Crucial Reggae Discomix #89 – Johnny Clarke –

A. Johnny Clarke – Rude Boy
B. Johnny Clarke – You Better Try
Label: Art & Craft – AR12005, Archive Recordings (3) – AR12005

More info @ Discogs

The first edition of Crucial Reggae Discomix turns to Johnny Clarke, one of the most widely recognised singers in Jamaican roots reggae. The 12″ gathers two 1982 roots tracks produced by Stafford Douglas, a less visible but highly consequential figure in British reggae history. Douglas made his name through Jah MafiaTone HiFi, a sound system that had become one of the leading roots sounds of Birmingham and the Midlands by the mid-1970s. At a time when Sir Coxsone, Jah Shaka and Fatman dominated the British scene, MafiaTone carved out its own position through exclusive dubplates, strong roots selections and close Jamaican connections. Douglas travelled regularly to Kingston to source new recordings, commission dub versions and maintain direct relationships with studios and musicians. In doing so, he became an important link between Jamaica’s reggae industry and Britain’s rapidly expanding sound-system culture.

That sound-system background also shaped Douglas’s work as a label owner. He began releasing records on his own Mafiatone imprint, later moving to the better-known Art & Craft. Unlike many conventional record-label operators, he approached releases from the dance floor first: strong riddims, exclusive mixes and music with impact on a large sound system came first. That philosophy is audible on Johnny Clarke’s 1982 album Can’t Get Enough, recorded at Channel One Studio with the Roots Radics as backing band. The album included Rude Boy and You Better Try, both of which Stafford also issued as 12″ singles in 1982.

The 12″ heard here was released in 2018 by Art & Craft and Archive Recordings as a limited-stock Art & Craft/Archive White Label 12″. The stamped white-label format is typical of small-run collector represses rather than a standard retail pressing. It effectively combines the A-sides of the two separate 1982 Art & Craft 12″ singles, rather than reproducing either original B-side in full.

At first glance it may look like a straightforward repress, but the running times tell a different story. Where the original release of “Rude Boy” ran approximately 4 minutes and 46 seconds, it appears here in an extended version lasting 8 minutes and 9 seconds. “You Better Try” also receives considerably more room, at 5 minutes and 53 seconds. The longer versions naturally place additional emphasis on the Roots Radics riddims, without an excess of effects.

Johnny Clarke, born 12 January 1955 in Whitfield Town, Kingston, is among Jamaica’s foremost roots-reggae singers. He rose to prominence in the 1970s with producer Bunny Lee and the Aggrovators, moved into the British dancehall scene in the early 1980s, and remains active as an artist.

Clarke grew up in Whitfield Town, a Kingston neighbourhood. In 1971 he won a talent contest, which led to his introduction to producer Clancy Eccles; his first single, God Made the Sea and the Sun, appeared in 1972. His first substantial successes came with producer Rupie Edwards, including Everyday Wondering and Julie in 1973. Soon afterwards began the partnership that would define his career: his work with Bunny Lee.

Between 1974 and 1976, Clarke recorded a series of influential roots-reggae albums with Bunny Lee, King Tubby, Prince Jammy and the Aggrovators, among them None Shall Escape (1974) and Enter Into His Gates with Praise (1975). Much of the recording took place at King Tubby’s studio. This period produced songs such as None Shall Escape the Judgement, Every Natty Shall Be Free, Roots Natty, Put It On and African People. Clarke was named Jamaica’s Artist of the Year in both 1975 and 1976, and stood at the centre of the ‘Flying Cymbals’ sound that preceded the roots-rockers era.

By the early 1980s, Clarke’s popularity in Jamaica had declined, as had Bunny Lee’s. In the United Kingdom he then worked with Stafford Douglas and his Art & Craft label. In 1983 Clarke moved to London. There he began collaborating with Neil “Mad Professor” Fraser and recorded Yard Style, which included Mount Zion and Nuclear Weapon. Nuclear Weapon became a hit in 1984 and gave his career a fresh push.

Through the remainder of the 1980s he continued recording, working with King Tubby, Errol Thompson and Prince Jammy, among others. His style moved further toward dancehall, incorporating digital riddims and more contemporary production. In 1992 Clarke worked with DJ Prince Jazzbo on Rasta Nuh Fear, an album that paired roots vocals with the electronic production of the period. In 1997 came Rock with Me, produced by Niney the Observer.

In 1995 Clarke was invited to Reggae Sunsplash, where he delivered a strong performance. His renewed appreciation was also aided by the Blood & Fire compilation Dreader Dread 1976–78, which returned his early Bunny Lee recordings to a new audience. Clarke has never stopped performing or recording. He tours regularly and continues to release new music, including during the 2020s.