and brothers Aston 'Family Man' Barrett on bass guitar and Carlton Barrett drums respectively....
were recruited to do the subsequent tour in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. This line-up remained the studio band that is most associated with the name, going on to eventually to form the nucleus of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's backing band The Wailers
Wailers Band
The Wailers Band are a reggae band formed by the remaining members of Bob Marley & The Wailers, following the death of Bob Marley in 1981.-Previous Wailers' incarnations:The Wailers started as Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh...
.
The band included guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Alva Lewis, organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Glen Adams
Glen Adams
Glen Adams was a Jamaican musician, composer, arranger, engineer, producer, based since the mid-1970s in Brooklyn, New York.-Career:...
and brothers Aston "Family Man" Barrett
Aston Barrett
Aston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
and Carlton Barrett
Carlton Barrett
Carlton "Carly" Barrett was an influential reggae drummer and percussion player. His musical development in the early years were with his brother Aston "Family Man" Barrett as a member of Lee "Scratch" Perry's "house band" The Upsetters. The brothers joined Bob Marley and The Wailers around 1970...
, on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s respectively.
When the Barrett brothers became Wailers with Bob Marley by 1972, Scratch brought in other top musicians to fill their void. The main Black Ark Upsetters became Boris Gardiner (bass), Mikey Richards, Sly Dunbar
Sly Dunbar
Lowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
, Benbow Creary (drums), Earl "Chinna" Smith (guitar), Winston Wright (keyboards) and Keith Stirling (keyboards).
The tracks "Return of Django" and "Dollar in the Teeth" were used in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Grand Theft Auto: London; and the track "I Chase The Devil
I Chase the Devil
"I Chase the Devil" is a reggae song, recorded in 1976 by Max Romeo, with the backing of Lee "Scratch" Perry's house band, The Upsetters. Composed by Perry and Romeo, it was released on the album War Ina Babylon....
" from the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, War Ina Babylon
War Ina Babylon
War Ina Babylon is an album by Max Romeo and Lee Perry's backing band The Upsetters, released in 1976. Along with The Heptones' Party Time and Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves, this album can be seen as part of a Black Ark Lee "Scratch" Perry produced "holy trinity"...
, by Max Romeo
Max Romeo
Max Romeo is a reggae and roots reggae recording artist who has achieved chart success in his home country, and in the UK. Romeo was responsible for launching an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless...
and the Upsetters is featured on the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
K-JAH Radio West, in the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004.
"Return of Django" was featured in the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
, and was used on the advertisement for the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
on UK television.
Albums
Early Upsetters- The UpsetterThe UpsetterThe Upsetter is an album of Lee "Scratch" Perry productions, released in 1969. The album largely comprises instrumentals from Perry's studio band The Upsetters, but also features vocal tracks by Busty Brown and The Muskyteers...
(1969) - Return of DjangoReturn of DjangoReturn of Django is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1969. The title is a reference to the spaghetti western Django, released in 1966. The title song featured in the video game, GTA London, which is set in 1969, and as a cover, in the film The Beach.-Track listing:...
(1969) - Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood (album)Clint Eastwood is a reggae album by The Upsetters.-Side one:#"Return Of The Ugly"#"For A Few Dollars More"#"Prisoner Of Love"#"Dry Acid"#"Rightful Ruler"#"Clint Eastwood"-Side two:#"Taste Of Killing"#"Selassie"#"What Is This"#"Ain't No Love"...
(1970) - Many Moods of the UpsettersMany Moods of the UpsettersMany Moods of the Upsetters is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1970.-Side one:#"Exray Vision"#"Cant Take It Anymore" – David Isaacs#"Soul Stew"#"Low Light"#"Cloud Nine" – Carl Dawkins#"Beware"-Side two:#"Serious Joke"...
(1970) - Scratch the Upsetter AgainScratch the Upsetter Again-Side one:#"Bad Tooth"#"The Dentis"#"Outer Space"#"One Punch"#"Will You Still Love Me" – Dave Barker#"Take One"-Side two:#"Soul Walk"#"I Want To Thank You"#"Mule Train" – Count Prince Miller#"Touch Of Fire"#"She Is Gone Again" – Alva Lewis#"The Result"...
(1970) - The Good, the Bad and the UpsettersThe Good, the Bad and the UpsettersThe Good, the Bad and the Upsetters is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1970. Lee Perry had no direct involvement with this album and never considered it an Upsetters album.-Track listing:#"Capo"#"Phil The Fluter"#"Guns Of Navarone"...
(1970) - Eastwood Rides AgainEastwood Rides Again-Track listing:All tracks composed by Lee "Scratch" Perry; except where indicated#"Eastwood Rides Again"#"Hit Me"#"Knock On Wood" – The Untouchables#"Pop Corn"#"Catch This"#"You Are Adorable"#"Capsol"#"Power Pack"#"Dollar In The Teeth"...
(1970) - Africa's BloodAfrica's Blood-Side one:#"Do Your Thing" – Dave Barker#"Dream Land"#"Long Sentence"#"Not Guilty"#"Cool And Easy"#"Well Dread Version 3" – Addis Ababa Children#"My Girl"-Side two:#"Saw Dust"#"Place Called Africa Version 3" – Winston Prince...
(1972) - Cloak and Dagger (1973)
- Rhythm ShowerRhythm ShowerRhythm Shower is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1973. Originally released in a very limited Jamaican pressing with no sleeve, it became better known when re-released by the Trojan label as part of its originally 3 LP, later 2 CD set The Upsetter Collection, first issued in 1986...
(1973) - Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard JungleUpsetters 14 Dub Blackboard JungleUpsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle, often called Blackboard Jungle Dub, is an album by The Upsetters. The album, originally released in 1973, was pressed in only 300 copies and only issued in Jamaica...
aka Blackboard Jungle Dub (1973) - Double SevenDouble SevenDouble Seven is an album by The Upsetters.-Side one:#"Kentucky Skank"#"Double Six" – U Roy#"Just Enough" – David Isaacs#"In The Iaah"#"Jungle Lion"#"We Are Neighbours" – David Isaacs-Side two:#"Soul Man"#"Stick Together" – U Roy...
(1974)
Black Ark era
- DIP Presents the UpsetterDIP Presents the UpsetterDIP Presents the Upsetter is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1975.-Side one:#"Enter The Dragon" – The Upsetters#"I Don't Mind" –Sam Carty#"Cane River Rock" – The Upsetters#"I Man Free" – King Burnett#"Jamaican Theme" – The Upsetters...
(1975) - Musical BonesMusical BonesMusical Bones is an album by Vin Gordon and The Upsetters, produced by Lee Perry and released in 1975.-Track listing:#"Coco-Macca"#"Fly Away"#"The Message"#"Licky-Licky"#"Labrish"#"Quinge-Up"#"Raw-Chaw"#"5 Cardiff Crescent"#"Four of a Kind"...
(1975) - Return of WaxReturn of WaxReturn of Wax is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1975.-Side two:#"One Armed Boxes"#"Big Boss"#"Fists of Vengeance"#"Samurai Swordsman"#"Final Weapon"...
(1975) - Kung Fu Meets the DragonKung Fu Meets the DragonKung Fu Meets the Dragon is an album by The Upsetters, released in 1975.A martial arts-themed project, this very rhythmic LP is largely made up of instrumental versions of some of Perry's productions and other musical pieces, enriched with Perry's trademark use of percussions and production tricks...
aka Heart of the Dragon (1975) - Revolution DubRevolution DubRevolution Dub is an album by Lee Perry & The Upsetters, released in Jamaica in 1975 in very small quantities. It features radical, groundbreaking drum & bass mixes, sound effects , heavy bass, vocals by Perry himself, and an early use of a drum machine in reggae....
(1975) - Super ApeSuper ApeSuper Ape is a dub album produced and engineered by Lee "Scratch" Perry, credited to his studio band The Upsetters.In Jamaica, the album was released under the name Scratch the Super Ape in July 1976 on Perry's own Upsetter label...
aka Scratch the Super Ape (1976) - Return of the Super ApeReturn of the Super ApeReturn of the Super Ape is a reggae album produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, credited to The Upsetters. The album was originally released in Jamaica in 1978 and was the last album by The Upsetters to be released before Perry closed down his Black Ark studio....
(1978)