Roots Archives Forum

I've just been listening to some Augustus Pablo (on the Pressure Sounds comps Aquarius and Down Santic Way). Of course I've heard a lot of other records like East of the River Nile, etc. I have to say that while I used to love his stuff and he was one of the first people I got into about 20 years ago when I first got into reggae, I kind of don't really get his appeal anymore.

Most of the time, to me, he sounds like someone just sort of randomly (and sometimes kind of ineptly) noodling around on a melodica. Really uninteresting playing sometimes. I love the rhythm tracks and production, but mostly I'd rather hear a singer, dj, or other musician, like Mittoo or Tommy McCook or Vin Gordon, etc. play over the top. Or just dubs of the tracks.

Plus, Augustus Pablo has been various people over the years, not always Horace Swaby. Anyone notice a difference between Swaby and other people in the early days that played under that name? Maybe that's the issue.

I'm sure I'll get some heated responses from this, but I'm interested to hear any opinions.

i can only speak for myself. I love pablo and his tremendous far east sound

Yeah, I still love the productions! The melodica though...

also, sorry to bring up old news. I'm relatively new here and I find when I try to search the archives I get tons of pages of results and it's hard to tell sometimes if they are really the same as what I'm thinking of saying.

I'm with Leggo on this one. I think the melodica sound is ok if you're new to reggae, if someone asks me to do the a mix I always put a couple of melodica tracks on there just to show them how diverse reggae can be. But I very rarely listen to Pablo with his melodica now.

However, his productions are top draw. Along with the 2 artists already mentioned you got his stuff with Norris Reid, Paul Blackman, Delroy Williams etc, which i still play all the time.

But he's definitely not overrated, even with the melodica.

I remember playing Israel in Harmony and Ras Menelik Congo Harp to a Tangerine Dream nut and he was blown away.

i am not new to reggae but i still think he is great..and not overrated...

How about underated?
There would not be any inkling of the FAR-EAst sound without Augustus Pablo..
That spiritual side of reggae.. that deep minor chord meditation, is all because of Pablo..
There def would not be a Hugh Mundell, and if there was, there def wouldn't be AFRICA MUST BE FREE by 1983 without the melodica..
Pablo influenced ROOTs (dub,steppers,rockers,etc) beyond compare..Even some of the biggest current dancehall tunes are using his melodica riddims as we speak (or write)..
Thanx to the JAPANESE, the melodica is one of the greatest instruments known to REGGAE Muzik and Pablo def captured that FAR-EAST sound that the instrument was created for...
Augustus Pablo is one of the HIGHEST MYSTIKS involved in the Reggae Nation, but more importantly, he is one the Highest Mystiks within RASTAFARI...
Sela'H~~~

Hi!

Never knew there were other persons who played melodica under Pablo´s name?? Why that? Just to make money with his famous name?

Btw, there´s top stuff by Pablo which I like to listen to from tome to time.

OrthodoxReuBen (silver) wrote:How about underated?
There would not be any inkling of the FAR-EAst sound without Augustus Pablo..
~~~

Hear of Don Drummond? His wife/girlfriends track? Buster's Islam? Angle La LA? Ali Mawi?

He's more a part of the snowball than a catayst.