Papa Levi chapter two: Onwards & Upwards
Previously, in the Papa Levi story
Riding the crest of a wave, Levi then became the first Saxon MC to sign a deal with a major label in the form of Island Records. Island are mainly associated with “album-ised” 70s JA roots like Marley and Burning Spear (as well as worthies like LKJ) but it also seems that they had their fingers on the pulse of homegrown talent.
Certainly Levi’s releases on Island are every bit as good as those on indies and the talent is definitely all there in the form of producer Paul “Groucho” Smykle, Paul Robinson continuing with drum duties and George Oban on bass & keyboards. Oban deserves a special “Uncarved gold medal” for going the distance with Aswad, UK fast chat, On-U Sound and even the Red Crayola.
“Bonnie and Clyde were two good looking people
But wicked and evil mister, that’s for sure
Entered a shop with a 30inch revolver (?)
They stole every dollar then they walked through the doorTwo country folk, man, they craved for the city
Because they wanted money in our society
Lived very fast, they made a lot of money
But their life was soon to end in misery…”
Bonnie & Clyde came out towards the end of 1984, the full colour cover and Levi singing some of the verses suggests a serious push towards the pop charts to my mind. Lyrically this is familiar reggae territory with an ambiguous take on rude boy gangsterism – both glamourised and condemned in the same tune.
Musically this is as tight as any JA tune you can mention from the period – it’s fantastically accessible without losing its edge. Warm bass, crisp drums and a brilliant cascading synth line. TUNE!
Warning on the flip is a re-rub of Michigan and Smiley’s Diseases, but concerning herpes rather than the polomylitis etc of the original cut. It fits in well with this post about reggae and sexual health. Levi focuses on monogamy rather than safe sex and there is a bit of an undercurrent of misogyny here with women presented as dangerous seducing harbingers with short skirts. But it is only really an undercurrent to what is essentially a light hearted tune about a serious issue.
Big ‘n’ Broad followed shortly afterwards and was a return to more familiar soundsystem rhymes and attitude. The tune is about Levi’s lyrical dexterity and his career as an MC with Saxon Studio International. I’m assuming a good few people have already heard this because it’s on the Lyric Maker mix, but the 12″ also includes an extended instrumental section which we left out. A classic, anyway.
84-tion on the flip goes even further back in time – to Levi’s childhood!
“Well in the school I used to go, I used to get detention
Well in the school I used to go, I used to get detention
The teacher would shout ‘Williams! Shut up and pay attention.’
If anything go missing I would be under suspicionThe headmaster was giving me a lot of aggravation
When I-man school report would read ‘Phillip have no ambition.’
To carry on like this I would never have an occupation
They’d tell my parents I was headed in the wrong direction
Mamma asked ‘Why you so bad?’ me never have no explanation
[...]
I never knew that soundsystem would be my destination
But through the mic I built myself a massive reputation
Seh english and jamaican MCs give me inspiration
Seh Levi and the Colonel are the sweetest combination
Saxon MCs are the best – for us there is no opposition
Lyrics in my brain is worse than nuclear ammunition [...]“
The backing track for this is minimal drum and bass which allows the lyrics to soak through you – the title comes from the fact that very line in the song ends in “tion”!
Trouble in Africa marks another landmark in the development of cockney chat. After all the admiration both ways, this was a real marriage of the islands of GB and JA: Levi on vocals, backed by Sly and Robbie. This 3 tracker came out in 1985 on Island’s Mango sublabel, for reaons unclear to me. The title track is some serious conscious lyrics over a great version of the stalag riddim.
Riot in Birmingham is sheer rapid-fire “reality” bizness over Sly & Robbie’s “Tickle Me” riddim (which warrants a future post of its very own). Levi’s lyrics outshine virtually everything that the anarchopunk scene was producing at the same time, its analysis is bang on and covers everything from class, police harassment to economics in terms of the black market, benefits and the huge spending drive on nuclear weapons. But of course all of that is negated for the spikey tops because Levi wasn’t a punk and the record came out on a major label…
“Well I-man Papa Levi, Island news reporter and writer[chorus]Riot inna Birmingham – shop get bruk up
Riot inna Birmingham – shop get bruk up
Burn up burn up house burn up car burn up van burn up truck
Burn up burn up shop burn up car burn up van burn up truck
Well down in a
Handsworth the living is a rough
Fi the poor man it hard(?) and for the poor man it tough
Seh social security- that’s not enough
Seh no jobs about – youth get dangerous
How long can the govt manhangle us
Them not see the situation serious
Problems we face are various
Police can stop a man just to suss
If you walk pon street you wan’ be well cautious
Police them always suspicious
If you drive big car them get envious
Not believe poor people can be ambitious
We come last and them come first
But the system is getting very monotonous
Future fi de youth don’ look marvelous
Even if you’re born as a true genius
From you’re living in the ghetto you have no status
If your complexion dark that make it even worse
This lyric dedicated to all the conscious
Want everybody join in pon the chorus
[chorus]
The reason for it is plain to see
I blame it on the ting called poverty
Poor people are the pillars of society
But don’t get not respect those in authority
Me no need the rich but the rich need me [...]“
Dear Pastor is the flipside tune, in which Home T4 are given questionable life coaching by “The Right Reverend Father Papa Levi”. This is a kind of throwaway tune, quite funny in a “sexual farce” kind of way and a nice contrast with the seriousness of the a-side. Home T was a vocal trio, iirc, who were a huge deal for a while – collaborating with Shabba and Cocoa Tea on tunes like Pirate’s Anthem (which was the first tune played on Kiss when it went legal!). I seem to remember reading somewhere that HomeT-4 was some kind of supergroup also incorporating Cocoa T, but I could be wrong about that.
But enough spotterism. What infuriates and amazes me is that these three 12″ have zero 2nd hand value in London, which means you can often pick them up for a couple of quid – scant recognition for their actual quality.
Clearly Island didn’t quite know what to do with Levi, perhaps because his style and lyrics were too uncompromising for the Top of The Pops appearances which were to be his colleagues’ trophies, or perhaps because he was just too sarf London for people who “liked a bit of Bob Marley”.
All I know is that no album on Island ever appeared and “Trouble” was to be Papa Levi’s last release for the label.
Chapter Three: Papa Levi – the independent years.
great stuff man…I would add you to the list of folks I would like to see in my ideal reggae magazine
phil levi was one of my early faves, from when I didnt know UK from JA, just what I liked;) I think he was on an island deejay comp and his track was my fave. That mix you blokes did is doing the rounds down under with the old school dancehall massive (thats about 5 of us lol) and we are luvvin it
Ive done a few little digi things that might tickle yr fancy, in that vein somewhat: http://www.versionist.com/artist/PETE%20MURDER%20TONE/music
cheers
Pete M
sister love waan her tunes back too, you bastard
Send Sister Love my way and we’ll see if we can work something out.
Will check your tunes when I get a minute, Peter – looking forward to hearing them!
Hold tight down undah old school dancehall massive!
Oh yeah, it turns out that “Bonnie and Clyde” is a patois-enhanced cover version of Georgie Fame’s “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde”! I only found that out because I was whistling it in the office the other day.
I have to say that Papa Levi was , is and always will be my favourite MC, from the UK.
I spent time in Jamaica as a yute and heard nuff DJ and I can tell you that Levi can match and pass any a dem, pan any subject! him is a very conscious DJ ,a lyrics machine.
I went back to Jamaica in the late 80′s and me and some relatives, my brother were talking about the track, and my brother who is from and lived in kingston,were trying to tell me that the levi style was from jamaica, but mi an dem ketch up eena one piece a argument when i said that the style was from london, used by a very talented yute. eventually when my brother visited london i proved my point.
I still have some of levi’s records which my woman and kids have heard and they were impressed .
I heard a re-work of mi god mi king the other day and i can tell yu seh levi still a bubble.
papa levi mi case an come back.
come tek back yu crown pupa. too much pretenda out deh.
peace!
Zacheous
Hey thanks for dropping by Zacheous – got some Papa Levi live chatting just added for you to check out as well.
Hey John,
What a gwaan?
Where can I hear the Levi live chatting?
Bless!
Zacheous
Peace!
Welcome back Zacheous! – you can check a live mp3 at the end of this post:
http://uncarved.org/blog/?p=729
Enjoy!
Yes John
Big respect fi da link deh,
will check it now!
Zacheous
Peace
hi guys, it’s arianna, from italy…I’m doing a work on linton kwesi johnson…anyone can help me with…say…any kind of help, material, websites if you know, your opinion…whateverù
thnx
[...] Schneller chatten mit Saxon — Lebhafter vortragen mit Jeremy Harding — Stilvoller clashen mit Roddy und Tony Die Deejays des britischen Saxon Sound, in den 80er und 90er Jahren das Aushängeschild der Soundsystems von der Insel und wohl bis heute ihr prominentester Vertreter, hatten einen Einfluss auf den Deejay-Stil insgesamt, der schwer festzunageln, aber vielleicht ebenso schwer zu unterschätzen ist. Papa Levi, Tippa Irie, Daddy Colonel und die weiteren kaum zu zählenden Artists im Saxon-Umfeld gehörten in den frühen und mittleren 80er Jahren zu den Deejays, welche die Toasting-Temposchraube gewaltig anzogen – ein Stil, der als “Fast Chat” bekannt werden sollte. Papa Levi, Anführer der DJ-Brigade, schaffte es im Jahr 1984 als erster und bis heute einziger britischer Artist mit seiner Single “Mi God Mi King” Platz 1 der jamaikanischen Charts zu erobern. Einen Einblick in seine Geschichte als Artist geben drei Posts beim Blog uncarved.org (Links: 1, 2, 3), deren Lektüre allen Interessierten ans Herz gelegt sei. — Im Herbst findet in Melbourne, Australien die nächste Ausgabe der Red Bull Music Academy statt, für die sich Nachwuchs-DJs und -Produzenten bis zum 3. 6. bewerben können (Infos auf der Homepage). Unter den zahlreichen Dozenten wird hoffentlich / wahrscheinlich auch wieder der eine oder andere aus der Reggae-Szene sein, wie das in der Vergangenheit etwa mit Jeremy Harding, David Rodigan oder Clive Chin bereits der Fall war. Protokolle der jeweiligen Interviews, teilweise auch als Video, finden sich ebenfalls auf der Homepage und sind ausdrücklich empfohlen. Ein Zitat aus dem Interview mit Top-Producer Jeremy Harding: “I remember once I walked into a session with Michael Rose from Black Uhuru, this is a Sly and Robbie session. So, of course Michael Rose, Sly and Robbie – Reggae Grammy winners – legends. I’m going to see how it works. Walk into the studio, but you can’t see anything, it’s full of weed smoke, so it’s like this (mimics spliff rolling) with all these Rastas lined up on the wall rolling weed. The whole place is like that. The engineer is there, he has a TV monitor and he’s watching like ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ or something like that. Casually, this tape machine beside him. Then Robbie says: “Ready?” Press record. Watch TV. Then Robbie’s like: “Yo, hold on, stop, let me take out my gun. (mimics removing gun from waistline and putting it on table). Alright, ready again.” He press the thing, and Robbie’s like this (mimics bassline), plays this thing. Links zu den Interviews: Jeremy Harding (incl. Video, 3 Teile) Steely & Clevie (nur Video, 3 Teile) Clive Chin (2 Teile, auch Video) David Rodigan (2 Teile) Dennis Bovell (3 Teile, auch Video) — Und dann wäre da noch, am Samstag in New York, einer am gespanntesten erwarteten Clashes der letzten Zeit: David Rodigan gegen Downbeat The Ruler, New York gegen London, Veteran gegen Veteran, nicht unironisch betitelt als “the most decent Clash on Earth”. Seit etwa anderthalb Jahren im Gespräch, einmal bereits fix und dann doch wieder gecancelt, werden sich die beiden nun gegenüber stehen; nicht zum ersten Mal in einem gemeinsamen Clash, aber zum ersten Mal One on One. Im Vorfeld wird bereits wild spekuliert, mit welchen Gimmicks Rodigan überraschen kann (unter 5 Custommades von Bitty McLean macht er’s gewiss nicht!) und wie tief Tony Screw in seine wohl unvergleichbare Foundation-Kiste greifen wird. Rein musikalisch dürfte Rodigan kaum an Downbeat heranreichen, aber dass er immer für Überraschungen gut ist durfte zuletzt auf Bermuda auch Tony Matterhorn erfahren. Zu hoffen bleibt, dass der Clash im Gegensatz zu manch Anderem der letzten Zeit die in ihn gesetzten Erwartungen erfüllen kann. [...]
I think that line with the ’30 inch revolver’ should be ‘.38 revolver’
I’m not really sure about that, not knowing anything about weaponry, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense…
[...] The Papa Levi Story, Parts One, Two and Three – John Eden looks back at the vinyl releases of this seminal cockney chat MC. [...]
None…
None…
likin’ your style, Gen Drebery.
Thats good
Thanks for sharing.
thanks for sharing this information
so what ever happened to one of the greateat black uk mc’s.LEVI WE SALUTE YOU BIG BROAD MASSIVE & LARGE Is he still chatting on the mic? is he alive and well?
ANYONE KNOW?
Levi is still around and plays out on Saxon occasionally – see the youtube link in the sidebar for some footage of him on southbank last year…
[...] sprang to fame on Saxon soundsystem alongside Papa Levi, Asher Senator, Tippa Irie et al. Levi was the first to sign to a major, but Smiley’s anthemic “Cockney Translation” and “Police Officer” had [...]
[...] an almost tectonic pull on everyone from Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot to Papa Levi. Inspired that whole Thelma and Louise live fast die young, roadtrip kind of [...]