19 April 2015

From Cleopatra Came the Asp





Dub grew out of reggae music in the 60s. It is usually considered a subgenre of reggae, but not by this Dub fanatic. Dub is reggae stripped to its essentials, usually by removing most of the vocals & pumping up the drum & bass 'riddim' tracks. Musick should be essential…so for me, I have always preferred Dub.

That being said, I have been thinking for quite some time about Dub & the Lion King of Reggae, Bob Marley. Many of the various Wailers have been presented here in all their Dubness & it has been good. But Bob & the Ws are so iconic to reggae that I have been apprehensive.

Here’s what I’ve come up with…

First is an offering from NSS fave Bill Laswell remixing Bob Marley & the Wailers for your pleasure.

Bob Marley ‎– Dreams of Freedom (Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub),
Axiom 314-524 419-2, 1997.
all decryption codes in comments

Tracklist –
Rebel Music (3 O’clock Roadblock)
No Woman No Cry
The Heathen
Them Belly Full (but We Hungry)
Waiting in Vain
So Much Trouble in the World
Exodus
Burnin’ & Lootin’
Is This Love
One Love (People get Ready)
Midnight Ravers

Next is a questionable entry, Bob Marley – The Secret Blackwell Dubs. Apparently it came straight out of the Island vaults some time around the turn of the century. To the best of my knowledge it is not commercially available. These are believed to be true Marley dubs (all of the tracks contain snippets of his lead vocal plus the Wailers & the I Threes background vocals). However, some are dubs to remixes of the 'official' releases, most notably "She's Gone" & "Exodus". Some of these may have been released on Island 7"ers as the b-side of the more well-known vocal versions (1972s "Rock it Babe" b/w "Rock it Version"??? for example).


Tracklist –
Forever Loving Jah
Waiting in Vain
Roots Rock Dub
Jamming
Exodus (remix)
Is This Dub?
Rock it Babe
Crazy Baldhead
She's Gone
Satisfy My Soul
Iron Lion Zion
Three Little Birds
One Love
Keep on Moving

Next, directly from the horse’s mouth, so to neigh, is the Island/Tuff Gong official In Dub, Vol, 1. The versions vary widely in style & with virtually no production information or mixing credits, it is hard to place when they may have been recorded. The digital delay flutter of "One Love/People Get Ready Dub" or "Three Little Birds Dub" suggests post-80s studio trickery while "Waiting in Vain Dub" has a more subdued grit of classic 70s dub style. Although there's nothing as raw, saturated, or genius as the pioneering 70s productions of King Tubby or Lee Perry, dub champion Scientist contributes a new mix of "Lively Up Yourself" (known here as "Lively Up Your Dub"), heavy with stereo-panned delay, triggered drums, & fragmented horns.

Bob Marley & the Wailers – In Dub, Vol. 1, Island Records B0015161-02, 2012.

Tracklist –
Roots, Rock Dub
Is This Love Dub
Forever Loving Jah Dub
Lively up Your Dub
Three Little Birds Dub
Crazy Baldhead Dub
Waiting in Vain Dub
Jamming Dub
One Love / People Get Ready Dub
She’s Gone Dub
Smile Jamaica Version

But I’m just not completely satisfied with the Nesta Dub so far. Decide for one last mega-dose of Marley Dub, I’d go back to the earlier days of B&tWs. The singles that Bob Marley & the Wailers cut for Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Upsetter label in the late 60s & early 70s are among some of the most historically significant in reggae. On The Complete Upsetters box set is some true Dub from one of the Triumvirate working with the soon-to-be King of Reggae. I tried to gather together all the Dub Versions that L'S'P & the Upsetters did with Robert Nesta Marley & the other boys & girls. It ended up being a lot, so I’ve made Volumes Here & Now.

Bob Marley & The Wailers ‎– The Complete Upsetter Collection 6xCD
Trojan Records TBOXCD013, 2000. 


Soul Rebel Dub
Try Me Dub
It’s Alright Dub
No Sympathy Dub
Rebel’s Hop Dub
Corner Stone Dub
Four Hundred Years Dub
No Water Dub
Reaction Dub
Soul almighty Dub
Shocks of Mighty Dub
Mr. Brown Dub
Dreamland (instrumental)
Copasetic Medley Dub (Bend Down Low/Nice Time/One Love/Simmer Down/Lonesome Feeling)
Downpresser Dub
Long Long Winter Dub
Love Light Dub
Man to Man Dub


Keep on Moving Dub
Don’t Rock My Boat Dub
Put it On Dub
Fussing & Fighting Dub
Memphis Dub
Riding High Dub
Kaya Dub
African Herbsman Dub
Stand Alone Dub
Sun is Shining Dub
Brain Washing Dub
Brand New Second Hand Dub
Concrete Jungle Dub
Rainbow Country Dub
Satisfy My Soul Dub
Natural Mystic Dub
I Know a Place Dub
Who Colt the Game Dub

Before I go, I have a request from any visitor who’s made it this far. My Marley in Dub search as led me to a missing volume. If anyone has a copy of Ijahman Levi - Ijahman & Bob Marley In Dub on Tree Roots from 1995 that they would share with me, please let me know. Thanks to an anonymous visitor, missing no more...& in less than one day. Phenomenal.

Bad like yaz,






12 comments:

  1. Laswell
    IZFdXHDaYScW5h904qb801JCyIv5g7NO4eER-7CttYc
    Blackwell
    03XUiisOjiPg5HFggbQ9RwxxP7oOcHUn6KSdKN5rGAg
    In Dub
    N-D3vaRZRYHsXokeEsEeHsJsVh7uyV-PH87KJ58TNP8
    HERE
    eNoevl91UASJirgIevOYRyxn0wNLA-Rq82RC0a6S5PI
    NOW
    V-cuJqOcZZrKWIGwmlZHl3kKotoWd4St33LnzC44uCg

    ReplyDelete
  2. this is the first time that I comment here, but I am a regular visitor of your blog. here is the album you asked for (it's not my upload, I just found it for you): https://mega.co.nz/#!3IUX2ZJL!AJIhqmSs9a6P5WNYIcZRtCW_qr5bGeRS7ZMy1AOdp_M

    And I want to thank you for all good music you share!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so very much. Glad you are a regular visitor, must be serving up something that works. Always a pleasure to hear from a regular for the first time. I couldn't find this anywhere, so thank you for your effort, even if it's not your own upload. I am grabbing it as I write.

      Delete
  3. Still digesting this. Volumes "here" + "now" immediately leap out as a particular treasure, given you have invested the time to weed out the bud from the stem. Muchos gracias.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are from early on in Lee Perry's storied & lengthy career. At this time, some of his "Dub" amounts to simply instrumental versions of the originals. That being said however, there is some great material here. The 6-CD box set is kinda dense, with four or five versions of some Marley tunes (more for a true Marley completist). Since this post is about the Dub, I just posted the "Dub Version".

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  4. Gonna get Irie tonight an' DIG! Cheers from Babylon!

    -Xtm

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey man!
    thanx a lot for your time and share the amazing music with us!

    God bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. the ijahman/marley dub album link is disfunctional. would you pls reup? thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was provided by a visitor here. Not my link.

      Delete
  7. also the blackwell code seems to be out of order.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just trried the Blackwell link. Working fine.
      Just copy 03XUiisOjiPg5HFggbQ9RwxxP7oOcHUn6KSdKN5rGAg & paste where prompted.

      Delete