The Upsetters: Super Ape

For The Fan Presents:

The Upsetters “Super Ape” (1976) Review

Artist: The Upsetters

Album: “Super Ape”

Release: 1976

Genre: Dub/Reggae

When you talk about reggae with most people, they just know one name, and that’s Bob Marley. Yes, his contributions are grand, and yes, he’s worth noting, but there’s more to the style than just the one man. For instance, today we are going to take you back to the hot summer of 1976. August 1976 to be exact, when a group of studio musicians got together to form a dub reggae record known as “Super Ape”. The cool cover art aside, the album has been touted as one of the best dub albums of all time, and even included in one of those nifty books that chronicles the best albums you should hear before you kick the bucket.
The Upsetters was an album that originally was released in July of 76, but would get released through Island Records and become a major hit for the group through the late 70s. Those that happened to be huge reggae fans will also denote that the original pressing was called “Scratch The Super Ape”, but the title was changed for more appeal when it hit the United States. It is so popular, that in 2013 there was a release of the record on “Record Store Day” in which you got a 2 Vinyl LP treatment with full Ape artwork done on side 4 of the record pack. If you have that, then you most definitely don’t want to read more of this, go pull it out and listen to it.

As for the record, it’s produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry, one of the big time players of roots reggae in Jamaica. The album has a very eclectic dub feel, and that’s different from your standard reggae. Instead of flowing through lyrics and song structure that you would expect, dub takes an isolated and repetitive approach to the music. This is NOT “DUBSTEP” so please, do not get the two confused. This is a common subgenre of reggae that mixes, scratches, repeats, and otherwise revitalizes older tracks. It can sound like someone messing with a radio near a speaker, or it could sound like a delay or record skip slowly.

As for this record, “Super Ape” is a good album to put on when you’re relaxing. If you’re enjoying a warm summer day, or you’re drinking out of a coconut, you’ll find that the island flavor spins throughout this record. The songs are structured well, the horn section is prominent, and the bass lines are right on par with what you would expect from a super group of reggae musicians. If you run down some of the personnel on the record, you would get a “who’s who” list of artists from the 1970s that were dominant in the Jamaican export of music.

As for modernity, it’s not going to win a lot of fans. I don’t think any of my idiot friends would like this. It’s not what you think of when you think reggae, and it’s definitely not the two-tone era or third wave ska movement’s iconic signature sound. It’s not Marley either, so many people are going to turn it off before hearing “Dread Lion” which is one of the best songs on the record. In the end, if you’re a music fan and love historical records, this is one to have. “Super Ape” delivers on more than just dub, it’s an iconic reggae record that deserves far more credit than it gets. The album spawned a sequel, but let's not get into that now.

Pros: Classic reggae, roots, dub sound

Cons: Slow, obscure, for fans only

Rating: 4/5

Links:

Mp3 download: http://amzn.to/1g2Dv1K

Compact disc: http://amzn.to/1kIdVXJ

Vinyl (rare): http://amzn.to/1i6efwB