In 1977, a raw, young singer from Kilburn, North West London flew to Jamaica to work with a man considered by many to be finest producer Jamaica has ever produced: Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Despite having previously sung with Keith Hudson and Bob Marley in London, Candy McKenzie was ill prepared for her Black Ark experience, with the cramped, basically equipped studio a world away from those in which she had previously plied her trade.
None the less, the sessions that ensued produced a variety of high quality music that bordered on both the sublime and the ridiculous. yet despite this, the collection was turned down for release by island Records and remained almost forgotten in the vaults. Now, some 34 years on, the recordings are finally made available as originally intended – as a 12” album.
Mastered from the original Jamaican tapes, this limited edition, numbered vinyl collection has been pressed on high quality heavyweight vinyl and is housed in a specially created sleeve, with a lyrics sheet and detailed notes on the singer from Record Collector’s Ian McCann also included.
p>With only 500 copies manufactured, this long lost Black Ark masterpiece is an essential purchase for all fans of Perry, Ms McKenzie and late seventies Reggae.