Search - The Upsetters with Lee Perry and Friends :: Build the Ark

One of the Best Perry Comps

Art | 06/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The third and (IMO) the best of Trojan's original "Big Three" Perry compilations (the other two are "The Upsetter Compact Set" and "Open the Gate"). This one wins out by virtue of the large number of killer vocal tracks ("Little Sandra", "Think So", "White Belly Rat", "Peace and Love", "Land of Love", "Green Bay Incident", "Cross Over", etc., etc.) and the lack of any of the extreme over-the-top overdubbing that characterizes a lot of the tracks on "Open the Gate". I love that stuff, too, but I think this album has more "replay" power by letting the artists speak for themselves. The dubs are great, too.



Quite essential."

One of three Scratch compilations you must own

T. Brown | Long Beach, CA USA | 01/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you want to know and feel the true Black Ark sound, spare no expense in buying "Build the Ark", "Arkology" and "Open the Gate". These are the crown jewels of Lee Perry's canon.



"Build the Ark" is crucial due to its three versions of "White Belly Rat" alone -- One features the unforgettable haunting chants of Jah Lloyd, perhaps rivaled only by the most insistent dread chants by Tappa Zukie, Trinity or Dillinger.



If you have any inkling of getting out of the reggae mainstream and into the true heart and soul of roots stylee, "Build" will carry you away into another dimension.

"

Lee Perry's Finest, Volume 2

Mark A. Horowitz | Seattle, WA United States | 02/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you you want to hear the cream of Scratch's dub production work from Black Ark, this album and Open the Gate are the ones to own. I guarantee, you've never heard anything like them before from any reggae (or dub) musician."