Three Greatest Dub Albums

King Tubby and Prince Jammy - Dub Gone 2 Crazy

Phase Selector Sound - Disassemble Dub

I'd second the recommendation for "Super Ape," although it's sort of an oddity in some ways in that it's more a heavily dub-influenced avant-garde record than strictly a "dub album" - but who cares about labels; it's genius.

My vote for the best dub album is "Earthquake Dub." It's from the mid-70's and was reissued recently on the Hot Pot label - should be easy to find. Bonus tracks too.

Any of the four (especially #3) "African Dub Almighty" series are great - #3 is the one that the Slits, Clash et al are listening to on the bus in Don Letts' "Punk Rock Movie," and there is a CD series that pairs 1 + 2 and 3 + 4. These (as well as "Earthquake Dub") are Joe Gibbs / Ossie Hibbert related.

I also love the Revolutionaries' self-titled album, the white one with the picture of Che Guevara on the cover - wonderful stuff.

Those Prince Far I "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter" albums (most of which are now on CD) are mighty fine too.

also love the On U comps (better than any of the albums i have). i got a box w/In Dub Daze, The Dread Operators and a Party of Dubbers & Toasters. all three are pretty impressive non-traditional dub.

Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown

Can't think of a third of that magnitude right now..

Recent releases, no problem: recent productions however....

the souljazz studio one comp is great too.

Just this monute I'm listening to The Skatalites 'Heroes of reggae in dub' which deserves an honourable mention.

And that Augustus Pablo album mentioned upthread.

Lee Perry Arkology box set seconded and Mad Professor's No Protection for more recent stuff.

ditto

From "Version Therapy" in the February 1995 issue of The Wire.

21 Dub Salute: guaranteed boom shots

1. Herman Chin-Loy * Aquarius Dub (Aquarius) 73
I have MP3s but nto a CD copy (out of print) available in Australia, but shipping is $17!

This is one of the first ever dub recordings, the sound is fantastic and full, and they version many classic rhythms here including “Jah Jah Dub(1),” a super heavy affair that preceded the more famous “King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown” version. Cross-genre hunters and break-fiends? Also a lock. Check out the version of Donny Hathaway’s “The Ghetto” called “Oily(2)” or Dennis Brown’s cover of “It’s Too Late Baby” called “Rest Yourself(3).” I heard they also use bits of “Heavy Duty(4)” on the new Jaylib album, if that’s of interest to you. The whole thing is like this. It might sound a bit sparse at first, but shake it off and let both sides ride a few times. You can only hide from these albums for so long- it’s like being a funk collector and not owning any JBs records. 10 tracks total.

2. Lee Perry * Blackboard Jungle -- reissued as part of Dub Triptych.
3. King Tubby/Bunny Lee * Dub From the Roots (Total Sounds/Moll-Selektra) 75

Now this is a real find. I was browsing through Virgin's fairly large reggae section when I discovered this. I don't usually buy anything becaus they're overpriced, but at $20.99 for 2 discs and instant gratification, it was a steal. I've been looking for these albums since Barrow's article came out in '95 when he ranked them #3 and #5 on his top 21 boom shots. What threw me is that he listed them under Bunny Lee's name, who was the producer. However, the actual album sleeves credit only King Tubby, the engineer, and ultimately the one responsible for the dubs.

Tubby remixed hundreds of songs for Bunny Lee from 1973-1975. Most appeared on B-sides of singles. But these two albums were his first that took the cream of the crop and engineered them specifically to flow on an album. And check this out -- Bunny Lee's house band was none other than The Aggrovators (Robbie Shakespeare, Carlton Barrett, Ossie Herbert, Augustus Pablo and Aston Barrett).

On first listen, I've heard a few cuts before, and they're definitely some of the best dubs, including John Holt's "A Love I Can Feel," "Man Next Door," Cornel Campbell's "Queen Of The Minstrell," and Johnny Clarke's "Rock With Me." The Rosetta Stone of dub indeed. The liner notes claim Tubby was the singular pioneer of dub, first applying the technique in 1968. There are conflicting accounts of this, and though Chin-Loy's Aquarius Dub and Lee Perry's Blackboard Jungle Dub came first in '73, these are essential.

4. Clive Chin * Java Java Dub (Impact) 72 or 74
5. King Tubby/Bunny Lee * The Roots of Dub (Total Sounds/Moll-Selektra) 74
6. Errol Thompson/Joe Gibbs * African Dub All Mighty (Gibbs Record Globe) 75
7. Keith Hudson * Pick A Dub
8. Maurice Wellington * Dub Me Baby/Morwell Unlimited Meet King Tubby's: Dub Me (Morwell/Blood & Fire) 75
9. Augustus Pablo * King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
10. Harry Mudie * Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference Vol. One (Moodisc) 76 - just picked this up at Dusty Groove. Love the use of strings, no wonder he's the Barry White of dub.
11. Jo Jo Hookim * Vital Dub Strictly Rockers (Well Charge) 76
12. Yabby U * King Tubby's Prophesy Of Dub
13. Tappa Zukie In Dub
14. Augustus Pablo * Africa Must Be Free By 1983 (Rockers International) 79
15. Sonia Pottinger * Treasure Dub Volume One (HighNote) 77
16. Trevor Leggo Douglas * Leggo Dub
17. Prince Jammy * Jammies In Lion Dub Style (Jammy's) 78
18. Clement Dodd * Juk's Incorporated (Forward) 78
19. Michael Campbell * African Anthem Dubwise (Cruise) 79
20. Jah Screw/Ranking Joe * Dangerous Dub (Copasetic) 80
21. Horace Andy * In The Light Dub

More:

Horace Andy * In The Light Dub (Blood & Fire) 77
Glen Brown & King Tubby * Termination Dub 1973-79 (Blood & Fire)
Burning Spear * Garvey's Ghost (Dub)(Mango) 76
Creation Rebel * Historic Moments Volume One 1977-1978 (On-U Sound) 78
Creation Rebel * Historic Moments Volume Two 1979-1980 (On-U Sound) 80
Creation Rebel * Dub From Creation (Hitrun) 77
Dub Syndicate * Pounding System (On-U Sound) 82
Impact All-Stars * Forward The Bass: Dub From Randy's 1972-75 (Blood & Fire)
King Tubby * King Tubby's Special 1973-1976 (Trojan) 89
King Tubby * If Deejay Was Your Trade: The Dreads at King Tubby's 1974-77 (Blood & Fire) 95
King Tubby * Dub Like Dirt 1975-77 (Blood & Fire)
King Tubby * Dub Gone Crazy 1975-1979 (Blood & Fire) 95
King Tubby & Soul Syndicate * Freedom Sounds In Dub 1974-76 (Blood & Fire)
Augustus Pablo * Ital Dub (Trojan) 75
Lee Perry & Upsetters * Heart Of The Dragon (Justice League) 75
Lee Perry * Revolution Dub 1974-1975 (Lagoon) 75
Lee Perry * Kung Fu Meets The Dragon (Justice League) 75
Lee Perry * Upsetter In Dub 1974-1979 (Heartbeat)
Lee Perry * Super Ape (Mango) 76
Prince Jammy * Jammies In Lion Dub Style (Jammy's) 78
Yabby U (Vivian Jackson) * King Tubby's Prophesy of Dub (Blood & Fire) 76
Yabby U (Vivian Jackson) * Beware Dub (Prophets/ROIR) 78

And for newer stuff:

Rhythm & Sound with Tikiman * Showcase (Burial Mix)
Massive Attack v. Mad Professor * No Protection (Circa)

1) King Tubby and Friends - Dub Like Dirt (Blood and Fire.) All Bunny Lee productns, but engineered by Tubby,Philip Smart, Jammy etc.

2) Scientist Wins The World Cup (Greensleeves) would have to be in my top 3 - melodies like bubbling liquid on top of some cracking riddims.

3) Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet : Vocal and Dub. (Reissued by Blood and Fire as 'Dub It To The Top'). Involves Tubby and Hugh Mundell also.

There's some stuff I need to get on that Wire list like Dub From The Roots/Roots Of Dub, also the Jojo Hookim set - I wonder if that's been rereleased?

the congos - heart of the congos [perry's darkest, swampiest production; all the songs are biblical]

scientist - scientist rids the world of the evil curse of the vampires [best "kitchen sink" dub album i can think of, lots of creepy sound effects and shit]

bought Super Ape on the recommendation of, er, something (oh, knowledge magazine) and wasn't immediately enthralled by it but it has grown on me a bit. i also have a couple of those Blood and Fire compilations (X-Ray Music etc) which are good as long as you can get over the fact that you're giving money to mick hucknell...

If it's any consolation I doubt anyone's getting rich off B&F - neither Bob Harding, Steve Barrow or Mr Hucknall.

Exactly. I would say that Motion also falls into that category.

I want to switch out one of these and put in King Tubby Meets Harry Mudie, except it's impossible to decide which to eliminate!

Since Sanctuary bought up Trojan they seem to have made a bit more of an effort to be adventurous with their reissues. Sure they've kept rolling out the usual 'best of' comps, but they've also put out some much less obvious stuff that the old management would never have countenanced, e.g. 'The birth of Trojan' & Blue Cat retrospective albums, Nyahbinghi box set etc.

If by 'unfriendly' you're referring to whether they're any better at paying artists that the Trojan of yore, I couldn't say.

Hey thanks Tim! You know I was sure that I'd seen it around. Will look again.

**i also have a couple of those Blood and Fire compilations (X-Ray Music etc) which are good as long as you can get over the fact that you're giving money to mick hucknell**

There's a great Hookim dub on X-Ray Music, 'Moses Dub' - not sure what it's a version of as I don't recognise the vocalist or song, despite feeling that I *know* it.

Three more, if I may :

Niney The Observer - Sledgehammer Dub. (Motion) Sparse and spartan, a bit forbidding at first, but a real grower.

Scientist - Dub in The Roots Tradition.(Blood and Fire) Earlier than the World Cup/Vampires/Space Invaders stuff, this is quite different, maybe even better. Don Mais productions, Roots Radics play, mixed at Tubby's. I love the way that Scientist chisels away under a horn melody or a vocal, building the tension until it caves in on the riddim. My favourite track on this is 'See A Dub Face' - version of Horace Andy's 'See A Man's Face', but it's all great.

V/A - Studio One Dub.(Studio One) You might think that this isn't going to be all that good, but it's a real surprise. Sylvan Morris and Mr. Dodd himself did the mixing, I think and they really did a great job. It ranges from basic, but haunting versions of the likes of Studio One standards like 'Truth and Rights', 'Bobby Bobylon' 'No, No, No' etc to some really unusual stuff like a great version of Delroy Wilson's 'Run Run' (Studio One version obv, not the Keith Hudson remake).

So how long till some sparkling wit comes along and posts a "Three Greatest Dud Albums" thread?

The Scientist albums (Vampire, World Cup, Space Invaders) promise a lot going by their covers, but don't go far enough in adding in horror film, football, and videogame noises.

Even Lee Perry's work I don't find quite eccentric enough.

Soft Cell's 'Tainted Dub' is more like it.

(heretic rant over)

Having said that, I do listen to a lot of dub myself.

I've got a Prince Jammy tape - Osbourne and Uhuru in Dub - where he really seems to be delighting in the play of echo and surprise. And in Augustus Pablo's 'King Tubby meets Rockers in a Firehouse' there are a few tracks where it catches fire.

But most dub to me sounds a bit routine and not experimenting enough.

I have the Vital Dub CD - somewhere.

Who likes UMOJA SOUNDS? I keep meaning to listen to it properly. Also the JA-MAN album(s)

Burning Spear Garvey's Ghost

The Upsetters Super Ape

Dangerous Dub has a cool sound. it was early '80s, right? it's like the last moment in 70's-style production where everything sounded huge and awesome, right before things started going digital.

It's Tubby's last dub album period, I think (although Scientist and maybe Jammy would still have few more.)

I'd immediately reserve a spot for African Head Charge's My Life In A Hole In The Ground if I could call it a dub album, but it's more like an unintentional post-punk album(?) Whatever it is, it's my favorite album ever that can be described as "dubby"

Same goes with Mikey Dread's African Anthem, for different reasons.

I don't think of MLIAHITG (or any AHC) as dub (although obv dub effects are used on the record, those tracks are all original productions.) By the same definition African Anthem isn't dub, but African Anthem Dubwise is.

dubby original productions vs actual dubs done after the fact

Actual dubs, although there are plenty of dubby original productions I love (including tons of stuff on the On-U stable.)

oh, like what?

(i've been in the mood for dub lately)

The first five African Head Charge albums are awesome as is everything under the Creation Rebel and Singers & Players monikers. The first couple of Dub Syndicate albums are also good. If you like a steady dose of punk vocals (Ari Up and Mark Stewart) the New Age Steppers are also good.

listening to some random african head charge on youtube now, i'm into it.

original poster asked for some recent ones. only thing i can remember liking is Twilight Circus Dub Plates Volume 2. Wouldn't put it in my top 3, but that's not much of a slight. Any one else heard new jacks they like?

Not really. I have some decent enough Rootsman/Iration Steppas/Disciples stuff from the mid-90s, but that's not exactly recent and none of it's going to set the world on fire.

Popular topic haha:

Digital Dub (Iration Steppas/Disciples/Rootsman/etc other Jah Shaka disciples) S/D

the recent Trojan Dub Massive collections curated and mixed? by Bill Laswell are pretty good. not new material but if you don't have those tracks, both discs are great. the Orb's 2cd mix for Trojan is also super good.

Buy basically anything on Pressure Sounds.

I guess I have that Xterminator dub album which is pretty good, but I paid 50 cents for it so that may be coloring my thinking hah.

ugh laswell

Oh yeah btw Ernie B's is having a Pressure Sounds sale right now. Basically everything is $10. Also if you order before 1/15 and put 10 Dollars after your name on the order you get an additional $10 off. So go to it.

Uh oh, I've fallen into a deep dub hole and I can't get out, nor do I want to.

haha, same since i started reading Veal's Dub book.

Would love to read that.

Revisiting some favorites, if I had to give a top 3 today it would be:

King Tubby - Dangerous Dub
Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires
Joe Gibbs - No Bones for the Dogs

I'm making a playlist on Qobuz with a bunch of other great stuff, but obviously a lot of this is not streaming (except on youtube in some cases).

Not technically an album, but there's a two CD set called King Tubby's In Fine Style which is concentrated dank, so good.

Dennis Bovell has been putting out compilations of his old dub plates, just solid gold.

https://www.discogs.com/release/22634543-Dennis-Bovell-The-Dubmaster-The-Essential-Anthology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn5Qnd8NbP8

Dr Bird is putting out some great stuff.
Dennis Bovell related 2cds including the 4th Street Orchestra and singles.
As well as Money The Observer compilations.
& others.

Seem to be picking up on the quality of the Sanctuary Trojan 2cds from the turn of the millennium.
One of the Cherry Red umbrella labels

There's a Dennis Bovell article in the current Jimmy Page covered Record Collector. Not read it yet cos only picked the magazine up yesterday. But may do today.

Not sure if it's a shame That the Bovell episode in Steve McQueen's Little Axe series turned out to be a fiction in which he appeared rather than a biographical/historical piece like most of the rest of the series was.

& I did come across him initially as a producer of post-punk material and only dug into his own work far more recently. Have Dubmeister on its way to me alongside some Bad Brains discs. Though the latter may just be coincidental trivia.

Xp several posts Cow art
Is that King Tubby In Fine Style set a Sanctuary Trojan 2CD from the 00ie's? & is it still available? I think I have the set around with only one disc in.

That version of that label put out some fantastic 2CD sets which seemed to be well curated and comprehensive. I thought they were a real sign of quality. Excellent label. Not sure of history after that cos it seemed they went out of print and somebody else was handling the catalogue. Then some of them seemed to reappear alongside fresh titles a few years later. Some of the 3CD clamshell boxes were great too.

But the 2cds of Lee Perry, Keith Hudson, Prince Far I, King Tubby and the v/a Flashing Echo are all good. As are non dub sets by Toots and the Maytals, Trenchtown Rock by Bob Marley and the Wailers which collects pretty much all the Lee Perry productions as well as some earlier recordings with other producers.
But really not sure what is available.

Steve McQueen series was Small Axe not Little. & Bovell is one of the guests at the party who is dancing in most of the shots of the dj room. He's now bald and I think clean shaven. Which means no Black beard.
Episode is called Lover's Rock

Two albums I recently listened to that I really enjoyed:

Aswad - New Chapter of Dub
Scientist - Scientific Dub

I'm not too into the more digital era of Jamaican dub yet, but I've been liking this early Mad Cobra joint: https://deathisnot.bandcamp.com/album/goldmine-dubbed-out-by-prince-jazzbo

The Dennis Bovell Sufferer Sounds comp is top-shelf.

My personal top 3:
King Tubby and Glen Brown - Termination Dub
Keith Hudson - Playing It Cool & Playing It Right
Upsetters - Super Ape

An impossible question but possibly...

Glen Brown and King Tubby - Termination Dub
Gregory Isaacs - Slum in Dub
Wayne Jarret - Showcase Vol.1

Would like to sneak in: Keith Hudson - Nuh Skin Up Dub & Horace Andy's In the Light Dub

that Bovell Sufferer Sounds comp is superb

I'm not sure what my top 3 would be, but I recently turned a friend onto the Legendary Skatalites in Dub collection and that's a lovely set.

I have a few of the Doctor Bird reissues, and I find them slightly disappointing. Maybe I've just got way too much Jamaican music already, so it would take something truly unique to blow me away, or I'm making bad selections since I'm trying to avoid re-buying music I already own. Would be curious to hear what your faves are Stevo. That said, their forthcoming Bovell singles comp looks good, pretty wild that I don't have Silly Games on physical media

I haven't really investigated Bovell at all, but that Dub Games track is crazy. Way busier than Scientist or Tubby, but the drumming, wow.

best hi hats ever. still amazing that 'silly games' sold around a million copies in the uk.

Would like to sneak in: Keith Hudson - Nuh Skin Up Dub

seconded. also Keith Hudson - Brand / Rasta Communication In Dub

picked up the Doctor Bird 4 disc Niney Presents The Observer recently. need to revisit but was absolutely loving the discs i listened to.

Do you mean this one? I didn't know there was a 4-disc version. I got this one, though, it's terrific

https://www.discogs.com/release/31025749-Niney-The-Observers-Tubbys-Want-The-Channel-Dubbing-With-The-Observer-1976-1978

There's also this one, which looks pretty crucial, too:

https://www.discogs.com/release/31499585-Niney-The-Observer-The-Observer-Master-Mix-Collection

Went looking to see if there was a connection between Doctor Bird and Sanctuary Trojan and found out history of revival of a label wet up by Australian sound engineer cofounder of Island.

& that it appea5s Trojan Sanctuary was sold away in 2013. When Bag bought the firm.i don't know nuances beyond that but does see. There might have been a finite time of play.
But did seem some good quality titles appeared in the aftermath to some exten5. I just really love that series of 2cds cos I think they do exemplify how a reissue can be curated.

Thinking of what a top set of dub lps look like for me. Not sure if it's by official release l.p..

& may overlap into dub influenced rock like
Loop A gilded Eternity
Pop Group Y

And some of the Crooklyn stuff.

Many years ago I heard a dub/toast version of Israel Vibrations "Jah Love Me" but I never found it again...

There was a series of really great Lee Perry 2cds that came out in the mid to late 00ies which are really great Dub Triptych, Dubstrumentals and Ape-ology that mop up a load of great lps including the Jamaican version of Super Ape.
I think I had been turned onto him by the second edition of Grande Royale the Beastie Boys published magazine. I think that came out in mid 90s with a great list of the lps to buy. One of which was Kung Fu Meets The Dragon which is now part of Dubstrumentals. The name intrigued me for an age before I managed to get it in that form. I think having read the article had me ready to pick up Ark-ology in 97. But I think I was only picking things up semi randomly over the years. I don't think I knew enough at the time to order titles, not sure what was around in Dublin at the time though there were 3 major chain shops and a few independents.
& I'd get to make fleeting visits to Ladbroke Grove and hit a few decent Reggae specialists which are now long gone.

I'm still not really wildly into creating a hierarchy of best of what I've got and tend to have things turning up semi randomly. Maybe I should have a much more ordered structure to the way I store cds. Not just have them in piles of mixed genres and artists etc. Tends to keep me finding good stuff and things I want to listen to every time I try to find something specfic.

yeah, the Master Mix Collection is the one

xxp

I listened to a Jah Shaka early 90s set last week. It surprised me a bit being more melodic and electronic sounding than I remebered him live. I think I bought it in Honest John's before the pandemic.
Not sure what his best era is, though did read it said that he fell into the trend of more electronic dub of the 90s. & I think he had been an electronic whizz as had Osbourne Ruddock, King Tubby.

Shaka was mainly really heavy live on the occasions I saw him. Djing with one turntable. So this set I was listening to New Testaments of Dub Pt. 1 from 93 seemed a lot milder. Still had some really good bits though.

I reread my comment from a couple of days ago and saw that what appeared had not been what I thought I wrote in a couple of places.
So this is the more accurate non autocorrected or whatever version.

"Went looking to see if there was a connection between Doctor Bird and Sanctuary Trojan and found out history of revival of a label set up by Australian sound engineer cofounder of Island.

& that it appea5s Trojan Sanctuary was sold away in 2013. When BMG bought the firm.i don't know nuances beyond that but does seem there might have been a finite time of play.
But did seem some good quality titles appeared in the aftermath to some exten5. I just really love that series of 2cds cos I think they do exemplify how a reissue can be curated.

So wondering if the BMG purchase meant the previous releases had been deleted cos I think some of them reappeared later. But not all. I don't think I ever saw the Hudson Affair or In Fine Style again . I think there were new versions of things like Toots & The Maytals compilations. Not sure of percentage of overlap of material if it was near total to the 54-69 Was My Number set I'd picked up around the millennium. I thought that was pretty comprehensive but there seemed to be a number of sets by them around at one point later on."

I wondered if the same team that I'm imagining having come out with the run of 2cds and 3CD clamshells that appeared before the sale to BMG had been allowed to continue. But not sure to what extent that picture was right before that point. Just seemed to be a pretty continuous stream of quality releases that i thought tailed off.
Also wondering to what extent there might be a crossover between those people working on the Sanctuary Trojan releases and Doctor Bird. If at all.

I see that the 2CD set of 4lps by Lee Perry & The Upsetters called The Trojan l.p. collection came from 2017 and is on Sanctuary Trojan with a large BMGlabel beside it & Trojan is listed as a BMG company in the small print.
Since its a collection of 4 lps I'm not sure the same thought has gone into compiling it as the earlier sets. It's pretty good though I think.
I think BMG bought 90% of Sanctuary and that included taking over the Trojan label stuff. I felt that Trojan Sanctuary label stuff seemed to be almost a Labour of love though that might be idealistic projection and am not sure if that is still true post BMG though again could be projection. If it just became product after a certain point or not.

54-46 was the number. Not awake enough at the time.

This one's new to me, sounding great. Those muted guitars going crazy, understated dub shredding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S8UIJHaV2E