Which dub album by Lee “Scratch” Perry and The Upsetters was released in 1976? Super Ape.
Super Ape is a landmark dub studio album produced, engineered, and largely composed by Jamaican innovator Lee “Scratch” Perry, with performances by his studio band, the Upsetters. It was recorded at Perry’s Black Ark studio in Kingston, where limited equipment became part of his highly experimental sound.
The album appeared in Jamaica in July 1976 as Scratch the Super Ape on Perry’s Upsetter label. An international edition followed on Island Records in August under the shorter title Super Ape, with a different track order. That variation is a common source of confusion when release dates and track listings are compared.
Its ten tracks use echo, reverb, stripped-down rhythms, horns, percussion, and studio effects to turn reggae recordings into spacious, sometimes surreal instrumentals. The title track closes the standard sequence, while songs such as “Zion’s Blood” and “Dread Lion” helped make the record one of Perry’s most celebrated productions. It is also sometimes discussed alongside Return of the Super Ape, its 1978 follow-up, but the two are separate albums.