Twenty-three Errol T dubs of Joe Gibbs hits released between 1980 and 82, at the start of the dancehall era.
This essential reggae LP was recorded at Randy’s and the Black Ark, and originally released in 1975 on Black World. Powerful songs, steeped in no-messing revolutionary socialism, beautifully delivered by Max Romeo at his peak, clear as a bell, with expertly lean production by Bullwackies’ Clive Hunt (besides Pete Weston and Lee Perry himself). The CD adds a heap of dubs, and toasts by Prince Far-I and I-Roy.
“Got to clean up your hammer and sharpen your sickle… In this time of revelation… Dread… Coming from high places where there is no screw faces… Selfish barbarism has got to stop.”
Soon after leaving JA for the US in 1978, Max conducted this moody survey of 8th Avenue, Manhattan.
With the same measures of disgust, funk and soul as Melt Away.
Don’t miss the organ instrumental on the flip, originally entitled Sin City. Jackie Mittoo in his own time and space.
Including a secret-weapon version of Baltimore.
Genius dubs of Barrington Levy’s Robin Hood set.
By now aged 20, Scientist had got his break mixing the singer for Jah Life: ‘When I first met King Tubby I always been telling him that ‘I can mix, I can mix’. And he always telling me, ‘Well, kid, first of all you should be in school. You’re smoking too much weed. Several big men try to do this. You’re a kid. Nobody not gonna allow you to mix.’ I would keep on bugging him, bugging him, bugging him. But he always just had me doing TV repairs, fixing the amplifiers and stuff for him. One day when Jammy failed to come — like he always do most of the time — Tubby’s made me a bet. He said, I bet if I send you around there to work, you wouldn’t know the first thing to do. And he pretty much lost on his bet. The first record I mixed went number one.’
His first LP, from 1980. Al Campbell productions recorded with Sly & Robbie at Channel One; mixed by the hubristic teenager at King Tubby’s. Great stuff… but a non-scientific title.
Ten killer dubs of Barrington Levy, mixed at Tubby’s, mostly unreleased. (The album was shelved in late 1980.)
Ruthlessly brilliant dubs of classic Linval Thompson productions like Wayne Wade’s Poor And Humble and Johnny Osbourne’s Kiss Somebody. Courtesy of the Roots Radics at Channel One, by way of Tubby’s. De Materialize puts it perfectly.