Dave Barker Meets The Upsetters, Prisoner of Love (1970)
Bit of an impulse buy, this one. And very happy to have made it. Dave Barker is something of a journeyman reggae/rocksteady/soul singer – but back when this record was made he wasn’t really anyone. This record made him. And I bought it because it was The Upsetters and it was Lee “Scratch” Perry and in the early 1970s Scratch had the (absolute) magic touch. There is more magic from him, sure, including just recently a pair of records far better than anyone could have reasonably expected at this late stage. But those early Upsetters records and the productions Perry was pulling out of the hat. Man. Just amazing. They sound so fresh still – otherworldly, even. I have so many more records I could want from this era of Perry productions and one day, maybe, I’ll get at least some of them. But I was so happy that this one stood out on the day that it did. And I’ve been giving it heaps of turntable time ever since. Something very special was captured here I reckon. Also just great, great songs – many of them credited to Perry, though I’m no sure we can entirely trust that eh…

Sample Track: Build My Whole World Around You

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown