Dub / Reggae: An Idiot's Guide

banger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD3ihdZFZiM

otm. The rest of that comp is dope too iirc

dang that's a good song
thank you for posting! i am a dub/reggae idiot

it's a great comp, stuff was all new to me, had been previously unaware of the Jamaican expat reggae scene in Vancouver (iirc?)

That sounds great. All I know about Summer records is the Noel Ellis LP, which is really good. Alton's lad - I thought that was Toronto-based but I could well be wrong.

Yeah its Toronto, my bad

This isn’t as good plus a lot of it’s more (eccentric) soul than reggae but if you’re curious about the TO history: https://lightintheattic.net/releases/45-jamaica-to-toronto-soul-funk-reggae-1967-1974

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlL0q6Uv8Ls

New Zion Trio (Jamie Saft, Hamid Drake, Brad Jones), ДОМ, 05.02.20

saft's beard is positively brahmsian

Here's an unremarkable slice of lovers that turned out to be precisely what I wanted to listen to this morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtOb1OuDt1w

I was looking through some records earlier and pulled this out; my copy has even less information on it than the copy photographed for Youtube! It just has "James" hand-written on the label. Thought I'd look up the catalogue number on discogs and here it is. Derrick Lara's one of those names that I feel I've always known was good but I've never really dug into. I wish I'd been more into lovers in the 80s when this stuff was really, really cheap.

"Even if a fish'd keep his mouth shut, he wouldn't get caught..."

I love this Johnny Osbourne tune, "Fish Mouth" (Techniques production) (NB the "Come Back Darling" LP is one of those that's more of a Techniques comp than an Osbourne LP but it is brilliant all the way through and if you can lay hands on the 2-CD trojan version from a while back it's 5o tracks of this stuff and fantastic):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhKJ5tintQs

Today I learned of this I-Roy version on it, what a treat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ast5PlbNSg

When he starts the second verse with his regular "keep on coming through the door" business but he's just warming up and he starts absolutely blazing, I love I-Roy so much.

Just came across that Ernest Ranglin NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert curmudgeon posted upthread. Fun stuff.

Every time I listen to some Delroy Wilson I wonder why I bother listening to anything else

Love that Summer Records comp mentioned above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nh5CapYICg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5OqFSlMTKc

I've given up on ever getting a copy of Jesus Dread but this will help: Pressure Sounds have re-pressed Yabby You's Conquering Lion.

https://pressuresounds.bandcamp.com/album/conquering-lion-expanded

Don’t give up! I found the LP box set in my local shop for $65. The lid had some issues but the vinyl was in great shape.

I've been immersed in these Cry Tuff Dub Encounter LPs by Prince Far I, they sound so finely balanced and precise. Exemplary. Also some of Adrian Sherwood's earliest big outings?

I think the 1st one was Sherwood and the 2nd Prince Jammy. And then 3 is Sherwood again, i think. Not 100% sure on that one. Such a great series.

So solid. According to discogs Sherwood mixed all four.

odd. i have vol 2 on Virgin's Front Line label and it says mixed by Prince Jammy.

but, i see discogs says All versions mixed and overseen by Adrian Sherwood (Uncredited)

Good stuff for dubheads posted this past week: https://dubreggae.tumblr.com/post/673948657498849280/one-of-historys-best-music-lists-better-than

One of history’s best music lists – better than Pitchfork’s, Rolling Stone’s, or Elvis Costello’s – was made by a teenager named Snoopy in the summer of 1977. In the London music newspaper Black Echoes, he published his 125 favorite albums from the golden age of dub reggae. Forty-four years later, thanks to a lucky break, I found him.

An interview with Snoopy (Paul Nagle) follows. Here's the list as it was published.

https://imgur.com/a/MdNsaAK

And here's a 77-hour Spotify playlist from the list, compiled by Max Abelson, the writer of the tumblr post.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01EoObotBce4Bww4oWwFB2?si=96945d98a11e4f88

read this yesterday - had never heard of him or the list. so great!

ska is good too!

re who mixed the prince far i LPs and discogs saying it was e.g. all sherwood, the snoopy interview points out (tho as a general comment rather than specifically abt these LPS) that discogs often seems to resort to guesswork when it comes to dub…

Interesting read, thanks for sharing!

Spanish label/collective Lone Ark is a recent discovery for me and possibly deserves its own thread, such is their prolific output. Their stuff - what I've heard of it - is gorgeously produced and sounds good even on my tinny computer speakers, e.g. Audio Merge In Dub by Roberto Sanchez.

I'd like some recommendations please!

Firstly, Peace and Love by Dadawah has been on heavy rotation at chez paolo lately. Are there any other albums that sound like this?

Secondly, I generally prefer dub compilations or mixes to albums. What are people's favourite dub comps?

I mean I do like some dub albums. It's just not really an albums genre for me

savage pencil vs dub is a cracking set :

https://www.discogs.com/release/4280420-Savage-Pencil-Lion-Vs-Dragon-In-Dub

i enjoy listening to this mix, which to my limited knowledge is maybe basic and obvious, but here we are in the idiot's guide thread so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpyIxuAjZdg

i also got into this cumbia dub mix last year, figure thread readers might enjoy it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01tTJwVcJNY

if you love Dadawah, i think there is a high probability you'll like Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari's – Grounation and Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus' ‎– Rastafari

Also the Soul Jazz comp. Rastafari (The Dreads Enter Babylon 1955-83)

correction - Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus ‎– Nyahbinghi is probably the one you want to check. Promised Land Sounds - Rockin' Live Ruff N Tuff too!

Thanks for the tips! That Savage Pencil mix looks a good one, and I've already heard that dub mix linked above but it's a top choice. There's a load of good ones on YouTube. Was listening to this one yesterday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC4qz-lxPbw

Kunte Kinte - The Revolutionaries ( Channel One )
Solomonic Dub - Bunny Wailer
09:38 Deliver me - Yabby You and the Prophets
12:39 Ital Sip - Augustus Pablo
16:15 Power Pack - Joe Gibbs and the Professionals
19:43 Dub Organizer - Upsetters - Lee Perry
23:40 Black Roses Version - Sly and Robbie ( Jah Life )
27:32 Concentration Dub - the Crystalites ( Crystal )
30:07 Lift up your dress Fat Dub - Techniques all stars
34:02 Bubble Up Dub - Wayne Jarrett - Wackies Allstars ( Wackies )
37:42 A.N.C. - The Revolutionaries ( Channel One )
40:50 - Kingdom Rise Version - Wailing Souls - Roots Radics ( Volcano )
44:54 - Heavy Duty Dub - Mudie & King Tubby
48:01 - Dub with a Difference - Mudie & King Tubby
50:55 - Real Rock version - Joe Gibbs
54:20 - Guess Who's Coming to Dub - Sly and Robbie
57:08 - Warn the Nation Version - Yabby You and the Prophets. ( Vivian Jackson)
1:02:25 - Tina May Version ( Fi-Wi-Time )
1:05:15 - Psalm of dub - King Tubbys ( Black and White )
1:08:18 Wall Street - Jackie Mittoo ( Studio One )
1:11:36 Skylarking Dub ( Attack / Bunny Lee)
Dont know who to trust ( version ) - The Aggrovators

I'll check out those other ones too. Don't think I've ever actually heard any Count Ossie but I know he's a big deal in the roots/nyahbinghi sound. Apart from the Dadawah album I don't have any Ras Michael albums, just a few tracks on comps

Got this Trojan nyahbinghi box set in the post -https://www.discogs.com/release/748611-Various-Trojan-Nyahbinghi-Box-Set. Ordered from Ashley Beedle of X-Press 2 fame, no less

Also just out of curiosity, any other dub fans find that the album format doesn't really work for them?

For me I think it's because on most dub albums all the tracks sound quite similar and you'll get more variety in a comp or the mix like the ones above

i'm the opposite and am a big big fan of dub albums. currently slowly working my way through this book, 100 Days of Dub
By Martin Blomqvist - https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/product/by-martin-skyjuice-blomqvist

Looks interesting, ordered!

like stirmonster i often prefer a dub album made by one producer.
in fact, i often prefer the dub version over the original.
for example recent(ish) examples : massive attack vs mad prof, primal scream vs on-u

Ideally you really need to hear both, because knowing the original enhances the fun of hearing the dub

ooh, absolutely.
but i always end up preferring the dub version.

me too

Same, mostly.

xxxxp this Primal Scream vs On-U Sound linkup is a new one to me. The only material I can find after a quick search is a single with Irvine Welsh. It's OK. Is there any more kicking about?

Adrian Sherwood remixed the whole Vanishing Point album which was then released as Echo Dek :

https://www.discogs.com/master/28239-Primal-Scream-Echo-Dek

That's pretty good!

Speaking of Primal Scream, does anyone know where this dub reggae version of Loaded is from?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZUXTppisNU

i'm the opposite and am a big big fan of dub albums. currently slowly working my way through this book, 100 Days of Dub
By Martin Blomqvist - https://soundsoftheuniverse.com/product/by-martin-skyjuice-blomqvist

― stirmonster, Sunday, 17 April 2022 12:34 (one week ago) bookmarkflaglinkp-

This book is so good! Everyone who's into dub should buy a copy!

I don't think King Tubby ever made a duff track. And there aren't many artists you can say that about

Thanks for the Echo Dek rec, that is some good shit. What’s a good reggae book?