King Tubby 'Dub Conference' album (2B1)

[mike andy]

I've just got hold of the 'Dub Conference' CD credited to King Tubby on the 2B1 label. I suspect some if not most of the tracks are not King Tubby dubs, and it may be just another dodgy dub comp. Some of it's pretty good, some less good. The track titles are probably also made up. I thought 2B1 was a fairly legit label, so I could be wrong, but it just doesn't sound right to me. There's a dub of Johnny Clarke's 'Them Never Love Poor Marcus' ('Bag a Wire Dub') on there. A few of the tracks have a DJ-style intro (here titled Raggamuffin Style Dub, Move Yah Dub, and The Best Dress Dub) - sound like they may be from another album. The insert claims it's all produced by Bunny Lee and played by the Agrovators and Sly&Robbie & the Taxi Gang, which I don't believe is true - did Bunny really produce anything by the Taxi Gang?. Two tracks appear to be the same. Does anyone know what the tracks on this album really are?

[Jahson]

I am not familiar with this CD so cannot say anything definitively, but I suspect you're right about it being a dodgy comp. It reminds me of some of the Rhino sets released in the 90s, with bogus credits like "Lee Perry Meets the Upsetters at King Tubby's" which turn out to be recycled Bunny Lee dubs.

A few are listed here:

http://www.upsetter.net/scratch/disco/bogus.htm

As far as Bunny Lee working with the Taxi Gang, I have this LP and it seems legit

[cover=8270,5243]

[Visitor]

*"As far as Bunny Lee working with the Taxi Gang, I have this LP and it seems legit"*

That looks so [not] legit.

Just look at the track names and the cover art. The concept of Skatalites meets Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang + recorded at King Tubby's is totally absurd.

[Jahson]

@Visitor, thanks for the input I think.

First of all, there's no claim that it was recorded at King Tubbys, but mixed there. Have you heard this LP? These are obviously Bunny Lee produced tracks like "Riding West" with Sly and Robbie at the controls, and a good possibility Jammy mixed it.

And not The Skatalites in the original sense but with Tommy McCook on lead brass, horn-dominated instrumentals. Misleading yes, but essentially legit.

[jumbo]

@Visitor, thanks for the input I think.

First of all, there's no claim that it was recorded at King Tubbys, but mixed there. Have you heard this LP? These are obviously Bunny Lee produced tracks like "Riding West" with Sly and Robbie at the controls, and a good possibility Jammy mixed it.

And not The Skatalites in the original sense but with Tommy McCook on lead brass, horn-dominated instrumentals. Misleading yes, but essentially legit.

this was mixed by Professor at King Tubbys, Jammys left in 1976-77 or so

and yes 100% legit and not 'bogus' or absurd

[Jahson]

Thanks jumbo, it does credit Professor so I apologise for overlooking what's clearly there

I thought Jammy did continue to make mixes at Tubbys even after he was no longer head engineer, but this LP in question was likely mixed in the early 80s even thought the riddims are late 70s Channel One vintage (tu)

[mike andy]

I doubt that LP is exactly what it says it is. Does it feature Sly & Robbie and members of the Skatalties? Possibly. Did Bunny Lee produce the Taxi Gang in the 1970s? Unlikely (did the Taxi Gang even exist in the 1970s?), and unlikely that the Dub Conference CD is the Taxi Gang either.

[Jahson]

Not to belabour the point, but here goes

If you accept that by the Taxi Gang one means Sly and Robbie's production stable, then yes Bunny Lee did not produce any of it since by its very definition it is Messrs. Dunbar and Shakespeare producing.

Also, it seems that the title of this LP is using 1983 terms to reference late 70s cuts. Revolutionaries would be much more accurate. Incidentally, I believe the first Taxi release was Gregory Isaacs' "Soon Forward" (ca. 1979).

Apologies to all, not my intention to get in argument about this...

[mike andy]

Some of these tracks also appear (under different titles) on another album I've just got, 'Sly & Robbie Meet King Tubby Reggae Rasta Dub' on Clocktower/Abraham, this time claiming to be produced by Linval Thompson. Definitely some BS going on here. This album does have a dub of a Cornel Campbell track but still has a certain whiff about it.

[tranceylvania]

the only things im familiar with on 2b1 are reggae dvd,.dvds are good quality and usually come with an audio cd.