In this Reggae Summer episode we dive into The Congos’ Heart of the Congos, widely considered one of the greatest roots reggae albums ever recorded – and we treat it primarily as a Lee “Scratch” Perry story.

We talk about the Black Ark era, Perry’s production style, and how he used tape, echo and atmosphere to create a spiritual, otherworldly sound around Cedric Myton and Roy “Ashanti” Johnson’s voices. We also get into the history and mythology around Black Ark, stories from the book People Funny Boy, and how this record fits into Perry’s wider body of work.

In this episode:

– Track and moment highlights from Heart of the Congos

– Lee “Scratch” Perry’s studio experiments at Black Ark

– The Congos’ harmonies, Rasta themes and biblical ...