By VP Records
Photos: VP Records\Peter Simon\Wikimedia Commons
To celebrate Max Romeo’s 80th birthday this year on the 22nd of November we are re-releasing one of his early albums, “Every Man Ought To Know,” produced by Bunny ’Striker’ Lee and mixed at King Tubby’s. This product is new to all digital / streaming platforms.
Max Romeo is perhaps best known for his work in the mid to late 70s with the innovative producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, “War In A Babylon,” “One Step Forward” and The Prodigy sampling “Chase The Devil” among his most notable works. Yet, the music that preceded that fruitful era is equally as important to the development of the Reggae genre. His work with ‘The Gorgon’ aka Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee began with the controversial track “Wet Dream,” a track which had phenomenal success in the U.K. and became a top ten Pop chart hit.
“Every Man Ought To Know” is the continuation of the working relationship between Romeo and Lee and includes a varied mix of songs, ‘slackness’ from “Pussy Watch Man,” soulful covers, “Sometimes” (originally sung by Gene Thomas) and “Stick By Me” (by Shep & The Limelites – made famous by the late, great John Holt) plus early ‘message’ music promoting the teachings of the Rastafarian faith with the title track “Every Man Ought To Know.”
This album is a super obscure rarity that highlights a very interesting time in the evolution of Reggae music, now remastered and reissued on all digital platforms for the first time.
