Romeo, Max & The Upsetters

Jackpot Records is extremely proud to announce our reissue of the revered reggae album 1976’s War Ina Babylon by Max Romeo & The Upsetters. Originally released on Island Records, the album is considered one of the greatest Reggae albums of all time and was a massive influence on the UK punk movement that was just starting to bubble to the surface.

The record’s incredible power belies an unlikely partnership between one of the world’s greatest producers (and experimenters in sound), Lee “Scratch” Perry, and vocalist Max Romeo (who by 1976 had performed on over 120 7” singles) Romeo had been transforming from his “rude” records to writing lyrics with social themes as the era in Jamaica was rife with poverty, gangs, and politically motivated killings. As he was looking to produce protest music at its most powerful alongside music that would never leave the listener’s souls, Lee Perry and Max Romeo started collaborating together.

Recorded in two weeks in 1976, utilizing Lee Perry’s kitchen sink production, War Ina Babylon is considered part of Lee Perry’s ‘holy trinity’ Black Ark produced LPs released by Island Records (Junior Murvin’s Police and Thieves and The Heptones’ Party Time being the other classics LPs in the trinity), this LP continues to find new fans with every passing generation.