Two Sevens Clash is the debut album by
roots reggae band
Culture, recorded with
producer Joe Gibbs at his own Joe Gibbs Recording Studio in
Kingston in 1976, and released on Gibbs' eponymous label in 1977 (see
1977 in music). The album's title is a reference to the date of
July 7,
1977.
Hill said "Two Sevens Clash," Culture's most influential record, was based on a prediction by
Marcus Garvey, who said there would be chaos on
July 7,
1977, when the "sevens" met. With its apocalyptic message, the song created a stir in his Caribbean homeland and many Jamaican businesses and schools shuttered their doors for the day.
[1] [2]
The liner notes of the album read: "One day
Joseph Hill had a vision, while riding a bus, of 1977 as a year of judgment -- when two sevens clash -- when past injustices would be avenged. Lyrics and melodies came into his head as he rode and thus was born the song "Two Sevens Clash" which became a massive hit in reggae circles both in Jamaica and abroad. The prophecies noted by the lyrics so profoundly captured the imagination of the people that on July 7, 1977 - the day when
sevens fully clashed (seventh day, seventh month, seventy-seventh year) a hush descended on Kingston; many people did not go outdoors, shops closed, an air of foreboding and expectation filled the city."
[edit] Track listing- "Calling Rastafari" – 2:30
- "I'm Alone in the Wilderness" – 3:25
- "Pirate Days" – 2:52
- "Two Sevens Clash" – 3:30
- "I'm Not Ashamed" – 3:59
- "Get Ready to Ride the Lion to Zion" – 3:27
- "Black Starliner Must Come" – 2:42
- "Jah Pretty Face" – 3:39
- "See Them a Come" – 3:24
- "Natty Dread Taking Over" – 3:46
[edit] Personnel 1)
Natty Dread Takin Over
2) Black Star Liner Which is to Come
3) Calling Ras Tafari I
4) Two Sevens Clash
