Weaving in & out through this twisted tale that is the influences of Don Letts is bassist Jah Wobble. Letts became familiar with the Public Image Limted trio of Lydon, Wobble, & Levene when he was making videos for the band. This led directly to the Steel Leg vs the Electric Dread I shared last time.
Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble's heavy basslines have been for the most part quite Dub adjacent. PIL, Invaders of the Heart, much of his collaborations, & solo work have aligned him with another great bassist Robbie Shakespeare, reggae at the core but vesatile & varied in his abilities.
Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart was formed in 1982. The original line-up was Ollie Marland on keys (who went on to become Tina Turner's musical director), Annie Whitehead on trombone, Neville Murray on percussion & a musician named only Cliff on drums. By 1983 Lee Partis was the drummer. Trumpeter Harry Beckett & pedal steel player B. J. Cole regularly performed with the group. Wobble was always a hard-drinking, brawling ham-fisted bloke, but by 1985 his drinking & drunken brawls were having pronounced negative effect on his life. In October 1986, halfway through the recording of his solo album Psalms, Wobble stopped drinking. From then through to the present day he has remained 'clean and sober'.
For several years Wobble stepped back from the music world, but due to the repeated prompting of his friend & former bandmate, percussionist Neville Murray, Wobble reformed The Invaders of the Heart in 1987. By the time of their first release (Without Judgement) the band consisted of Wobble - bass, synth bass, vocals, percussion; David Harrow = keyboards, vocals, percussion; & Justin Adams = guitar, vocals, percussion. They are still active (with varying line-up) having released Ocean Blue Waves in 2019.
Jah Wobble & Temple of Sound
In 2002 Wobble teamed up with Temple of Sound. Temple of Sound are an internationally established production & performance duo at the forefront of the dance, Dub, & world music fields. The duo is comprised of Neil Sparkes - vocalist, percussionist, programmer, poet, painter; & Count Dubulah - guitarist , bass player, programmer, editor. Together Sparkes & Dubulah helped create the style of global dance groove mash up. Sparkes & Dubulah expanded their dance scene style into Transglobal Underground. Natacha Atlas provides vocals on numerous tracks for the following.
Hayati
Moutains of the Moon
Cleopatra King Size
Zaardub
Shout at the Devil
Once Upon a Time in the East
Maghreb Rockers
La Citadelle
Symphony of Palms
Mistralazul 2
Jah Wobble with the English Roots Band
Hooking up with the English Roots Band, Wobble released this back to basics CD. Wobble lays down some Dub bass-laden heavy folk roots stylings, offering up a great version of Dawn Penn's classic "No, No, No". The whole thing was mixed by Mick Routledge.
One Day
No No No
Ploughboy's Dream
Visions of You
Blacksmiths Song
Rocky Road to Dublin
And There was the Sea
Byker Hill
My Love's in Germany
Full Steam
Jah Wobble with Keith Levene
At an impromptu appearance at the Musicport Festival in Bridlington Spa on October 24, 2010, where Wobble was joined by vocalist "Johnny Rotter" of the Sex Pistols Experience, Wobble renewed his association with former PiL guitarist Keith Levene.
In 2012 Wobble teamed up once more with his longtime PIL bandmate Levene to release the following (& it ends with Dub)...
Yin & Yang
Strut
Jags & Staffs
Mississippi
Within You Without You
Back on the Block
Fluid
Vampires
Understand
Understand Dub
Enjoy,
NØ
