Niney The Observer - Sledgehammer Dub (in the Streets of Jamaica)

Niney The Observer - Sledgehammer Dub (in the Streets of Jamaica)
Label: Motion
Record date: 1977
Album style: Dub, Lee Library, Reggae, Roots

This classic dub album was originally released (only in Jamaica) in 77 in very limited numbers (300) on the Observer label and has up to now been one of the holy grails for collectors of dub reggae. It compiled alternative mixes of Dennis Brown single B sides (from 75/76) that King Tubby had made as exclusive dubplates for his Home Town Hi-Fi sound system. Heavier than the original single B sides they combine to make up an awesome dub album. The bonus tracks all maintain the Dennis Brown link, three of them being B side dubs of Dennis Brown songs, the fourth (CD only) is an exclusive, taken from dubplate. David Katz extensive sleevenotes (12 page booklet) include an exclusive interview with Niney and detail his life and times in more depth than any previous Niney release.

NINEY QUOTES (from interview for sleevenotes 2002):
'Tubbys is the one that mix Sledgehammer,' says Niney, 'hear how Sledgehammer mix: when we make the tracks, and Dennis voice them, King Tubbys mix off a set for his sound system; he skim the tape, do some things and reverb up, so that it don't sound like what you have on your tape, and he play that for the sound, but he don't throw away the tape. Gradually, when you tell him "Hey Tubbs, me want something," he go back and mix something similar to what he have on the sound for you; when me and him 'round there, he will mix two cut, one for the sound and one for you, so that is really how I get Sledgehammer.' Niney notes that King Tubby was responsible for breaking most of this hit material. 'When we make a song, we take it to him, and when he mix off the song, he keep that cut for his sound system, and then he make different cuts, and sell dubs to other sounds; he promoted the song so that when the song come to street, it hit. Tubbys was Jamaica's dancehall radio station: wherever he play the sound, people talk about what Tubbys play the next morning, so that be a demand on the street; we would give Tubby a song, and he play it like two or three months, and whenever the song reach demands, we release it. We go to him and he says "Don't release it yet, release it two weeks time," and then he makes U Roy boost that song, and then people come to the shop, asking "Do you have this song?" The word go 'round, so when it release, it's a hit.' ~motionrecords.com

Tracklist:
1. Dub Long Rastafari
2. Travelling Version
3. You're No Dub Baby
4. Burning Dub
5. Kingsgate Version
6. Dub Now
7. God Bless My Dub
8. Everyones Dubbing
9. Rich And Poor Dub
10. Tribulation Version
11. Head Line
12. New Style
13. Dub 51
14. Tenement Yard Version

Producer: Niney
Engineers: Sid Bucknor, King Tubby, Errol Thompson, Phillip Smart
Backing Band: The Soul Syndicate
Studios: Chalk Farm (London, UK) & Randy's (Kingston, JA)


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