Augustus Pablo - Rockers Meets King Tubbys In A Fire House

Augustus Pablo - Rockers Meets King Tubbys In A Fire House
Label - Shanachie
Released - 1980/1989 re-issue
Style - Reggae, Dub, Rockers, Lee Library

Another classic selection from the Lee Library cassette-only vaults. I've probably listened to this album well over 500 times in my life, and its one of those classic albums that gets better and better each time I hear it. Augustus Pablo left a lasting legacy of insanely good records - not just his own records, but other records and studios he's played for. His contribution to the Reggae world (and Music world in general) is monumental. Anytime you hear dancehall, reggae or dub music with melodica instrumentation - Augustus Pablo was the ORIGINAL. And the best.

Thanks / praises to the Lee for giving me a headstart on the real shit! I could have easily been stuck with an older brother who was lame and had no musical interest, but I got lucky!

(review from AMG):
As is often the case with albums that come from deep within the insular world of 1970s Kingston, the title of this one bears a little bit of explanation. "Rockers" was the nickname given to melodica player and producer Augustus Pablo; on this album, as on several other classics of the genre, he is teamed up with dub wizard Osbourne Ruddock (better known as King Tubby) to deliver a set of dub mixes derived from singles by Hugh Mundell, Delroy Williams, and others. (King Jammy, one of King Tubby's protégés, also contributes a few mixes here, but is uncredited.) "Fire House" is an ironic reference to the Waterhouse section of Kingston, where King Tubby's studio was located. On this collection, Pablo's sound predominates: his eerie melodica lines snake in and out of the mix, and the gentle-but-firm grooves that always typify a Rockers production are in full force. King Tubby contributes the special element of dubwise alchemy that was his own trademark, administering echo and delay at judicious intervals and keeping the general atmosphere mysterious and seductive. Because of the nature of the music and its consistently high quality, highlights are a bit difficult to pick out, but they include the very dread "Zion Is a Home" and the equally fine "Dub in a Matthews Lane Area," which could be used as a master class in dub technique.


Tracklist:
1 Rockers Meet King Tubbys In A Fire House
2 Short Man Dub
3 Zion Is A Home
4 Dub In A Matthews Lane Arena
5 Jah Say Dub
6 Son Of Jah Dub
7 Simeon Tradition
8 Selassie I Dub
9 Jah Mouly Ital Sip

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