VP’s 17 North Parade Label Releases a Max Romeo Classic on vinyl, CD and digital platforms this Friday, July 3rd.
Recorded at Randy’s Studio 17 and Lee Perry’s Black Ark, Max Romeo’s Revelation Time is rightfully regarded as one of the cornerstones of Jamaican music. Released in Jamaica in 1975 on Black World, the album was picked by United Artist for US release and eventually listed in The Rough Guide to Reggae as an essential reggae album. Alternately known as Open The Iron Gate, it was reissued by boutique reggae label Blood & Fire in 2001.
In addition to the enduring title track, the album includes the classic Lee Perry production “Three Blind Mice” and one of the all-time high-grade ganja anthems “A Quarter Pound Of I’Cense.”
The LP is the first of a trio of Max Romeo albums that are the core of the singer’s international legacy, continuing with War Inna Babylon and Reconstruction.
Featuring exceptional production work from both Lee Perry and the up and coming mercenary producer Clive Hunt, the album shows reggae blossoming into the mid-70s and a new star on the rise.
The 2020 VP / 17 North Parade reissue includes an LP with the original track sequencing and cover art and a 19 track CD extended with DJ versions and dub mixes.
Wordsby Carter Van Pelt