Beat Down Babylon Riddim – Various Labels

Beat Down Babylon produced by Lee Scratch Perry, Bunny Striker Lee, Dr. Alimantado, Jah Screw, Willie Lindo for Upsetter, Jackpot, Black Art, Vital Food, Vista, Gorgon, Time One, Heavy Beat in 1971

Originally issued in 1971 and produced across the Upsetter orbit, Beat Down Babylon Riddim pulls together a loose but focused roots set from Lee Scratch Perry, Bunny Striker Lee, Dr. Alimantado, Jah Screw and Willie Lindo, with labels including Upsetter, Jackpot, Black Art, Vital Food, Vista, Gorgon, Time One and Heavy Beat. The cut is best known through Junior Byles’ Beat Down Babylon and Dennis Alcapone’s Alpha And Omega, while Delroy Wilson’s Beat Down Babylon and Cornell Campbell’s Fight Against Corruption show how far the rhythm carried into the later roots era. The line-up also stretches from Bunny and Ricky’s Freedom Fighter to Max Romeo’s Babylon’s Burning and later dancehall-era revivals from Frankie Paul and Glen Washington, giving the riddim a long run across different periods.

Beat Down Babylon Riddim Tracklist:

1. Bunny & Ricky – Freedom Fighter (1974)
2. Cornell Campbell – Fight Against Corruption (1983)
3. Delroy Wilson – Beat Down Babylon (1973)
4. Dennis Alcapone – Alpha And Omega (1971)
5. Dr. Alimantado – Ride On Brother (1975)
6. Dr. Alimantado – Weak Heart Is Babylon (1975)
7. Frankie Paul – Stop The War (1997)
8. Glen Washington – Shut It Off (2001)
9. Junior Byles – Beat Down Babylon (1971)
10. Junior Byles & Jah T – Informer Men (1972)
11. Kashief Lindo – Something Got To Be Done (2001)
12. Max Romeo & Niney The Observer & Lee Scratch Perry – Babylon’s Burning (1973)
13. Nigger Kojak & Mother Liza – Chant Down Babylon (1983)
14. Nikesha – There’s Gonna Be Peace (2001)
15. Nitty Gritty – Used To Be My Lover (1997)
16. Shenley Duffus – Bet You Don’t Know (1972)
17. Sir Lord Comic – Burn Down Babylon (1973)
18. The Upsetters – Beat Version (1973)
19. The Upsetters – Iron Wolf (1974)
20. The Upsetters – King Alpha (1971)
21. The Upsetters – Outformer Version (1972)
22. The Upsetters – Ring Of Fire (1972)
23. Tinga Stewart – Babylon (2001)

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