CHASE THE DEVIL – TOP SELLING TUNE

“Chase the Devil" is a reggae song by MAX ROMEO and THE UPSETTERS, and released on their 1976 album , WAR INA BABYLON.

The song was composed by ROMEO and PERRY.

B. MAX SMITH , 22 September 1944, St. Anns, Jamaica, West Indies.

It was Max Romeo who first introduced to Britain the concept of rude reggae with "Wet Dream", which, despite a total radio ban, reached number 10 in the UK charts in May 1969.

He toured the UK several times in the space of a year and issued two albums, A Dream being the better selling.

However, despite other similarly styled singles such as "Mini Skirt Vision", he did not enjoy chart success again.

Romeo was, essentially, something of a gospel singer, with an ability to convey a revivalist fervour on his records, which included "Let The Power Fall On I" (a Jamaican political anthem in 1972) and "Pray For Me". Furthermore, he had an ability to convey the trials, tribulations and amusements of Jamaican life in a song, as evinced by "Eating Competition", "Sixpence" and "Aily And Ailaloo"

In 1972, Romeo began a liaison with producers LEE PERRY and WINSTON “NINEY” HOLNESS, and from this point onwards, his records had a musical fire to match his apocalyptical vision and contrasting humour. "Babylose Burning", "Three Blind Mice" and "The Coming Of Jah' all maintained his star status in Jamaica between 1972 and 1975. Revelation Time was one of the best albums of 1975, and 1976"s War Ina Babylon was hailed by the rock press as an all-time classic reggae album.

However, Perry had much to do with the artistic success of those records, and following a much-publicized split between the pair - with Perry recording "White Belly Rat" about Romeo, and scrawling "Judas" over the singer's picture in Perry's studio - Romeo was cast adrift without musical roots. He left Jamaica for New York in 1976, but further recordings struggled to match the potency of his earlier work, despite teaming up with KEITH RICHARDS to record Holding Out My Love To You

A move to the Wackies' label in the early 80s failed to reverse his fortunes, and by the late 80s Max Romeo's name was forgotten in the mainstream reggae market. He returned to Jamaica in 1990, and in the spring of 1992, London producer JAH SHAKA recorded Fari - Captain Of My Ship and Our Rights on Jah Shaka Records. These unabashed, Jamaican-recorded roots albums were generally reckoned to be Romeo's best work for over 15 years. Another collaboration followed in the late 90s, this time with producers MAFIA AND FLUXY on 1998's Selassie I Forever.

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