PECKER & BOB MARLEY: true DUB story from 1979?

[Vlad.]

An amazing but true story about an experimental dub session organized by BOB MARLEY in Jamaica in 1979!!!

In 1979 during a visit to Japan, Bob Marley met the acclaimed Japanese percussionist Pecker. Pecker, a big fan of reggae, convinced Marley to bring top Japanese musicians (mostly members of The Yellow Magic Orchestra) to Jamaica to mix it up with the cream of Jamaican reggae artists, to jam and play out in informal dub sessions at both Channel One and Tuff Gong Studios. The astounding results were released only in Japan on two separate LP's in 1980.

Anyone has heard this music? As good as the legend?

Can the "Pecker Power" Dub LP, original print, be found? At what price? I've never seen it!

[jb welda]

this was put out on ROIR cassette too. ive got it or at least had it, dont know anymore as i dont even have a cassette player.

the less said the better actually though as i recall there were a couple of bob marley dub versions on here with some merit but pecker is little known for evidently very good reasons.

one love
jah bill

[Dubs_West]

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[Inyaki]

I remember the ROIR tape about 20 years ago.
Some Wailers tracks and some by Peter Tosh's backing musicians ( the same musicians that recorded for Serge Gainsbourg at that time). Nice riddims, similar results as Gainsbourg but nothing special. Pretty much the same type of riddims that Sly & Robbie were known for. Some "experimental" vocal nonsense on top.

Anybody who had a bit a money in 79 could go to JA, book Channel One, Dynamics or Tuff Gong for little money and get the Revolutionaries or Wailers to record for you. It would sound amazing cause those bands were on fire (and the best analogue studio equipment and engineers were there). Then you overdub on top whatever you want. No big deal. Nothing "astounding" or "legendary". Just an interesting historical musical footnote IMO.

[Dubs_West]

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[Ron]

I have the 1980 LP release myself, called "Pecker Power", released on Nippon Colombia label.

I never thought much of the album, though it has two outstanding tracks (imo) with The Wailers:
"Concrete Jungle" and "Jamming".

[selecta bing]

I first heard of this when I got the TOWERING DUB INFERNO compilation
(one track from Pecker with great, I Three type backing vocals: BEGGARS SUITE )
then later when they were finally released on CD.
PECKER (an unfortunate nickname in some circles: means penis in the USA)
was so called for his head bobbing style of drumming resembling a woodpecker bird !!

[informer]

i never cared for that Gainsbourg shit and i don't expect this to be any better. You better go for Martha Velez and the Wailers then .....

[vtov]

who are the Japanese musicians involved? Was it Ryuichi Sakamoto and Harumi Hosono from YMO?

[selecta bing]

who are the Japanese musicians involved? Was it Ryuichi Sakamoto and Harumi Hosono from YMO?

NO, Pecker had worked with them, but not on these tracks.
check DUBWEST's links above.