King Tubby meets Rockers Uptown : Augustus Pablo

This is for sure a classic roots set that shows you what reggae is all about.  This is a 1994 Abraham label CD release - originally released in 1977 on vinyl by Clocktower.  The material was recorded from '72-'75 with Chinna, Familyman, Dirty Harry, and others.  Clocktower is a reggae label that was formed in New York, but now works out of Ontario, Canada.  Abraham is another label name coming out of Clocktower and you can see similarities in disc production.  Pablo and Tubby blend bass and melodica  in and out of these tunes mixed down at King Tubby's with Errol Thompson.  There is also a 2004 Shanachie (US) label release with bonus tracks to the original 12.  All the tracks in this one are outstanding and you might recognize some of them as dubbed-out Pablo versions of popular Jacob Miller tunes.  This set of musical works is considered a prime example of seventies dub roots at it's finest - a cornerstone at the base of the Jamaican dub movement.

Rhythm Come Forward : Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Aswad,

This is a quick nine track introduction reggae compilation.  It starts with a little bit of old school Bob Marley and moves through some prime vintage Tosh (Stepping Razor & Legalize It).  The two Aswad tracks to follow are pretty good (Track ##5 - Drum & Bass Line) and then you get a little taste of Yellowman and some more contemporary Third World and Jimmy Cliff.  This disc was put out by Sony back in 1990 or CBS-Columbia in 1984 take your pick.  You can get a used copy off of Amazon for 1 Cent plus shipping.  Recorded material range from the very early seventies all the way through 1984.  This is really a decent set of tracks ; the first six songs are very competent selections that anchor this compilation. 

Vital Force Dub : Gato Negro

This seems to be the follow up disc for "Black Cat Dub" from the eccentric dub styles of Gato Negro.  It's a fairly good roots dub cd with a more contemporary sound at times, but that's kind of the Gato's thing.  This disc is a 1995 release from ROIR with 16 tracks total, about half of witch follow the lead of Gato's first CD.  The other half of the tracks seem to stray away from the original style that pulled me in with Black Cat Dub.  My favorites on this one are #3 (Muntu Dub), #5 (Power Light), and #14 (Never Endin' Dub) - this last one is a pretty killer track.  I wouldn't say this is a must have, but you can buy a used disc online for $1 plus shipping. 

Freedom Sounds in Dub : King Tubby

I know that the number of King Tubby CD's out there is enormous.  Even for a reggae fan who holds the art of dub close to their hart, the Tubby library is endless.  So where do we find the best King Tubby discs or top notch compilations?  Blood & Fire, that's where.  Just like it's issuing counterpart Dub in the Roots Tradition : Scientist, Freedom Sounds in Dub is a great example of how this large available library of tunes can be condensed in to a stand out compilation.  Even if you only want a few pure dub cd's to anchor down your collection, this is a outstanding representation of Tubby.  Although I can really listen to this one over and over on repeat I'll still pick out a couple of my  favorites.  #1 (Ethiopian Version), #2 (Leaving Babylon Dub), and #11 (Tinson Pen Dub) are the top few of this 15 track set.  The recorded material is from the late seventies ('76-'79) and has the solid backing of the Soul Syndicate. 

Rich Man Poor Man : Barry Brown

There are 14 tracks on this late seventies greatest hits with most of them ranging from roughly 3 to about 4 minutes.  The Revolutionaries, Roots Radics, The High Times Band, and the Aggrovators are all credited as backing bands on different tracks giving this a disc a wide variety in instrumental styles.  This is a true Kingston production going down at Harry J's, King Tubby's and Channel One.  This is a fairly good representation of the Barry Brown style and coupled with King Jammy presents Barry Brown you should get the best of Barry Brown.  This CD is from the Moll Selekta label with material from 1978-1980.  My favorites in this one are #1 (Fire Fire), #4 (Pass Up the Chalice), and #7 (Burial).  This version of "Burial" is my personal favorite of all the attempted covers - very nice pace - very nice vocal delivery.  The last two tracks on this disc are the title track and it's dub counterpart, a very nice way to end the set,  instead of starting the album with the title track.