Johnny Clarke – Yard Style

Johnny Clarke’s name is forever linked with some of the finest roots reggae of the 1970s, especially the many memorable productions he made with Bunny Lee. But Clarke wasn’t standing still when the new decade arrived. Yard Style, first issued by Ariwa Sounds in 1983, finds him moving into a distinctly different setting. Now, after more than four decades, this album is finally getting a long-overdue reissue.

For anyone who mainly knows Clarke through his classic Bunny Lee recordings, Yard Style offers a refreshing change of scenery. The voice is still unmistakable. Clarke can sound tender, soulful and slightly melancholic at the same time. But the musical surroundings are different, giving him room to explore a sound that feels more connected to the evolving sound of UK reggae at the time.

The 9-track album opens on a soft note with You’re All I Want. Johnny Clarke sounds tender here, with that familiar hint of ache in his voice, but there’s no sense of overplaying the emotion. He simply settles into the song and lets the feeling do the work. Do I Do I changes the pace, moving into a more pronounced groove. Clarke sounds remarkably at ease in the way he rides the riddim. It suits Mad Professor’s Ariwa production style perfectly. There’s plenty of space around the vocal and riddim, giving the track the unmistakable feel of early-1980s UK reggae. Party takes that approach even further. At seven minutes, it’s one of the album’s longest tracks, but the length works in its favour. The arrangement takes its time, giving listeners plenty of room to settle into the riddim.

Clarke also stays firmly connected to the roots and conscious themes that shaped his earlier work. Truths And Rights is a fine example. The song draws from the classic roots tradition, but it doesn’t attempt to recreate the sound of his 1970s Jamaican recordings. Instead, those familiar messages are given a fresh setting through the Ariwa sound of the new decade. Mount Zion takes the listener deeper into Rastafari territory, while We Want To Be Free delivers its message of freedom with equal directness. The songs make it clear that Clarke hadn’t left his roots behind. He was simply presenting them through a different musical lens.

Nuclear Weapon is where the album takes a noticeably darker turn. The subject alone gives the song a sense of urgency, but the heavy, shadowy production makes the impact even stronger. It’s a track that fits naturally into the developing UK roots scene of the early ’80s, and its appearance in John Peel’s radio listings in June 1983 shows that it was getting serious attention at the time.

And there’s a fitting final burst of conscious energy in Dread Like A Lion. Clarke sounds completely at home over the militant riddim, bringing the album to a strong close. Taken as a whole, the record captures Johnny Clarke adapting his roots foundation to a new era without losing what made him special in the first place.

This reissue is therefore more than welcome. Although Yard Style may have been far too long unnoticed, it truly deserves to be heard again. For Johnny Clarke fans and anyone fascinated by the meeting point between Jamaican roots reggae and early-’80s UK reggae, there’s plenty here to discover.