Max Romeo - Open the Iron Gate: 1973-1979 '1999; 2020

Tracks list

The singer who put the rude in rude boy, Max Romeo was responsible for launching
an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an
outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless. Yet innuendo was
the least of the singers stylings, previous to the release of his infamous Wet
Dream, Romeo had garnered a string of sweet hits with the vocal trio the
Emotions. And once the nocturnal naughtiness faded, the singer established
himself as one of the most important figures in the roots scene.

Romeo was born Max Smith on November 22, 1947, in St DAcre, Jamaica. His
prospects initially seemed dim; at 14 he left home and found a menial job
cleaning out irrigation ditches on a sugar plantation. And there he might have
stayed, if he hadnt won a local talent contest. With all the wide-eyed optimism
of youth, the 18-year-old now made his way to Kingston, determined to become a
star. Once in the capital, he hooked up with two other hopefuls, Kenneth Knight
and Lloyd Shakespeare, and the Emotions were born. Their 1966 debut, (Buy You) A
Rainbow, produced by Ken Lack, was an immediate hit and over the next two years,
the trio amassed an impressive list of successful singles.

In 1968, the singer, now dubbed Max Romeo, was confident enough to launch a solo
career. Working with producer Bunny Lee, the young star recorded a number of
love ballads and sweet singles, but none made much of an impression on the
charts. The singer admitted defeat and returned to the Emotions. Simultaneously,
he formed the Hippy Boys, with whom he did some recording (the band eventually
evolved into the Upsetters), while also working as a sales rep for Lee Perry.
Later that year, Romeo penned new lyrics to the rhythm track of Derrick Morgans
Hold You Jack and handed them over to Lee Perry. Morgan was penciled in for the
recording but opted to give it a miss, as did a couple of other vocalists, until
finally the exasperated producer bullied Romeo into taking the mike.

The result was Wet Dream, an instant smash in Jamaica, although it was far from
the first island single to feature suggestive lyrics. It was, however, a bit
more obvious than most, so much so that even the British had no difficulty
discerning its real meaning. Across the Atlantic, the single was heating up the
charts, although not the airwaves. The British censors, not known for their
stupidity, gave short shrift to Romeos rather lame explanation that the song was
actually about a leaky roof and immediately banned it. This had the reverse
effect and helped push the single up the chart into the Top Ten.

A bucketload of less-than-furtive follow-up singles now ran rampant across the
chart, both from Romeo himself and other equally lasciviously minded artists,
with 1970s A Dream boasting an entire albums worth of Romeos own offerings. In
the U.K., this mini-movement took on a life of its own, culminating with the
phenomenal success of the homegrown talent Judge Dread and his string of naughty
nursery rhyme hits. Back in Jamaica, Romeo attempted to launch his own label
(Romax) and sound system in 1970, but unfortunately the venture was a failure.
The following year, he hooked back up with Bunny Lee and began recording a
clutch of singles based on the producers own rocksteady classic rhythms. One of
the most intriguing was Watch This Sound, which combined a rocksteady backing
with the lyrics to the Buffalo Springfield classic For What Its Worth. Branching
out, Romeo also cut numerous singles with a number of other producers, including
Winston Riley, Sonia Pottinger, and Alvin Ranglin. Many of these releases were
culturally themed, as the singer shifted into a more roots-fired mode. Some of
the most striking were recorded with the young Niney Holness, including Beardman
Feast, The Coming of Jah, and the apocalyptic Babylon Burning, which was
co-written by Lee Perry.

A sense of an impending apocalypse was inherent to Rastafarianism as all of
Jamaica was caught in its grip in the run-up to the 1972 election. Democracy has
always carried a price tag of political violence on the island, but this year
was particularly expensive. The conservative JLP party, which had run the
country since independence a decade earlier, now for the first time faced
serious opposition from the socialist PNP party. The result was an outbreak of
violence across the island, as the opposing party supporters squared off on the
streets. Both the urban poor and Rastafarians flocked to the PNP banner, while
artists, too, made their preferences plain, although it may not seem that way to
the uninitiated. Virtually all Old Testament references alluded to politics,
with PNP leader Michael Manley personified by biblical heroes (normally Joshua,
the nickname he was given by supporters), while JLP Prime Minister Harry Shearer
was consigned to the role of villain.

Romeo, an ardent PNP proponent, released numerous political singles at this
time, including Press Along Joshua, a message of support for Manley and Pharaoh,
where he denigrates Shearer. However, it was Let the Power Fall on I, an
infectious cover of the old Rastafarian spiritual produced by Derrick Morgan
that had the greatest impact. PNP chose it as their campaign theme song, while
the singer himself joined the campaign trail with numerous other artists,
including Bob Marley, performing in rural areas to help drum up support for the
party. 1972s Let the Power Fall album includes many of these fiercely political
singles and must have come as quite a shock to any U.K. purchasers who
mistakenly thought this was the follow-up to A Dream. Romeo released one final
political song later in the year, after the PNP romped to an overwhelming
victory. No Joshua No is an open musical letter to my friend Joshua, wherein the
singer gently chides the new prime minister about the continued plight of the
poor, the PNPs most fervid supporters. Manley took the song to heart and
proceeded to institute a series of major social programs and land reform.

At this point, the singer bowed out of the political arena and began focusing on
more devotional material. 1975s Revelation Time gathered up many of the deeply
dread and gospel-inspired singles Romeo recorded with a variety of producers
during this period. However, events conspired to pull Romeo back into political
consciousness the following year. The oil embargo and resulting world recession
had played havoc with Jamaicas economy and with another election looming,
Kingston descended into chaos. The spark was lit by the IMF conference held in
the capital that January, shades of the two in Seattle, but the rioting did not
stop with the departure of the delegates.

In fact, it was merely the warm-up for a year-long convulsion of violence, as
JLP agitators attempted to make the city, and by extension, the island,
ungovernable. It was only after the PNP were convincingly re-elected that the
violence finally sputtered to an end. During this time, Romeo released a clutch
of seminal singles all fired by the Lee Perrys deep roots production. The
conflagrant Sipple out Deh, the melancholy One Step Forward, the stepper classic
Chase the Devil, and the revolutionary nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice all
reverberated across the desolate landscape.

It was at this point that Island signed Romeo, and for his U.K. debut, remixed
Sipple, and released it under the title of War in a Babylon. The single had the
same impact in Britain as on the island, reverberating across a nation
experiencing its own political turmoil. The single would also title Romeos new
album. War ina Babylon was a masterpiece, the apex of Romeos career, as well as
one of Perrys most superlative productions in his own equally illustrious
career. Tragically, the pair had a permanent falling out soon after, depriving
the world of who knows how many more great records. Romeos next album,
Reconstruction was self-produced and suffered accordingly. Without Perry, the
singer seemed to have lost his bearings, and in 1978, he left Jamaica for the
U.S.

Having moved to New York City, things initially went well. Romeo co-wrote the
Broadway musical Reggae and starred in it as well, quite a coup, even though the
play only had a short run. He was feted by the Rolling Stones and guested on
backing vocals on Emotional Rescues Dancing. Two years later in 1981, Keith
Richard co-produced the singers Holding Out My Love to You album, with Sly &
Robbie laying down the rhythms. The record was a few notches above its
predecessors, 1979s I Love My Music and 1980s Rondos, but contained nothing
coming close to the quality of War ina Babylon. In fact, his best album of the
decade was 1984s Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray at King Tubbys Studio, a split album
of Bunny Lee productions dating back to a decade earlier.

And then the artist simply faded from view. He had no desire to return to a
Jamaica, especially considering that the JLP had wrestled back control of the
government in late 1980 after a bloody campaign that left almost 700 dead. Romeo
recorded a mere two more albums by the end of the decade, both with producer
Lloyd Barnes, but both disappeared without a trace.

At the end of the 80s, a shift in the scene brought roots back into fashion,
albeit within a dancehall context. In response, Romeo returned to Jamaica in
1990 and began touring regularly. His profile was heightened by the U.K. release
of The Many Moods of Max Romeo, which gathered up a diverse group of tracks cut
between 1967 and 1971. It was on a resulting trip to Britain that he met up with
Jah Shaka, whose own sound system was responsible for keeping roots alive in the
U.K. Having moved into production, Jah Shaka eschewed fashion, with his style
remaining defiantly steppers rhythm based. But that was precisely what Romeo was
waiting for and the two set to work. Fari Captain of My Ship and Our Rights were
both released in 1992 and were fine sets, returning the singer to something
nearing his former glory.

1995s Cross or the Gun was even better. Produced by Tapper Zukie, whose own
innate understanding of roots rivaled Shakas, Zukie has a better ear for
contemporary rhythms and thus gave Cross a more modern feel while retaining a
rootsy sound.

Producers Mafia & Fluxys own unique style heavily flavored Romeos next album,
1999s Selassie I Forever, and while the pair are electronic-based, the
collaboration worked better than many expected. The following year brought
another compilation, Pray for Me: The Best of 1967-1973, which nicely
complements the earlier Many Moods sets. Notable releases from the new
millennium included the conceptual LP Perilous Time (2001), the tribute album
Sings Hits of Bob Marley (2006), and Horror Zone (2016), which reunited the
singer with Lee Scratch Perry. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, Rovi

Tracklist:
01. Max Romeo - Every Man Ought To Know (3:20)
02. Max Romeo - Revelation Time - Hammer And Sickle (5:07)
03. Max Romeo - No Peace (3:43)
04. Max Romeo - Tacko (2:50)
05. Max Romeo - Blood Of The Prophet (6:24)
06. Max Romeo - Warning Warning - Version (7:42)
07. Max Romeo - A Quarter Pound Of Icense (2:43)
08. Max Romeo - Three Blind Mice (2:54)
09. Max Romeo - Open The Iron Gates (5:14)
10. Max Romeo - Valley Of Jehosaphat - Version (5:03)
11. Max Romeo - Fire Fe The Vatican (3:34)
12. Max Romeo - Melt Away (6:04)

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