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THE UPSETTERS

THE RETURN OF DJANGO

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1969 - Trojan - studio - discs: 1

In 1968 - 1969 Early Reggae was most of the times synonymous of instrumental tracks. That late 60's period was extraordinary since it was filled with an experimental attitude. Ska was gone and Rocksteady seemed to have expressed all that it was able to. The instrumental bands had a great impact as they brought new blood to the sounds. The Upsetters, with their leading man the producer Lee Perry, were one of them. Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid had to be challenged and Perry, a former Dodd employee, was one that tried to change things. "Return Of Django" (1968) was the first attempt. The song, originally a vocal hit from 1957 called "Sick And Tired" and written for a Fats Domino contemporary, one Chris Kenner; was firstly versioned by Perry with the group Gladdy's All Stars. He renamed it "Return to Django" after the hero of the Spaghetti Western movie ("Django") directed by the italian Sergio Corbucci. The tune did not sold well but it was a success in UK. A tour was scheduled. Perry choosed for the Barrett brothers (Aston and Carlton), Alva "Reggie" Lewis (guitar) and Glen "Capo" Adams (organ). The tour was a success and Trojan decided to release a set. The content, as with the title track, is made of instrumentals. This album is a good start to understand what was going on by the end of the decade, and especially Lee Perry moves. This reissue has eight bonus tracks: Pat Kelly's "Give Love A Try"; The Ravers "Badam Bam"; and six previously unreleased Upsetters tracks.

 

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