Sombre Shaka weapon, with Junjo and the Roots Radics, from the same early-eighties sessions as Police In Helicopter.

It was intended that one of Hudson’s teenage sons would voice the dubs. In the event the Love Joys, Wayne Jarrett, and most inimitably Hudson himself featured at the microphone. Like Wackies, Hudson was a Studio One devotee — ‘I used to hold Don Drummond’s trombone for him so I can be in the studio’ — and the album follows Coxsone’s recent strategy of overdubbing signature rhythms.
The Studio One sides were aimed at the dancefloor; Hudson’s reworks of tracks like Melody Maker are more psychological. Heavy Barrett Brothers rhythms are pitched down and remixed deeper still with reverb, filters and other distortion, and overlaid with new recordings of guitar, percussion, keyboard, voice, often crazily treated.
Originally released in 1981 on the Joint International label, in NYC.
Legendary, strange, compelling music.

Tremendous, tormented, abject vocal to Melody Maker, with a heavy dub — for the label Hudson co-ran with Gleaner journalist Balford Henry.
Via the safe hands of Dub Store in Tokyo.

Scorcher. One megaton of Hudson dread; pure reggae noir.
The mix is quite different to Flesh Of My Skin.
Definitively presented at last (after some dire bootlegs), by Dub Store in Tokyo.

Two magnificent, seething sides of rawly militant witness by the Black Morphologist of Dub.
Nuh Skin Up sets his livid, reeling reasoning to a churning, hypnotic Soul Syndicate rhythm, teeming with star-wars bleeps and lasers, and sick, parping synths.
‘The memories of some bad things will never erase… We’re angry. You make us angry.’
Felt We Felt The Strain picks up the pace with no alleviation of hurt and fury. It’s a dubwise steppers, sharpened by Chinna’s guitar, with unheimlich organ; haunted throughout by a kind of swirling white noise in the background, like a tornado of tortured souls.
Long-term Shaka staples in these extended mixes.
Utterly singular, compelling and unmissable; more timely than ever.
‘Nuh skin up’; ‘be serious’.

Two brilliant contemporary roots productions birthing Out On The Floor’s new imprint. Here, Tuff Rock aka East Londoner Mikey Roots masterminds a raw, luminous cut of Keith Goode’s Jah Jah Deliver Us.

Ace late-seventies roots featured in the Deep Roots documentary — so coolly poised — from the Breakfast In Bed hit-maker. Tough Dennis Brown composition, written specially for Sheila.

Total murder!
A stealth-weapon version of the classic tune — same sublime Gregory, plus fatter-than-your-mama trombone by Vin Gordon, and evilous Niney dub.
Dennis Brown and Dillinger incinerate the B-side, too… Jah Is Watching / Flat Foot Hustling.
Unmissable.

Just like cream-of-the-crop digi Tubbys. From the New Dance album sessions in 1988, with the Firehouse Crew. Mixed by Leroy ‘Fatman’ Thompson — formerly apprenticed to the King, en route to Jammys — and produced by Bunny Gemini and Tristan Palma. Gregory is desolate and compelling… and the dub is murder.

Masterful Gregory from 1997, sounding spooked and hunted over a juddering, propulsive Music Works rhythm, fulgent and full-on, with deep, pounding bass, clattering percussion, parping horns, classy backing vocals and harp starbursts… top-notch Gussies.
Two extended vocal versions, and two dubs, all quite different.
Bimmety bim bim.