In 2003 David Bowie included Forces of Victory in a list of his 25 favourite albums – Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie… “… some of the most moving poetry to be found in popular music. The quite achingly sad “Sonny’s Lettah (Anti-Sus Poem)” is alone worth the price of admission … this must be one of the most important reggae records of all time. I gave my original copy just recently to Mos Def, in whom I see connections to Johnson, thinking I had already got it on CD. Dammit, I haven’t. So now I’m searching high and low for a copy” Having exploded onto the UK scene in 1978 with the dark, angry masterpiece, Dread Beat & Blood, Brixton ‘dub-poet’ Linton Kwesi Johnson returned in April 1979, with Forces Of Victory – the record that cemented his growing reputation as a major talent. Produced by LKJ and Dennis ‘Blackbeard’ Bovell and featuring his Dub Band providing the infectious grooves, the record contains some of Johnson’s most memorable songs/poems, such as the heartbreaking prison story of injustice, Sonny’s Lettah, the challenging, anti-racist Fite Dem Back, and the jazz-tinged single Want Fi Goh Rave. LKJ was featured in the recent Steve McQueen film ‘Uprising’, about the 1981 New Cross fire that led to civil unrest, and ‘Small Axe’, McQueen’s series of stunning films about the experiences of West Indian immigrants in London. The album is dramatic and intense to the point of claustrophobia – featuring both wry observation and deep political conviction, delivered in LKJ’s unmistakable Jamaican patois. Not simply one of the most important reggae records of its time, it’s one of the most important reggae records ever recorded. Now expanded featuring a second disc of dub versions and extended mixes as well as enhanced artwork, gatefold sleeve and printed inner bags. Remastered at Abbey Road, and released on heavyweight vinyl. Out of print for many years. “A homegrown reggae classic”
