Rating:
Genre:
Reggae
Release Date: 08/18/1995
King Tubby's
dub art began to flower on remixes for producer
Bunny Lee. The engineer treated hundreds of
Lee productions between 1973-1975, establishing
dub as a independent style in
reggae music in the process. While protégés and future
dub stars
Prince Jammy and
Scientist would eventually remix some of the
Lee dub tracks under
Tubby's name, the sides on
Roots of Dub are all done by
Tubby himself. As the title implies, one hears the beginnings of his original
dub style: a soundscape made up more by spare yet innovative deconstructions of the original sides than by the many added sound effects heard on future mixes. And while a handful of
Tubby discs suffer from second-rate material, this collection stands out with some of the choicest of
Lee's rhythm tracks. No small credit for this quality goes to
Lee's amazing early
reggae house band,
the Aggrovators, which featured bassist
Robbie Shakepeare, drummer
Carlton "Santa" Davis, and guitarist
Earl "Chinna" Smith, among others. A fine introduction to this artist's catalog. For fans seeking a more representative collection of
Tubby and
Lee productions, check out
Trojan's
King Tubby's Special 1973-1976; for those interested in later material, there's the incredible
Dub Gone 2 Crazy collection on
Blood & Fire.
~Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
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