An odd fusion of devotional roots reggae and squealy rock guitar, I Man A Grasshopper is one of the more unusual tunes to come out of Jamaica.

You don’t hear much lead guitar in reggae tunes. But there’s plenty, including a searing solo on the play-out groove, on this strange song from 1975 – a bit of a lost classic.

Lee Perry, at his Black Ark mixing desk, is in untypically restrained form by his own eccentric standards on this unusual tune, presumably following instructions from Pablo and his producer Geoffrey Chung.

The song is based on an apparently real-life incident when Pablo was accused – falsely, he insists – of blowing weed smoke into the face of the children of his mother’s tenant, a Jamaican army captain.

Its punning title is inspired by the then-popular TV series Kung Fu, in which David Carradine played a student nicknamed ‘Grasshopper’ seeking enlightenment. 

The virtuoso lead guitar is played – probably – by Mikey ‘Mao’ Chung and the disc is produced by his brother, the late Geoffrey Chung, with their band the Now-Gen backing Pablo.

For a more ‘traditional’ reggae sound from Mr Moses, have a listen to Give I Fi I Name from the same album, Revolutionary Dream – another essential tune, featuring some excellent bongo playing and acoustic guitar.