Roots Archives Forum

Seriously? Damn I didn't know.

Wikipedia says he was the founding member of the skatalites, yep that's a notable achievement in my book.

There two do seem to be the same and are therefore by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics (just like virtually anything instrumental - including backing to singers - on Treasure Isle at this time). As "Ali Baba Version" it appeared on the flip of Holt's Ali Baba in 1969 (1970 according to some)but the mix was presumably done by Reid's nephew Errol Brown who did, as far as one knows, all the mixes for the Treasure Isle LPS (Treasure Dub, Pleasure Dub, Treasure Dub 2) along with McCook and the Supersonics and on Treasure Dub it appears as "Arabian Dub" but it does seem to have already appeared on another Treasure Isle 7" under that title (as by "Duke Reid Artists" who are of course just McCook and co by another name).

hmmmm.... i don't think that the original Treasure Isle 7" in 1969 had a version cut - although certainly later represses did. the flip side on the first "Ali Baba" was "I'm Your Man", another great song by John Holt with backing from the Supersonics.

the dub versions are almost certainly from Brown's later sessions done for Sonia Pottinger that resulted in the Treasure Dub and Pleasure Dub LPs starting in 1975.
Sonia Pottinger took over the helm at Treasure Isle after Duke Reid died of cancer in late 1974. the dub versions have some drum overdubs that were not possible to do back in 1969 when Treasure Isle was still a two-track studio (upgraded to 8 track in 1972).

so, i would say that the "Ali Baba" + version is one of the countless 7" represses that have been put out over the years. i have a Phyllis Dillon 7"of "Love Is All I Had" with a version cut that never existed on the original press - it's definitely off of one of the dub LP sessions.

another interesting bit of trivia - the Treasure Isle Dub Vol. 1 & 2 were put out by.... wait for it..... Studio One! Duke's arch enemy Coxsone Dodd somehow thought he was entitled to press his variants of the Pottinger sessions - and how he even got the tapes to pirate is anyone's guess. there are various Treasure Isle 7" represses that bear the address of Studio One.

the original Treasure Dub and Pleasure Dub LP's are tougher to get these days, but the Treasure Isle Dub 1 & 2 LP's aren't too hard to find. those have been repressed with varying Studio One quality - both mine have pressing flaws.

There are two Treasure Dub 1 and 2 "original" versions, the first Vol. 1 has no beeps while the second one has, and some added echo loops (especially on "Arabian Dub").
The first release of Vol. 2 misses the false start on "Twilight Zone".

There's an alternative Errol Brown dub mix of "Ali Baba" c/w "Version" (by Tommy McCook and the Supersonics) on Treasure Isle (JA) (TIS 232/DUC 0098). It's different from the cut presented on the Pressure Sounds CD (which has been dubbed from an off-center record, they could have taken the time to center it, shame on them).

And, last but not least, King Tubby tried a hand on the Treasure Isle cut :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw0GVzN2vbs

N.

nice one, Nicholas - i am blown away that a dubplate from that era even exists nowadays!

Tubby had access to much of the vaults of Treasure Isle since he cut acetate specials for Duke Reid for a few years, and sound system operators paid top dollar for the big Treasure Island tunes.

i can't imagine what an artifact like that would sell for. and for a dubplate, it sounds pretty good because once you've played one 15 or 20 times, the sound goes downhill pretty quickly.