Chase The Devil Riddim – Lee Scratch

CHASE THE DEVIL RIDDIM produced by LEE SCRATCH 1976

A stripped-down, bass-heavy roots groove rolls out here, all murky organ, clipped guitar and that sly, hypnotic sway Lee Scratch Perry knew how to wring from the Upsetters. You hear the connection straight away between Perry’s “Croaking Lizard” and Max Romeo’s “Chase The Devil”: the same ominous pulse, but Romeo turns it into something spectral and unforgettable, pushing the fire-and-brimstone hook into one of roots reggae’s most enduring chants. The riddim’s 1976 origin puts it right in Perry’s imperial Black Ark period, when he was shaping recordings that felt like they came from another world, and the version cut at the end leaves the atmosphere hanging in the air, just enough.

Chase The Devil Riddim Tracklist:

1. Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters – Croaking Lizard
2. Max Romeo & The Upsetters – Chase The Devil
3. Version – Chase The Devil Riddim