​1976 Agustus Pablo “King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown” on Yard Music

Well, friends, there is Dub and then there is DUB. The lineup on this fantastic record is like having Miles, Elvin Jones, Mobley, Mingus/Mr PC, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Julian Priester, and Herbie rolling up into King T’s studio…Aston Family Man Barrett on basses with Robert Robby Shakespear, Carlton Carlie Barrett on drums, Earl Chinna Smith on git, Richard Dirty Harry Hall on tenor, Vincent Don D Junior on trombone, and Bobby Ellis on trumpet. Yard Fire only had nine releases until it turned to RE’s in the 80’s, and 8 of those were singles, so this badboy sounds amazingly heavy and deep for what was not a heavy checkbook or deep pockets venture. Sure, half the track listings are wrong, but does it really matter in the end which song is “Skanking Dub” and which is “Frozen Dub” and which is “Corner Crew Dub”? Probably not. As long as melodica-banging genius Agustus is on the scene, the lava is going to flow. It’s dark, it’s mystical, it’s dripping with spliff-sweat, and Pablo’s Deep East minor chord Silk Road jamming makes it sound kind of like nothing else. I’ve heard it said that this cover of Jacob “Killer” Miller’s “Baby I Love You So” is the greatest dub track of all time. I’m not hip enough to the intricacies of the politics of Trenchtown or Reggae scholarship to know whether that statement is the least bit accurate, but from a casual fan of the form, I wouldn’t argue against it. TOP ACTION.