Niney The Observer Presents King Tubby - Bring The Dub Come

Niney The Observer Presents King Tubby - Bring The Dub Come
Label: Heartbeat
Record date: 197X
Album style: Dub, Lee Library, Reggae, Roots, Tubby

Around 1969 Kingston-based producers started to issue singles with instrumental "versions" on the flipside of vocal releases, which were actually the basic riddim tracks. To these "versions" one could add further instrumentation or deejay accompaniment. Within a year the inclusion of instrumental versions on the flipside was common practice among the majority of Jamaica's producers. In 1971 the first real Dub recordings began to appear, with The Hippy Boys' "Voo Doo" - the version to Little Roy's "Hard Fighter", which was mixed by Lynford Anderson a.k.a. Andy Capp - now widely acknowledged to be the first recording in the genre. But it was pioneering sound engineer and sound system operator Osbourne Ruddock aka King Tubby who did more than any other to popularize and develop the sound. He explored the possibilities of sound from his small studio, located at the back of his home, at 18 Drumilly Avenue, Kingston 11 and became the leading figure in the history of dub.

On the February 6, 1989, King Tubby returned home from a night out and was shot dead in cold blood. The senseless slaying of this mild, shy and widely loved man sent the reggae community into shock. As the news filtered out from Jamaica, communities across the whole world mourned his passing. In the UK, renowned dj David Rodigan immediately put together a tribute to Tubby. During the show he talked to King Jammy via a live link. Jammy, choking back tears at the death of his friend, sent out the following message to the killer : "You can run, but you can't hide". It was one of the most poignant moments in UK broadcasting history.

Winston Holness, a man known throughout the reggae world as Niney The Observer who has made his mark as a performer of some note is perhaps more widely acknowledged for his skills as an engineer and producer. He started his career in the sixties when he studied the art of engineering under the expert tuteledge of Lee Perry and Lynford Anderson (aka Andy Capp). He later supervised numerous sessions for illustrious producers such as Bunny Lee and Joe Gibbs prior to launching his career as an independent producer at the end of the decade. The single 'Blood And Fire' was his first major breakthrough issued on his Observer label. The single sold over 30,000 copies on the island alone and was later named 'Jamaican record of the Year' for 1971.

Over the next years Niney regularly supervised recording sessions at Dynamic, Randy's, Channel One and Joe Gibbs studios, releasing excellent sides by artists such as Max Romeo, Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe. However, his most enduring productions during that period were those he did with Dennis Brown. During the seventies and early eighties, Niney was one of the top producers on the island.

From the vaults of his Observer label come these 22 (!) top ranking dubs, mixed by the dubmaster King Tubby, with most tracks previously unreleased. Tracks 3 to 12 were the bulk of a lost album's worth of dubs that were found at King Tubby's and are here released for the first time. The other tracks are taken from various tapes of album tracks, rare B-sides and unreleased dub mixes from the vaults of the label. Included are dub mixes of Observer label hits by Dennis Brown, Michael Rose, Horace Andy, Delroy Wilson and Big Youth.

Musicians include the Soul Syndicate band and The Cimarons on Tribulation Dub. All songs were recorded at Randy's Studio and remixed by the dubmaster King Tubby. As all Heartbeat releases, the CD comes with comprehensive linernotes including explanations for the original versions and artists. ~reggae-vibes.com

Tracklist:
1. The Bold Dub
2. Niney Skank
3. Kutchie Dub
4. 91 Orange Street
5. Kingston 11
6. Idlers Rest
7. Dub Seven
8. I Need A Dub
9. Dub A Word
10. Dromilly Skank
11. Freedom Dub
12. King Tubbys Dub
13. Rebel Dance
14. Cassanova Dub
15. Rasta Locks
16. Turntable Dub
17. Rema Dub
18. Nice Dub
19. Nice Version
20. Dub 68
21. Tribulation Dub
22. Burn A Challawa

Producer: Niney
Mixing Engineer: King Tubby
Backing Bands: The Cimarons, The Soul Syndicate
Studios: Randy's (Kingston, JA)

download
info