1966
PRINCE OF PEACE * BUSTERS ALL STARS * BLUE BEAT 343 * UK
A top double sided record from Prince Buster's studio here, this is the next side to Don't Throw Stones. It has a smoldering, moody and Eastern sound to it, the Eastern aspect is acknowledged in the record by The Prince, who can be heard toasting a chant over this rich Ska instrumental with the refrain "The Prince of peace is coming from the East". This chant, something of a mantra, suggests to me a complex and subtle reference to both himself, as a piece of bravado so necessary in the competitive world of the Kingston sound systems, and a reference to his Muslim religion; which was very much at odds with the dominant Christian beliefs of the establishment.