24 August 2020

Time to Dubb Rock...err...Rock Dubb

Weird times inside the Covid mind. I have been drawn on by other sounds to soothe the beast inside. I have been unnecessarrily ignoring the Dub. The Brotherhood contacted me by the Hour of the Wolf drums & I am at their command. Without further delay...






Lloyd Coxsone, sound system operator & record producer, was born Lloyd Blackford sometime around 1945 in Morant Bay, Jamaican. He moved to Wandsworth, London in 1962. He borrowed his new last name from  the great Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, himself one of Jamaica's leading sound system operators & producers. It was a fitting & justified tribute. Blackford operated his own Coxsone Sound System in London from 1965 through to the 1980s (he has since come out of semi-retirement to work Sir Coxsone Outernational).




In the 1970s he moved his Sound System to...first the Flamingo Club in Soho,






& then the Roaring 20s club (later renamed Colombo's) in Carnaby Street. It was this residency on Carnaby Street that garnered him much fame.




Bob Marley would often stop by to see Lloyd when he was in London. Marley wrote "Kinky Reggae" about a night out at Colombo's when he'd narrowly missed getting caught in a police raid. "I think I might join the fun, but I had to hit & run. Seems like I just can't settle down, in a kinky part of town..."





Lloyd was still doing his gigs at Colombo's when he started producing songs for general release. Sir Coxsone also played every Wednesday night at the Four Aces in Dalston, where he hosted a weekly talent show.






After the teenage Louisa Marks won three weeks running Lloyd took her in the studio & created "Caught You in a Lie".  Lloyd took the recording around to Reg McLean's Safari label for distribution. Then EMI got involved & Safari soon had a massive hit on their hands. Unfortunately Lloyd didn't get a penny. The only thing he got out of the deal was a year's jail sentence after he broke McLean's jaw.






The following two releases were mixes of Lloyd's own productions. The first volume features musicians from Lloyd's stable such as Matumbi along with rhythms produced at King Tubby's in Jamaica by Gussie Clarke.  The second volume features primarily cuts produced by Lloyd with additional mixes by Scientist & added vocals by Jah Pebbels & Levi Roots.




Sir Coxson Sound - King of the Dub Rock, Safari Records SFA 100, 1975.
all decryption codes in comments


Side A1 -
King of the Dubb Rock
Capital City Rock
Live & Love
Born to Love (version of Delroy Wilson’s "Dancing Mood")
Mouth of the Wicked

Side A2 -
Piccadilly Circus Dub (version of Delroy Wilson’s "Addis Ababa")
Tribute to Mohammed Ali
Many Moods of Coxson
It’s Reggae Time Dubb Rock
Sounds of Safari (another version of Delroy Wilson’s "Dancing Mood")

Title as given on the back cover, spine & center labels have it "King of the Dubb Rock". Center labels credit Lloyd Coxson instead of Sir Coxson Sound as on the front cover.






Sir Coxsone Sound - King of Dub Rock Part 2, Regal Records RLP 001, 1982,

Side A -
Black Wars Reggae
Zion Bound (version of the Skatalite's "Confusius" riddim)
Travelling Israel Dub (version of Burning Spear's "Travelling"...Scientist mix)
East of Rockfort Rock (version of "Rockfort Rock" from Coxsone Dodd/Prince Francis)
Psalm 87:2 (featuring Jah Pebbles)

Side B-
Bower Dub
So Much Dub to Give
United Africa
Reggae Fusion
Poor Man's Story (featuring Levi Roots)

Recorded at Harry J's & Channel One. Produced by Lloyd Coxsone (some mixes assisted by Scientist) with: Earl 'Chinna' Smith - lead guitar; Sangie (Anthony Horace Davis) & Brownie (Dalton Anthony Browne) - rhythm guitar; Ansell Collins & Gladstone Anderson - keyboards; Earl 'Bagga Judah' Walker, Lloyd Parks, & Robbie Shakespeare - bass; Tommy McCook - saxophone; Bobbie Ellis, Glen Da Costa, & David Madden - trumpet; Vincent 'Trommie' Gordon - trombone; Noel 'Scully' Simms & Uziah 'Sticky' Thompson - percussion; & Albert Malawi, Leroy 'Horsemouth' Wallace, & Sly Dunbar - drums. Center labels have it "King of the Dub Rock Part 2"

Enjoy,

18 comments:

  1. Love the history, the photos, and that Safari album cover! Thank you for the soothing sounds of dub and bass.

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    1. Thank you kind sir. The Roaring 20s handbill & the 4 Aces front are great finds.

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    2. King of the Dub Rock
      xVIrAonab16RxM0a8o9pmSgmC7RH-LrguITGLxIOcDQ
      King of Dub Rock Part 2
      1gQUTzvX6l3Yohkvy_YFZx1lhfT8l6oI9wofJzw_uUo

      Delete
  2. Jah bless you Sir, this shit is beyond tremendous it has blew my socks clean off...now where's me zig zags, keep up the good work it's highly appreciated

    Andy W

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words. Light'em up & pass'em around, deosil & widdershins (as in all proper Magick). Sorry it's been so long since some Dub here. I'll try not to make that mistake again. Praise Jah.

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  3. Thanks for this, hope you're ok. Dubwise here goes some argentinian dubbers playing with (no less than) Mad Professor and Perry joining for a while.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLe1GP1XLYg

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  4. Came upon your site while looking for some music-
    thank you for sharing the dub, much appreciation

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words &for finding me. Hope you found whatyou were looking for. Plenty of Dub elsewhere about here if that's your taste. Just search dub in the top left. Or ask if you're not finding something.

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  5. Thanks for sharing these two beautiful recordings. Superb photos and interesting stories.

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    1. You are most welcome. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Watch out for scary beansprouts.

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  6. Your sage advice is noted. I think I must need some of your good green to calm the anxiety. I was wondering, seeing how you've mentioned Dementia related items, whether you could find time to re-up Horace Andy's Dub Box? My incontinence pad overflows...

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    Replies
    1. Just checked & Dub Box is alive &well. Just copy the decryption code from the first comment & paste when prompted by MEGA. The link is below the cover artwork.

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  7. I am just loving the ever-lovin' shit out of blog and thank you very much for all your work.

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  8. I am just loving the ever-lovin' shit out of your comment. Thank you so much. & the bit I do here is all fun, no work.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. nathan glad you are back
      i missed all the drama. are u missing any of the world music stuff
      i could look for that.
      roberth

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    2. Welcome back, my friend. Got my crashed external rescued & all the World Musick is intact. I have re-up all of the project that was missing (81 countries). Just patching a few remaining holes in other stuff I realized needed first aid.

      thank you so much for the thought & offer, but think I'm all right now.

      Delete
  9. Hello, they ask for a password here, is there any ? Thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The decryption codes are in the first comment. Just copy & paste when prompted by MEGA.

      Delete