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Thursday, February 14, 2019

Keith Hudson - (1994) Pick A Dub CD

 Blood & Fire ‎– 003

In his excellent book England's Dreaming, Jon Savage refers to Pick a Dub as "the greatest dub album ever, twelve cuts, all fantastic." It's easy to concur with Savage's assessment, with the lone caveat that there are some Lee Perry and King Tubby sides that might be as good. That caveat notwithstanding, Pick a Dub is sensational, arguably the crowning achievement of Hudson's career. In fact, coming as early as it did in the development of dub -- it was originally released in 1974 -- Pick a Dub is seminal work, a landmark in progressive remixing on a par with early King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, and Rupie Edwards. What makes this record so scintillating is the intensity of the bass and drums, as well as Hudson's relatively naked production. There are not a lot of goofy sound effects and studio screwing around, just buckets of blood and sweat all rolled into a seductive slab of percussive heaviness that will rattle every filling in your head. Once a forgotten obscurity, Pick a Dub was rescued by the folks at Blood and Fire, who re-released it in 1994. Go buy it today.

Keith Hudson - (1995) Brand CD

Pressure Sounds ‎– 004

Another amazing chunk of dub, Brand is the dub version of Keith Hudson's Rasta Communication. And if you think Pick a Dub was tough to find, Brand was assumed to have fallen into a crack in the universe. Only available at outrageous collector's prices, Brand was finally rescued by producer and dub mastermind Adrian Sherwood for his label Pressure Sounds. Exhilarating and powerful, Brand proves that Pick a Dub was no fluke and that Hudson was simultaneously writing and rewriting the book of dub. Rhythmically dense and intense (thanks to bassist Ranchie and drummer Sly Dunbar), Brand is sinewy instead of slick, powerfully direct instead of playfully obscure. If you're hep to Hudson's vibe after listening to Pick a Dub, then you won't be able to live another day without Brand.

Keith Hudson & Soul Syndicate - (1979) Nuh Skin Up CD


 Pressure Sounds ‎– 053
Some albums have to be heard to be truly believed, and so it is with Keith Hudson's Nuh Skin Up, the dub companion to his 1979 vocal album, From One Extreme to Another. That title was even more apt for the dub set, so far removed is it from anything else being produced in Jamaica (or anywhere else for that matter). As a vocalist, Hudson was no great shakes, and although an emotive singer, his vocals sounded a bit like a strangled cat. But as a producer he had no peers, and on From One Extreme to Another he led his studio group, the Soul Syndicate Band, down brooding, bluesy byways they never navigated on their own. But it was with the dubs that he and the band seemed to leave this planet entirely. On "Troubles," the group steams straight into a swamp -- imagine Delta blues done steppers style or John Lee Hooker born Jamaican on a number with an unstoppable rhythm, as Earl "Chinna" Smith's guitars flicker out of the Spanish moss-lined gloom like St. Elmo's fire. The equally magnificent "Ire Ire" has an upbeat feel but quivers with militancy, its disjointed rhythm continuously throwing the listener off balance, the off-kilter feel heightened by the instrumentation that seems totally out of whack with the rhythm itself. That dub is driven by the beats, while "Dreadful Words Dub" is powered by Fully Fullwood's thick-as-a-stump bassline -- a big, bold dub that echoes and reverberates into the ether. The title track follows a similar trajectory, but ladles on the effects, juxtaposed against bright splashes of organ. "Mercy," in contrast, is a masterpiece of deconstruction, as Hudson strips down the original vocal track, then feeds the various elements back in one by one. Not all the numbers are dark and moody -- both "Bad Things Dub" and "Keeping Us Together" are sprayed with bright splotches of melody, the former particularly so, the latter as beams of light cut across hefty, reverberating rhythms. "Desiree Dub," too, has gleaming pieces of melody scattered about, but in between times, Hudson hollows out the sound until the dub sounds like it is echoing out of a vast cavern. Smith's fabulous guitar licks are showcased across "No Commitment," and fans have few chances better than this to hear the feted guitarist in all his glory at his roots-era heights. The organ/synth players (there are at least two) are spotlighted on "Words Dub," a lavish keyboard extravaganza far removed from the sparse "Dreadful Words Dub." Equally instructive are the differences to be heard on the second version of "Bad Things Dub" -- compare them and you can hear a genius at work. Unbelievably, this stunning set was barely noticed in its day -- reggae fans preferred his two earlier dub sets, Pick a Dub and Brand, and although both are excellent, this one was obviously the most creatively inspired of the trio. If Hudson had never made another album, this set alone would have ensured his legendary reputation.

King Sighta - (1999) Master Of All CD

Jet Set Records ‎– 436

King Tubby meets Lee Perry - (1997) Megawatt Dub CD

Shanachie ‎– 45037

During the classic reggae era of the Seventies, Watty Burnett (who went on to become a member of top-ranking harmony group The Congos) was an up-and-coming singer and producer. Working with Lee Perry as well as producing himself, he had a number of notable single releases. This album collects special dub versions of many of those rare singles, as mixed by Lee Perry, King Tubby and Philip Smart, then a young engineer working at both Tubby's and The Upsetter's studios.

King Tubby, Bunny 'Striker' Lee Vs Channel One, Jah Stitch - (2016) For One Night Only: Dub Soundclash CD

 Jamaican Recordings ‎– 061 

King Tubby's studio and Channel One -- two of the great Jamaican studios that produced so many of the great reggae rhythms in Kingston -- find themselves here battling for the trophy. Bunny Lee threw rhythms over to Channel One, which had enlisted the great DJ Jah Stitch to return the fire. So sit back and enjoy two great institutions of the reggae sound, battling it out for supremacy. The winner? That's for the listener to decide. But in this Dub Soundclash there is no loser. CD includes six bonus tracks.

King Tubb's - (2013) Hometown Hi-Fi: Dubplate Specials 1975-1979 CD

 Jamaican Recordings ‎– 051

Dub mastermind King Tubby was one of the foremost pioneers of reggae production, revolutionizing the genre with his inventive use of negative space and the manipulation of the recording studio as an instrument in countless classic productions. Hometown Hi-Fi Dubplate Specials 1975-1979 captures Tubby at the apex of his brilliance. Working with noted producer Prince Jammy, Tubby delivers some of the strongest and most innovative dub remixes from the genre's most fruitful era, including the sunny reverb chamber rattles of "Channel One Under Heavy Manners" or the dark and bass-driven "Higher Ranking."

Lee Perry & The Upsetters - (2013) Roaring Lion (16 Untamed Black Art Masters & Dub Plates) CD

  Pressure Sounds ‎– 082
Subtitled with "16 Untamed Black Art Masters & Dubplates" here are 16 tracks from 1976 most of which have never been released before. Alternative mixes of some of his better-known dubs make "Roaring Lion" possibly the strongest Lee Perry album Pressure Sounds ever released. Excellent packaging on the CD and a double vinyl musical extravaganza!

1976 was the third year in the short life of the Black Ark studio. It also marked more than a decade since Lee ‘King’ Perry started in the business as a vocalist and it proved to be a defining year for the man’s music.

Scratch’s deal with Island Records meant that three albums and a dozen singles received the marketing and promotion from the coolest label in the mainstream UK and US markets. Scratch’s Black Ark studio enabled him to continually pursue developing his production signatures. The studio was now generating a unique sound with its bouncing bass, atmospheric and textured mix and its cultural currents. Perry himself was in creative overdrive - in his search for ‘that’ sound. Everything else, from paying bills to family life, slipped into the background as he drove himself and his musicians ever forward.

His studio built vision was delivered on vinyl and acetate, not live. Now, some 37 years later, 'Roaring Lion' delivers unknown tunes and mixes from that crucial year. With a dozen tracks straight off a single master tape our set offers a unique snap-shot of Perry’s creative vibrations as producer, and re-mixer, to the rising cultural religion of Rasta. The Black Ark was peaking in the red as he revved himself to full throttle and created his finest ever work. Scratch was the fizzing, joking ringmaster - whose studio buzzed with a positive vibe of creation and roared with the voices of the new kings of Kingston. By now Perry was ‘anointing’ master tapes with great clouds of weed smoke.

There’s a trio of tracks from Jah Lion - the nom de guerre that Scratch gave the erstwhile Jah Lloyd, when he was recording at the Ark. They are built from a lexicon that defined the era. ‘Generation From Creation’ uses the obscure Hombres ‘Africa’ to DJ over whilst ‘Truth and Rights’ finds Jah Lion chatting over Winston Heywood & the Hombres anti capitalist ‘Backbiting’. This sets’ title track sets the tone with its open lines: ‘When the Lion Roar the weak heart tremble!’ It’s quintessential Black Ark with its bouncing bass and Augustus Pablo’s melodica lines drifting over the top. LION! And if you listen carefully you can hear Perry reminding Jah Lion of the next line.... The Fantels ‘Stand & Look’ is a first issue of the track and its dub as Perry recorded and mixed it. A strange UK issue, with different mixes and running times, surfaced a while later but this is the real deal. ‘Speak the truth and speak it ever’ cries the Fantels as they seek witnesses to what’s happening on the streets: ‘Babylon kill a Rastaman and don’t even know the reason why!’

'Roaring Lion' is built around a 50 minute celebration of Perry’s developing production style, and cultural vision, as the Black Ark reached its pinnacle of creation.

Culled from dub plates and rare vinyl offer a handful of tasty morsels for Scratch-a-holics! Junior Byles revoiced ‘Beat Down Babylon’ as a political tune in support of Michael Manley, who actively courted the rising Rasta following: a piece of social history. ‘Upsetting Walk’ is another mix of the classic Skylarking rhythm that only appeared on plate circa 1974. ‘Loco Negril’ is a bizarre combination of a tame Althea & Donna tune and Scratch’s mixing. He cranked it through his desk toward the end of the Black Ark’s life: it’s chock full of signature moves and effects. Extraordinary. Cut in 1975 ‘Natural Mystic’ is the original dubplate mix, of what became one of Bob Marley’s most iconic tunes when re-recorded for Island. Originally cut for Jah Wise’s ‘Tippertone’ Sound, it’s Bob with the Upsetters and Scratch at the controls. Later Perry added harmonies from the Meditations: this latter mix was used for the tracks first ever vinyl issue, posthumously, in 1981. (when it was mastered at the wrong speed and also used the flat studio take!).

Little Axe - (2011) If You Want Loyalty Buy A Dog CD

 On-U Sound ‎– 1019

The astringency of McDonald's National steel guitar tone is offset by the lightness of his touch, particularly on bottleneck slide; and once again, Sherwood and he unerringly locate the shared territory of blues and reggae, in grooves ranging from the chain-gang trudge of "Grace" to the Nyabinghi-beat percussion chant of "I Got Da Blues". Harmonica lines invade the slide-guitar dubs, and occasionally a chunky tack-piano riff brings pep to the languid pace; while throughout, sampled gospel and blues moans haunt the backing tracks, strained through decades of history, nowhere more effectively than on the opening "Song To Sing".

Mistletoe - (2018) December Man CS

Beyond The Ruins ‎– 047  [/ file upgrade]

Winter Spectre - (2018) Demo I CS

 Lekh & Ludmila ‎– 001  [/ file upgrade]