Original Wailers Trench Town Rock

covering the period of 1971

The Wailers left producer Lee Perry circa April/May 1971. The parting was acrimonious, with money, as usual, the source of bitter contention. Perry's brilliant musical instincts and his wild innovative flourishes both amazed and offended other artists who often cut their best work under his tutelage, but sometimes resented the fact thaat the final product was often artistically more Perry's than theirs. Bob loved working with Perry and understood that the Upsetter's uniques lyrical and musical thoughts could provide just the right touch on certain material. Peter and Bunny, however, resented Perry's ideas and intrusions into their musical thoughts which they had already worked out patiently and completely.

The Upsetter was cutting numerous versions over his hit riddims dubbing on dj's or instrumentalists, often revoicing the cuts himself. Thus an Upsetter hit like Junior Byles' Beat Down Babylon was versioned over by Perry nearly fifteen times, and then Perry leased out the rhythm to several other producers who proceeded to version it themselves.All three Wailers were unalterably opposed to this practice and refused to allow their hits to be routinely versioned by Perry or anyone else. Another bone of contention was the Wailers' desire to tighten up the act by playing their own instruments on recording sessions to save or earn the sideman fee.

They needed a drummer and wanted Carlton Barrett who, with his bass playing sibling Aston, formed the nucleus of Perry's recording band, the Upsetters. Bunny had been playing bass for some time, but they knew Carlton and Aston came as a team. They made their pitch and enraged Perry when he learned of their treachery. For a short time the Barretts hesitated, then tried to fill both roles as Wailers and Upsetters, but by the end of 1971 they were firmly in the Wailers' camp. In April of 1971 the Wailers began a five moth period of heavy recording which yielded some of the most potent work, the equal of their best with Perry, but this time destined for release on thier own Tuff Gong label, equally and jointly owned by Bob, Bunny and Peter. They had learned a lot during their early eyars about the business of selling music in Jamaica and they had established a Wailers Record Shop on Beeston Street in Western Kingston where they could both distribute wholesale and sell retail. They already had a backlog of masters for the Wail 'N Soul 'M period of the late sixties which they pressed up on a myriad of couplings to sell through the store while they recorded their newest material. Things were beginning to look lean before they dropped the bomb of the year, Trenchtown Rock, a major smash.

liner notes by Leroy Jodie Pierson and Roger Steffens

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