"Chase the Devil" is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

song, recorded in 1976 by

Max Romeo Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith; 22 November 1944)"Respect to th ...

, with the backing of

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

The Upsetters The Upsetters was the name given to the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am the Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Cox ...

Background

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 Linval Roy Carter (3 September 1951 – 11 September 2013), better known as Prince Jazzbo, was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay and producer. Career Born in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and raised in Kingston, Linval Roy Carter (who would ...

, was included in their album ''

Super Ape ''Super Ape'' is a dub studio album produced and engineered by Lee "Scratch" Perry, credited to his studio band The Upsetters. In Jamaica, the album was released under the name ''Scratch the Super Ape'' in July 1976 on Perry's own Upsetter labe ...

''. Later, Perry made a dub remix of both versions, called "Disco Devil". 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.

Track listing

*7" UK Single :A. Max Romeo – "Chase the Devil" :B.

featuring

– "Croaking Lizard" *7" French Single :A. "Chase the Devil" – 3:25 :B. "One Step Forward (Oye Oye Reggae)" – 5:00

Cover versions

Out of Space "Out of Space" is the fourth EP/single released by English electronic music group the Prodigy in 1992. The song is also featured on their debut album, Experience (1992), and is the fourth single from it. The song samples the 1976 song "Chase t ...

" by

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional l ...

(1992) sampled the song. *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

has used resung samples from "Chase the Devil" to produce

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's song "Lucifer", which appeared on Jay Z's 2003 release, '' The Black Album''. *

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

covered the song for their cover album, ''

The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1 ''The Dangermen Sessions, Vol. 1'' is a cover album and the eighth studio album by the British ska band Madness, released in 2005. The album reached No. 11 in the UK which at the time was their highest chart position in the UK since 1984's '' ...

'', released in 2005. * Dreadzone sampled the song for their 2006 track "Iron Shirt". *

Earl Sixteen Earl Sixteen (b. Earl John Daley, 9 May 1958, Kingston, Jamaica)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, , p. 152 is a reggae singer whose career began in the mid-1970s. Biography Daley grew up in Waltham ...

covered the song in 2008: other reggae acts who have recorded their own versions include

Macka B Christopher MacFarlane, better known as Macka B, (born 1966) is a British-born Jamaican reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years and one of Britain's most influential dancehall DJs. As a practicing Rastaman, Mac ...

Susan Cadogan Susan Cadogan (born Alison Anne Cadogan; 2 November 1951) is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s. Biography Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music ...

and Mad Professor.

References

{{authority control 1976 singles 1976 songs Reggae songs Songs written by Lee "Scratch" Perry Songs written by Max Romeo Madness (band) songs