By John Fenwick
On Apr 19th 2009

The Evolution of Dub volume 1

Dubbing with King Tubby, Niney and Bunny Lee plus a rare classic from Joe Gibbs

Evolution Of Dub volume 1 This 4-CD box set presents key tracks in the development of dub. It begins with 'Dub Serial' from Joe Gibbs: released in 1972 in small quantities, this groundbreaking album is rare indeed, and is reason enough for getting hold of this collection. Highlights include versions of Money in my Pocket, Rainy Night in Georgia (nicely opening with a false start from the original before re-launching itself into an echo-laden dub), closing with a fine dub of Burning Spear’s He Prayed (later revisited by Big Youth). 'Dub Serial' is stripped-down bass, skanking guitar, drums and percussive keyboard, with studio effects that would soon be a staple of dub.

Discs 2 and 3 feature Bunny Lee and King Tubby. Lee was officially Jamaica’s ‘Top Producer’ but also, in 1974, developed a new sound influenced heavily by Philadelphia soul/disco. In this style he made the 2 albums ('Roots of Dub' / 'Dub from the Roots') represented here. Disc 2 starts with the same Rainy Nights rhythm that Gibbs had turned into a dub, but here the sound is different, with prominent cymbals borrowed from disco, a much more rapid phasing in and out of different instruments, reverb, and generally a lot more going on, including echo on the third beat which reggae now takes for granted. These reconstructed dubs (sometimes with added vocals from Johnny Clarke) often became better known than the originals.

Niney the Observer worked with both Tubby and Lee before making his mark with ‘Blood and Fire’, followed by a long partnership with Dennis Brown. In 'Dubbing with the Observer' (Disc 4), Niney takes dub even further, deconstructing rhythm and vocal to fashion something new. The rhythms here may well sound familiar, simply because they have become the foundation of what was to follow.

The highly informative sleevenotes take us though the whole history of recording, including the early use of magnetic tape which allowed adventurous producers to dub one track alongside another, and how live sound systems brought this custom music direct to the people, creating the generations of producers represented here as well as the new profession of deejaying over these home grown rhythms. Far from being a bargain-basement compilation, this release presents four complete albums from these masters of dub, allowing us to chart its development over a few crucially important years.