canikickit
1st November 2002, 03:06
Scratch wrote the song with Bob in mind, he was hoping for him to sing it. Quoted from the book:
"On the evening of Friday, December 3rd, Chris Blackwell passed through the Black ark on his way to 56 Hope Road, where he was to meet a director to discuss the filming of the 'Smile Jamaica' concert. He found Lee Perry working on a powerful new song called "Dreadlocks in Moonlight" (a.k.a. 'Big Neck Police'), which Perry said he had written for Bob Marley to record.
Using a rhythm that was stylistically patterened after 'Police and Thieves', Perry sang in highly symbolic terms of the failure of police intimidation to deter the faithful from their chosen course of righteousness, his quiet delivery holding much emotion:
A time to sow and a time to reap,
Yes, my friend
The seed you sow, that’s what you shall reap
You light the fire, to burn this Nyah
But it no work out, you’re just a weakheart
You send your big neck police friends fe come cool I up
But it no work
For Jah Jah walk right in and cool up the scene
You get a jerk
Far better put they trust in Jah
Shall like be Mount Zion-I
That shall never removeth, iyah
But abideth for-iwa, Jah Jah
The knife that stick de sheep a go stick de goat, do you hear?
How you gonna feel when de knife is at your throat?
For sowing bring reaping, and reaping is harves'
The seed that you sow a yard that’s what you shall reap, yeah
Do you hear?
Jah is I light and salvation, whom shall I fear?
Jah de protector of I life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Hypocrite inna broad daylight, parasite inna dim light
Dreadlocks in moonlight, baldhead at sunrise, oh
Jah Jah is I shepherd, I shall not want
Do you hear? Do you see?
Jah Jah is I shepherd I shall not want
You send your big neck police friends fe come cool I up
But it no work
For Jah Jah walk right in and cool up the scene
You get a jerk, you get a jerk, it no work
You set your sprat to catch a whale
Little did you know
Jah put shackles on your trail
It didn’t work
It couldn’t work....
Though Perry's cut was meant to be a guideline for Bob, Blackwell was taken by the power of Perry's renedition, and offered to have Island release it as a single. Like 'Roast Fish and Cornbread', Island's issue of 'Dreadlocks in Moonlight' would not see much in terms of sales, Perry's individual vocal approach failing to find the broad appeal that Marley managed abroad, but the two songs remained particular favorites of Blackwell himself. Blackwell remembered with fondness observing Perry working on the track:
'I sat in a lot with him on sessions, a particular one was a major event in my life. I remember being in the studio watching him work. He is absolutely the master to me in terms of the production of Jamaican music, music which I think will have the most long lasting value. The particular track came out as "Dreadlocks in Moonlight", he said it was a demo for Bob and I said, "You should do it yourself, I love the way you sing it as it is. I think it's great, but I don't want to take it because I have to go to a rehersal at Hope Road." For him to do a few mixes, they take hours.'
In the end, Blackwell decided to stay while Perry mixed the tune, possibly saving his own life in the process. When Blackwell went off into the night, Lee Perry returned to work on a Junior Murvin track with Earl Morgan and Barry Llewellyn (of the Heptones); their session was interrupted when a friend burst in with shocking news. As Earl Morgan recalled,
That night we was recording with Junior Murvin at Lee Perry's studio, somebody come in and tell we, "Them just shot Bob Marley." We had just finished voicing the tune and me and Lee Perry just drive up to UC, look 'pon the man and say "Wha'ppen?" and him say, "Jah Live". It was an experience.'
What do you think?
(Edited by canikickit at 3:08 am on Nov. 1, 2002)
"On the evening of Friday, December 3rd, Chris Blackwell passed through the Black ark on his way to 56 Hope Road, where he was to meet a director to discuss the filming of the 'Smile Jamaica' concert. He found Lee Perry working on a powerful new song called "Dreadlocks in Moonlight" (a.k.a. 'Big Neck Police'), which Perry said he had written for Bob Marley to record.
Using a rhythm that was stylistically patterened after 'Police and Thieves', Perry sang in highly symbolic terms of the failure of police intimidation to deter the faithful from their chosen course of righteousness, his quiet delivery holding much emotion:
A time to sow and a time to reap,
Yes, my friend
The seed you sow, that’s what you shall reap
You light the fire, to burn this Nyah
But it no work out, you’re just a weakheart
You send your big neck police friends fe come cool I up
But it no work
For Jah Jah walk right in and cool up the scene
You get a jerk
Far better put they trust in Jah
Shall like be Mount Zion-I
That shall never removeth, iyah
But abideth for-iwa, Jah Jah
The knife that stick de sheep a go stick de goat, do you hear?
How you gonna feel when de knife is at your throat?
For sowing bring reaping, and reaping is harves'
The seed that you sow a yard that’s what you shall reap, yeah
Do you hear?
Jah is I light and salvation, whom shall I fear?
Jah de protector of I life, of whom shall I be afraid?
Hypocrite inna broad daylight, parasite inna dim light
Dreadlocks in moonlight, baldhead at sunrise, oh
Jah Jah is I shepherd, I shall not want
Do you hear? Do you see?
Jah Jah is I shepherd I shall not want
You send your big neck police friends fe come cool I up
But it no work
For Jah Jah walk right in and cool up the scene
You get a jerk, you get a jerk, it no work
You set your sprat to catch a whale
Little did you know
Jah put shackles on your trail
It didn’t work
It couldn’t work....
Though Perry's cut was meant to be a guideline for Bob, Blackwell was taken by the power of Perry's renedition, and offered to have Island release it as a single. Like 'Roast Fish and Cornbread', Island's issue of 'Dreadlocks in Moonlight' would not see much in terms of sales, Perry's individual vocal approach failing to find the broad appeal that Marley managed abroad, but the two songs remained particular favorites of Blackwell himself. Blackwell remembered with fondness observing Perry working on the track:
'I sat in a lot with him on sessions, a particular one was a major event in my life. I remember being in the studio watching him work. He is absolutely the master to me in terms of the production of Jamaican music, music which I think will have the most long lasting value. The particular track came out as "Dreadlocks in Moonlight", he said it was a demo for Bob and I said, "You should do it yourself, I love the way you sing it as it is. I think it's great, but I don't want to take it because I have to go to a rehersal at Hope Road." For him to do a few mixes, they take hours.'
In the end, Blackwell decided to stay while Perry mixed the tune, possibly saving his own life in the process. When Blackwell went off into the night, Lee Perry returned to work on a Junior Murvin track with Earl Morgan and Barry Llewellyn (of the Heptones); their session was interrupted when a friend burst in with shocking news. As Earl Morgan recalled,
That night we was recording with Junior Murvin at Lee Perry's studio, somebody come in and tell we, "Them just shot Bob Marley." We had just finished voicing the tune and me and Lee Perry just drive up to UC, look 'pon the man and say "Wha'ppen?" and him say, "Jah Live". It was an experience.'
What do you think?
(Edited by canikickit at 3:08 am on Nov. 1, 2002)