yardie's reggae collection
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PRINCE
JAMMY
STRICTLY DUB * * * / 
1981
- Pressure Sounds - studio - discs:1Lloyd James was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica in 1947. Lloyd started to build and repair amplifiers for sound systems in Waterhouse (Kingston) but soon he strarted his own Sound. By the early 70s Lloyd was leaving in Canada, but a trip back home changed his life forever. In Kingston he met Bunny "Striker" Lee that persuaded him to work for King Tubby as main engineer. In fact at that time the house engineer Philip Smart was ready to move to New York. Here he met all the emerging new strong talents that were working for Tubby. Soon Lloyd started his solo career, producing the debut set from Black Uhuru called "Love Crisis" (1977). Another adventure was released around the same time, it was a Dub set called "jammy's In Lion Style". By the end of the decade the main sounds were called "Rockers" and "Steppers", but soon a new sound became highly common. It was called "Dancehall". The mixing style became more precise and clear than it was during the 70s and Lloyd proved all that with two sets even before these changes became common practice: Horace Andy's "In The Light Dub" (1977) and Gregory Isaacs' "Slum Dub" (1978). From that time Dub was dying but Lloyd was on top and he would remain in the Olympus of the producers/mixing engineers for all the 80s. The present set is an obscure feature that briefly appeared in the early 80s on Americam label "Jammys Records". The style is precise, highly controlled, almost minimalist. As the sleevenotes compiler Jeremy Collingwood writes it could be considered "one of the earliest Dancehall rhythm Dum albums". Prince produced, arranged and mixed the set. He employed the following top level musicians: Sly Dunbar (drums), Robbie Shakespeare (bass), Dougie Bryan and "Bo Peep" Bowen (guitar), Ansel Collins and Winston Wright (organ), Gladdy Anderson (piano), Bobby Ellis and Deadly Headly (horns), Uziah "Sticky" Thompson and "Scully" Simms (also known as Skully, Mikey Spratt, Zoots Scully Simms, Scollie, Zoot Sims, Skitter) (percussions). The album opens with "Immigrant Dub" versions the "Bobby Bowa" rhythm, as was used by the vocal group called Well, Pleased and Satisfied in their "Open the Gates Bobby Boy" (1977). Follows "Basement Dub" is based on Bob & Marcia's Studio One hit "Always Together" (1969). The third track called "Brooklyn Dub" versions The Jamaicans "Baba Boom" from 1967. Follows a original called "B.Q.E. Dub". The fifth track is "Interboro Dub" is a recut of the Three Top's "Do It Right" (1967). Follows "Old Country Rd. Dub", is a version of Hugh Mundell's "Jah Fire Will Be Burning", a Prince production from 1980. The seventh Dub is "42nd Street Dub", versioning Baba Brooks "Shank I Sheck" (1964). Follows "271 Utica Dub" is a recut of the Studio One "College Rock" rhythm from 1972. The nineth track is called "Bronx Fashion Dub" and is a original. The original set closes with "Strictly Dub", a recut of "Ali Baba" rhythm from 1969. The set offers two extras from a couple of years later. The first is called "Mother Dub and versions Jackie Mittoo's "Hot Milk" from 1970. The second is "Dis Dub Rules", a recut of Sound Dimension's "Afrikan Beat" from 1968. Here lies the genius of Prince Jammy: taking a rhythm from more than ten years before and create something totally new and powerful. This has been indeed a practice that is present during all the Jamaican music history, but sometimes the right man achieves the right result.
DUB GONE 2 CRAZY * * * * 
1975-1979
- Blood and Fire - studio - discs:1Please refer to the King Tubby's page for my comments on "Dub Gone 2 Crazy".
BIG SHOWDOWN AT KING TUBBY'S
* * * 
1980 - Greensleeves - studio - discs:
1Please refer to the Scientist's page for my comments on "Big Showdown At King Tubby's".
UMOJA / 20TH CENTURY DEBWISE * * * /
Please refer to the Dennis Brown's page for my comments on "Umoja / 20th Century Debwise". |
1978-1979
- Blood and Fire - studio - discs:1