Small Axe Riddim – Upsetter

Small Axe produced by Lee Scratch Perry, Bunny Striker Lee, Prince Tony Robinson, Lloyd Campbell, Michelle Campbell for Upsetter in 1971

Lee Scratch Perry’s Upsetter production gives Small Axe Riddim its early-’70s edge, with 1971 versions tied to Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Upsetters, and U Roy carrying the classic title tune through different angles. More Axe, Small Axe, and The Axe Man are the key cuts here, and the set also nods to later revisits from Beres Hammond and Mikey Pow, Glen Washington, and Screwdriver. Built around Perry’s militant, stripped-down studio sound, this is one of those riddims that immediately locks into the era’s roots-reggae tension while still showing why the Small Axe name became such a lasting part of the Upsetter catalogue.

Small Axe Riddim Tracklist:

1. Beres Hammond & Mikey Pow – Small Axe
2. Bob Marley & The Wailers – More Axe (1971)
3. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Small Axe (1971)
4. Dave Barker & Charlie Ace & The Upsetters – Shocks ’71 (1971)
5. Glen Washington – Turn Me On (2004)
6. I-Roy – Big Tree (1974)
7. Screwdriver – Poor Man Dream (2007)
8. The Upsetters – Axe Man (1971)
9. U Roy – Small Axe (1977)

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