Man Next Door

"Man Next Door" aka "Quiet Place"/"I've Got to Get Away" is a song originally recorded by John Holt with his group The Paragons in 1968.

The Paragons version was produced by Duke Reid and first released on his Duke label as the B-side of "Left With a Broken Heart".[1]

The song has been covered by numerous other reggae artists including Dennis Brown, UB40 and Horace Andy who also sang in a more electronic version of the song for the Massive Attack album Mezzanine.[2] The song was released as a single by The Slits in 1980, when it reached number 5 on the UK Indie Chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.[3] Holt's version also formed the basis of L.E.G.A.C.Y.'s rap version, while Horace Andy's "Quiet Place" was used as the basis of deejay versions from Dr Alimantado ("Poison Flour" and "I Shall Fear No Evil") and I-Roy ("Noisy Place"). U-Roy also recorded a deejay version of the song with "Peace and Love in the Ghetto".

References

  1. Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 404
  2. Woods, Scott (2003) "I'm In Love With My Walls", Village Voice, 18 February 2003, retrieved 2 October 2009
  3. Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 209