A "quick" post about Johnny Clarke that inevitably turned into a big detour...
Having been listening to it over the weekend, my intention was simply to post Johnny's 1977 classic Every Knee Shall Bow and a couple of accompanying versions. So, without further ado, here's the original single version, produced by Bunny 'Striker' Lee...
...followed by the self-produced extended version from 1978, featuring U-Roy and a superlative dub from King Tubby on the flipside...
...and last, but certainly not least, U-Roy's own take on the song, one of his last recordings before his untimely passing in 2021. This is huge in every sense, over 15 minutes in length and featuring Big Youth and Mick Jones, with Youth, Zak Starkey and Dave Sardy at the controls.
And the detour? Right at the top of this post, looking on YouTube for Johnny Clarke clips, I discovered rediscovered a full set from the Mekudeshet Festival in Jerusalem on 19th September 2019, Johnny performing with Dub Asante Band and Matic Horns. Well worth an hour and a quarter of your time.
Good stuff. I was lucky enough to see Mr Clarke and the same band performing in a small venue in London last year. He's still got it.
ReplyDeleteI remember that post well, Ernie, I always enjoy reading your gig reviews. It clearly stuck in my subconscious as, far from *ahem* "discovering" the 2019 set, I realise that I'd actually seen it on 27 Leggies first...sorry!
DeleteFor anyone who didn't see it last year, here's Ernie's excellent review of the Johnny Clarke gig
https://27leggies.blogspot.com/2022/09/cup-half-full.html#comment-form
Nice post, Johnny Clarke has always been a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mooz. I was surprised to find that I didn't have as much music by Johnny Clarke as I thought, so I'll need to go on a dive soon.
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