Search - Dub: Original Bass Culture :: Dub: Original Bass Culture

If you don't yet have every dub ever leased to Trojan

Derrick A. Smith | USA | 05/15/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"'Least four for the music, about 2 or 3 for the package.This is yet another compilation of dub tracks leased by a UK-based specialty label from the vast Trojan Records archives. To Metro's credit, the tracks have been crisply remastered and sensitively sequenced, cleverly annotated by one Ian McCann. A few of the best tracks from "King Tubby's Special" appear here, with cleaner sound, notably the dub of "Skylarking" and "Straight to the Capitalist Head," surely one of his eeriest efforts. Niney, whose prominence has been recently rising among such compilations, perhaps because he's one of the few JA auteurs whose career has not been pecked clean as of yet, comes sharp with two tracks, and it's a welcome trend. A "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter" cut is included, and I'd gladly trade one of the Tubbys for another Far-I dub, but I'm sure Trojan has a few in store for its next dub boxed set. No dub collection would be worth its salt, whatever the weight of that salt, without a nod to the Upsetter. The inclusion of honestly rare Scratch dubs is the strongest suit of this comp, in fact - a freaky cut to Leo Graham's "Black Candle," the 45 single version of "Woman's Dub" which continues to unsettle lo these many decades later, and "Travellin'," which leaves me wishing Lee had recorded more female vocalists. But that's Rastafarianism for ya."

Top Notch Old School Dub Comp.

Dub Pub | Massachusetts | 03/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing. Seriously, at least 7 five-star tunes with no losers in the bunch. One of the best sounding collections as well. You would never guess these were cut on relatively cheap equipment 30+ years ago. Good liner notes."