Brain Damage (album)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Brain Damage is the third studio album by Barbadian-British reggae musician Dennis Bovell. It was released in 1981 by Fontana Records and was Bovell’s first solo album under his own name, following his Blackbeard dub projects. The recording took place at Studio 80 in South London, Bovell’s own studio, where he played most of the instruments and handled production and mixing.

The concept behind Brain Damage was to push reggae beyond its traditional boundaries by mixing it with rhythms from Europe, America, Africa and the Caribbean. Bovell blended reggae with rock, R&B, calypso, soca, disco, boogie-woogie and jazz to create hybrids rather than sticking to a single style. He aimed to show reggae’s versatility and to appeal to a diverse audience he encountered at live shows.

Originally issued as a double album, the first disc contains eight songs, and a second disc offered eight instrumental dub tracks as a free bonus. Bovell worked with other musicians such as John Kpiaye, Eddie Thornton, Rico Rodriguez, Laura Logic and Steve Gregory, but he played most of the parts himself and produced the project. To promote the music live, he formed the Dub Band, intending to perform with two equal bands alternating tunes.

Brain Damage received praise from critics for its wide-ranging musical exploration and Bovell’s musicianship; some described it as “mutant reggae” for its blend of styles. It did not chart in the UK, but it attracted attention for its bold approach. The album was remastered and reissued on CD in 2006 by Front Line. In 2014, the tracks Heaven and Smouche were released as a 12-inch by Optimo Records. The cover photo, shot by Simon Fowler, shows Bovell as a bearded, dreadlocked teacher.