Tune of the Week: Soul Fire

Having been an independent music producer in Kingston for the last ten years, by the late 70s Lee “Scratch” Perry was probably starting to feel the effects of burnout. By 1978 he had been recording in the studio he built in his own backyard: The Black Ark. In that year he recorded his first solo album of original vocal tunes, “Roast Fish Collie Weed and Corn Bread”. Despite a couple of tunes that focused on physical health, there were a few songs on the album that displayed an unstable and paranoid mental state. This starting track is a great example. The notion of your soul being on fire and there not being any natural remedy is definitely disturbing! Do try to keep tabs on your mental state and engage in some self care, folks.