Roots Archives Forum

Hullo!

I am not a regular poster here, but I do lurk about when I can, and am frequently astounded by the amassed knowledge of the people on this board - about records that I'd never even heard of, who played on them, who mixed them, when they were released, on which label...

...the mind boggles!

I've been listening to reggae for about 8 years, and I'll admit it, I'm a hopeless dub head. As my wants list is beginning to get down to records or CDs that I just cannot seem to find (or afford), I find myself idly dreaming about records I would release if i ran a label. And this got me wondering what old dub treasures you folks would give the full reissue treatment to(remastered, bonus tracks, sleevenotes, CD and vinyl, the whole kit and caboodle), if you were in charge of a record label?

As a few examples -

Derrick Harriott 'Presents Scrub-A-Dub Reggae'
'More Scrubbing The Dub'

Neither of these are that hard to come by, but would it not be nice to have them on vinyl that doesn't pop, crackle and skip? Cos the music deserves that - it's some of the best early dub I've heard. And does anyone know if the Crystalites version of 'Shaft' appears on any album/cd other than that out of print 'Back To Mine' CD?

Winston Edwards & Blackbeard 'Dub Conference At 10 Downing Street'

Never ever heard this one, but I do enjoy a good bit of Dennis Bovell (I Wah Dub, Mawamba Dub, the Pressure Sounds comp) and the prices I have seen this going for online put this waaayyy out of my league. Boo!

Big Youth - Reggae Gi Dem Dub

Mostly cos I read in the Rough Guide To Reggae that it has lots of harmonica playing on it. And I love harmonica in reggae - almost as much as I love fuzz guitar in reggae. Anyone got any recommendations?

So what are your pipe dream 'if-I-ran-a-label' reissue records?

Interesting post.

I'd probably reissue this on nice vinyl, just so I could get a copy for myself:

[cover=3157,2667]

I don't know why Pressure Sounds doesn't reiusse all of the Singers & Players albums, really, especially with Adrian Maxwell Sherwood involved...

Matumbi - dub planet orbit.
http://www.roots-archives.com/release/4692

three the hard way:
http://roots-archives.com/release/1250

black magic dub:
http://roots-archives.com/release/4200

here's a soundsample from the Dub Conference album btw:
http://media.putfile.com/downing-69

pots and pans, you might be interested in this if you like dennis bovell....

http://www.bloodandfire.co.uk/db/viewtopic.php?t=28153

Actually my vinyl copies of Scrubbing the Dub and More Scrubbing the Dub are probably the best quality JA pressings I possess. I think I bought them from DH's shop in Kn. Most other JA pressings I have are very much in the bacon frying sonic space.

Augustus Pablo Chanting Dub with the Help of the Father
(Prince Jammy on the mix - I was incorrect about this elsewhere...) - Excellent album

Sly Dunbar: Go Deh Wid Riddim
http://www.roots-archives.com/release/2923
Another Harriott production this - a real gem.

A bunch of the Studio 1 dub albums - some are reissued already but I get the impression that no B&F or Pressure Sounds all the bells and whistles treatment has been accorded any of them. Heartbeat does a reasonable job on some of them.
Dub Store Special, Sample Dub, Hi-Fashion Dub top 10. I have horrible pressings of these. Would love to actually 'hear' them some time!
I have a good pressing of Better Dub which I love to pieces right down to the excellent bright orange sleeve!

Thanks for your post bonga, but now I have questions!
Sorry...

1. Is that Matumbi LP mixed by Dennis Bovell? I'd be surprised if it wasn't, but there is no information other than a tracklisting on Roots Archives.

2. What's the deal with Black Magic Dub - I'd never heard of it until last week, and it sells for stupid money! Anyone know what tracks it uses for dubbing, who mixed it, what style it is, any info at all really!

Thanks for the heads up no one - those do look mighty tempting, particularly British Roots Rockas, but money, along with being the root of all evil, is also too tight to mention.   Here's hoping for a domestic release.

Kind of chuffed that both 'Chanting Dub With The Help Of The Father' and 'Go Deh Wid Riddim' are your choices ACEtone, cos I have both in my 'yet-to-find-enuff-bleedin'-time-to-listen-to-these' pile! But I reckon I'll make the time, seeing as you rate them so highly.

This week, I have mostly been listening to the Fatman Riddim Section 'Heavyweight Dub/Killer Dub' CD (particularly 'Down Rhodesia' - what an absolute stomper of a tune!), and so my Desert Island Reissue would be:

Fatman Riddim Section - Israel Tafari

By all accounts astoundingly good, with Ebay prices to match, this is the sort of thing that keeps my awake at night, drooling at the prospect of a re-release. Again, I've never heard it, but Fatman Riddim Section rhythms from Israel Vibrations 'The Same Song' dubbed up - if it's as awesome to listen to as it is to type, it'll be a winner.

Anybody else got any favourite dub LPs they would love to see at normal folk prices?

regarding the insane prices - I am not now nor have I ever been able to pay the mad prices some of these old records fetch either on e-bay or elsewhere (like before there even was an e-bay). Some old records - actually a great many in the case of JA releases are certainly very desirable because of the quality of the music, but I've never been in a position to indulge that rare $100 gem of a disc by whatecer artist.
Instead I have been content with the reissues - though less content in some cases than others. Some of the late 80s early 90s CD reissues were very poor efforts indeed and I still lament this when tracks from these come on the 'pod.

Apart from that, when there is some cash in hand I have been well pleased to buy a few pot-luck vinyl selections which I treasure as much for the music on them as for the occasion and location of buying them (CS Dodd's shop in NY, a few of the record shops in Kingston) - happy memories. Somehow I can't see the attraction for seeking out a legendary album and paying through the nose. I'd rather save that hard to come by case for some audio gear or an instrument of some sort.

Good thread this.
Still baffles me that after a good 20 years of JA reissues there is still more excellent stuff out there to be remastered and reissued. Is there any other genre like it?
I think not!
http://www.acetonestudio.com/eatingbetty.html

The Heavyweight Dub/Killer Dub set is a really good one. for some reason, when I first got it I didn't rate it too highly but it's a grower. As usual a fine B&F reissue.

Yeah, the wallet emptying prices some of the rarer dub LPs command puts them well out of my reach too. It's not just that I can't afford them (I could - if I gave up distractions like food and clothes. And a roof over my head:)), but there is always so much stuff available at a reasonable price. I'd rather buy 5 LPs or CDs for £50 than just 1. Though that may change...

While this is just a fantasy thread, I have given some thought to how great it would be to get some of these hidden gems out to more folks ears, but it isn't something I could personally do. Not unless I came into a lot of money, and DIDN'T blow it all first!

First of all, I have worked in record shops in the UK for the last 5 years, so the things I am about to write are based on my experiences. I am not trying to offend anyone, and sincere apologies in advance if I do.

Reggae is not an easy sell. Those who like it, love it, but it is very hard to get your average punter to spend money on reggae albums ("The Congos? Augustus Pablo Meets Rockers Uptown? Who are these people? I just want a copy of the new super normal indie-chart gubbins mate - y,know, the stuff that's on the radio...") Go into your average high street music chain and look at the reggae section, if you can find it (not being facetious here - a friend of mine worked in one of the smaller chains where they didn't stock a single reggae album. Not one.) Very few folk in the big chains know anything about it, it is rarely if ever played in their shops, and the stock selection is generally poor. On a distribution level, things are fine if you want a CD that is on a major label (say what you want about WHAT they sell, but the major's are mostly spot on with supply and demand), fair to poor with non major label stuff (I have ordered Pressure Sounds stuff that is available on their website and had the distribution company claim it was deleted. Not often, but it has happened. Soul Jazz new releases can be out of stock at the supplier for a couple of weeks at a time.), and basically non existent on a singles (12"s/10"s/7"s) level, though you can get Wackies and Bunny Lee related stuff through smaller established distributors.

Not a great picture for buying reggae in the UK (although if you live in London you'll do fine), but plug into the interweb thing, snoop around a little...

...and it all looks so much nicer!

There are labels with their catalogues available online (Pressure Sounds, Heartbeat, Wackies, etc, etc), there are websites and messageboards packed with information, history, discographys and knowledgeable people (Eternal Thunder, Blood And Fire messageboard, and of course, Roots Archives) and, most importantly, there are shops where you can buy loads of tasty reggae (Honest Jon's, Sounds Of The Universe and Ernie B's, to name three I've used recently) and have it delivered just about anywhere in the world. These days I buy virtually all my reggae online, and very happy I am too. Though my bank account is feeling the strain.

So, with all that as preamble, here are my rough thoughts on how I would go about reissueing lost dub LPs.
Feel free to criticize, slag cruelly, nitpick, correct, enlighten or fundamentally disagree. If you've read this far you've earned it.

First off, I would get a good size list of dub LPs I was looking to reissue - 50 odd, no less than 30 - and set about tracking down the folk who own the masters. I should imagine that would be an adventure in and of itself, but once I was in touch with interested parties, I would negotiate a licensing deal with two different royalty rates. One would be for a rate for album sales, and one would be for individual track sales, because....

....I would be setting up a website where albums or individual tracks could be downloaded for a fee!

No, come back! Hear me out!

Once you have a good size selection of rare dub LPs encoded as good quality MP3's and/or a lossless sound file, commence trading and general advertising/pimping. This side of things I'm not sure about (marketing has never been my strong point), but do it properly and internet connected dubheads the world over will be paying to hear albums they might never have heard otherwise. And that can only be a good thing, right?

After a while, two things should occur:
1. There is some profit to play with.
2. There will be certain tracks and/or albums that get downloaded more than others. This will be partially to do with the fact that people are curious about certain legendary records, but also to do with the fact that with the emphasis taken off how rare and expensive these records are, people will buy based on how good the music is. Luckily, there is a LOT of good Jamaican music out there!

The obvious next step is to then use the profits to release actual LPs and CDs of the more popular stuff, which could be sold online too, as well as being available through normal distributors.

(Speaking personally, I would go for a compilation of absolutely killer dubs - 1 track from each of the albums likely to be repressed, eye catchingly packaged (thinking of the Dynamite series from Soul Jazz), informative sleevenotes - and sell it as cheaply as possible. Sort of a dub version of the 60's garage rock compilation 'Nuggets' - which was full of amazing obscurities and fantastic music!)

And...that's as far as I've thought about it.

1. Is that Matumbi LP mixed by Dennis Bovell?
I'm not 100% sure about his role in this record, but he is mentioned on the back of the sleeve so I think he is.. It has the same experimental sound as I heard on other dub albums he did...

2.Released on the Irish FORM label. It sounds like a Prince Jammy production ( especially the track 'Prophet a come' ) , but I'm not 100% sure...

First off, I would get a good size list of dub LPs I was looking to reissue - 50 odd, no less than 30 - and set about tracking down the folk who own the masters.

I personally think most masters are long rotten or gone...
Especially if it comes from a poor third world country with a very hot climate... Don't forget lots of modern day re-releases are not taken from the original master but from old vinyl ( blackboard jungle dub on auralux is a good example... )

here's a picture of Bunny Lee's basement.....
http://www.firecorner.com/images/45.jpg