| 'Chase the Devil' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Max Romeo and The Upsetters | ||||
| from the album War ina Babylon | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Max Romeo and The Upsetters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
'Chase the Devil' is a reggae song, recorded in 1976 by Max Romeo, with the backing of Lee 'Scratch' Perry's house band, The Upsetters.
Jul 08, 2010 Reggae’s Mad Scientist The sounds inside Lee “Scratch” Perry’s head changed the world – reggae and rap wouldn’t exist without him and he did it all without ever learning to play an. 4 days ago “Disco Devil” (1977; Upsetter) We’re starting not with an album, but with a single that encapsulates Lee “Scratch” Perry’s dub innovations, songwriting strength and tendency toward experimental soundscapes all in one eight-minute duration.
Background[edit]
Composed by Perry and Romeo, 'Chase the Devil' was released on the album War ina Babylon in 1976. Also in 1976, The Upsetters recorded a version with different lyrics. The track, called 'Croaking Lizard' and credited to The Upsetters and Prince Jazzbo, was included in their album Super Ape. Later, Perry made a dub remix of both versions, called 'Disco Devil'.
Meaning[edit]
In a BBC interview recorded in 2010 Romeo describes the meaning of the song. He explains that the devil is everything negative in our minds, the iron shirt is our strength of spirit that allows us to cast out the devil.[1]
Track listing[edit]
- 7' UK Single[2]
- A. Max Romeo – 'Chase the Devil'
- B. The Upsetters featuring Prince Jazzbo – 'Croaking Lizard'
Lee Scratch Perry Disco Devil Live Video
- 7' French Single[3][4]
- A. 'Chase the Devil' – 3:25
- B. 'One Step Forward (Oye Oye Reggae)' – 5:00
Samples, covers and appearances[edit]
- 'Out of Space' by The Prodigy (1992) sampled the song.[5]
- The same sample was used by Mellow Trax for his 1999 song 'Outa Space'.[6]
- Kanye West has used resung samples from 'Chase the Devil' to produce Jay Z's song 'Lucifer', which appeared on Jay Z's 2003 release, The Black Album.[5]
- Madness covered the song for their cover album, The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1, released in 2005.[7]
- 'Chase the Devil' was also used in the 2011 film Paul.[8]
- A sample from the song was used on 'Lucifer', a track by Coki, in 2011.[9]
- The song is featured on the K-Jah West radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[10] 'Disco Devil', the remix, was later featured on the Blue Ark radio station in Grand Theft Auto V.
References[edit]
- ^'BBC Four – Reggae Britannia, Max Romeo on I Chase The Devil'. BBC Online. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^'Max Romeo / Upsetters, The Feat Prince Jazzbo – Chase The Devil / Croaking Lizard (Vinyl)'. Discogs. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^'Max Romeo – Chase The Devil / One Step Forward ( Oye Oye Reggae ) (Vinyl)'. Discogs. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^'Chase the Devil / One Step Forward (Oye Oye Reggae) by Max Romeo : Reviews and Ratings'. Rate Your Music. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ abKulkarni, Neil (26 April 2016). 'One Step Forward Two Steps Backward: 1976, Reggae & Critical Amnesia'. The Quietus. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^'Mellow Trax's Outa Space sample of Max Romeo's Chase the Devil'. WhoSampled. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. 'Madness – The Dangermen Sessions, Vol. 1'. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^Monger, James Christopher. 'Original Soundtrack – Paul'. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^'Coki's Lucifer sample of Max Romeo's Chase the Devil'. WhoSampled. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
- ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 'Original Game Soundtrack – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
External links[edit]
Lee Perry Disco Devil
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics