Dub Roots And Reggae From The Melodica King - Augustus Pablo

...is the backbone of all dub reggae. The start to this album is so heavy and mystical, you’ll be restarting it a few times- trust me. Augustus Pablo was born Horace Swaby in 1954 and was one of the biggest players in the dub game. His music reflects his unique talent. He was the first to use the melodica as a serious instrument but also played keyboard, organ, piano, strings, clavinet and produced his own music.

The album, released in ...
...and followed by an alternate dub track by King Tubby who engineered the album. If you haven’t heard any August Pablo material before, you’ll probably notice the melodica sounds before long. Its ghostly original tone could not be a better compliment to the sounds that those who are new to dub might find otherwise a bit bare. Track 5, taken from ‘Original Rockers 2’, is the Real Rock rhythm that has over the years been used by a whole heap of artists ... more

This album has such a good first track - it starts with a short melody, and then ploughs straight into the relentless, unforgiving bass that is the backbone of all dub reggae. The start to this album is so heavy and mystical, you’ll be restarting it a few times- trust me. Augustus Pablo was born Horace Swaby in 1954 and was one of the biggest players in the dub game. His music reflects his unique talent. He was the first to use the melodica as a serious instrument but also played keyboard, organ, piano, strings, clavinet and produced his own music.

The album, released in the year 2000 is a compilation of previous material taken from albums such as ‘East Of The River Nile’ and ‘Original Rockers’. Fans of the era will recognise riddims like Real Rock, Satta Massa Gana, Java and that Horace Andy hit ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. All tracks are taken from the 1970s and compiled under the ‘Ocho’ label. The album is over an hour and four minutes long.

Cassava Piece is the first and arguably the best track. It is from the ‘Original Rockers’ album and is the best introduction for any listener wondering what is to come. The second track ‘Baby I Love You So’ carries on from the first with the same addictive rhythm but with the voice of Jacob Miller on top singing the song from his 1992 album ‘Who Say Jah No Dread’, a great album itself. The third track ‘555 Crown Street’ is as promised, weighed down with bass and followed by an alternate dub track by King Tubby who engineered the album. If you haven’t heard any August Pablo material before, you’ll probably notice the melodica sounds before long. Its ghostly original tone could not be a better compliment to the sounds that those who are new to dub might find otherwise a bit bare. Track 5, taken from ‘Original Rockers 2’, is the Real Rock rhythm that has over the years been used by a whole heap of artists including Dennis Brown, Anthony B and Turbulence. Its one of those catchy whistle-along tunes that you have heard before but can’t think where and it’s obvious why it’s been so successful. Track 6 is a conscious number dealing with repatriation and the vocals are those of Bongo Pat. ‘Young Generation’ is then followed by its dub counterpart ‘New Style’ where the lyrics have been replaced by familiar experimental dub sounds.

Track 8 ‘Meditation Dub’ follows suite and again demonstrates the unusual sounds of the melodica and his ability to make it sound excellent. ‘Give Praise’ and ‘Silent Satta’ are both Lee Perry mixed classics and you’ll know the rhythm if you’ve heard the Abyssinians album ‘Satta Massagana’ from 1976. Both tracks resonating Rastafarian sounds of Africa.

Track 11, ‘Dub Ethiopia’ gets deeper and mystical on the Java riddim before moving onto ‘East Of The River Nile’, a more jumpy number well engineered with some subtle acoustics to help it flow, taken from the album of the same name released in 1977. Track 13 hears the barely known band ‘Tetrack’ singing ‘Lets Get Together’ before being dubbed for track 14 and named after the Kingston street ‘Black Ants Lane’. It is then dubbed again for track 15, ‘Memories Of The Ghetto’.

Track 16 ‘Skanking Easy’ is another whistle-along-to rhythm that like others has been used by more modern artists and is the bass line to Tony Rebel’s ‘Know Jah’ song. It is a fantastic demonstration of how well the melodica can be worked into the rest of the song and before long you yourself will be skanking easy. ‘Black Gunn’ is a dark, shady version of the Let’s Get Together riddim and the xylophone is probably the stand-out sound. The tune was another one used by Jacob Miller and is the first track on his ‘Who Say Jah No Dread’ album. On to another version ‘Tippa Tone Blues’ is from Yabby You’s ‘Conquering Lion’ and followed by my favourite track ‘Up Warricka Hill’. This track, stuck at the end of the album is a real earth rocker and requires a real appreciation of bass and its ability to make you move. The downside to this track is that it isn’t long enough, but at least it’s followed by track 20 ‘Thunder Clap’. This is a more peaceful rolling tune and once you realise it’s that Horace Andy song, you’ll be singing ‘Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone…’ too. The last number is ‘Braces Tower Dub’ - another Augustus Pablo experiment gone right.

Personally I really enjoy all the tracks on the album, but perhaps putting the dub version as well as the original version for a few tracks is unnecessary as it takes up the valuable space on this compilation CD.

Because of the age of the tracks, the sound quality would only be getting half marks, but it’s hardly bad and adds to the atmosphere. I don’t think sound quality is a worthy basis to judge this album on. A little bit of hiss in the background is no bother. All tracks are in stereo.

Perhaps because it is seen as a ‘spin off’ from traditional roots reggae, dub is not as popular as it really should be. The genre is limited possibly by the fact that it sounds far, far better when played on a sound system that no I-Pod or home stereo can ever match (unless you got a lot of money and nice neighbours). There are only really a handful of dub reggae artists from the 70’s, but between them they have produced a lot of material. The 21 tracks here, recorded at Randy’s, Black Ark, Harry J’s, Channel One and King Tubby’s studios are simply a taster of the total.

Sadly Augustus Pablo (Horace Swaby) died in 1999 at only 46 from the nerve disorder ‘Myasthenia Gravis’ but left a whole discography behind for us to enjoy.

The album features a whole host of bass players and drummers. On lead guitar is Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and on rhythm guitar are Fazal Predergrass, Tommy McCook, Marquis, Bobby Ellis and Vincent Gordon. The saxophone is played by Richard ‘Dirty Harry’ Hall and Everton DaSilva is on percussions. For a good comparison check out King Tubby, Lee Perry or Scientist. The first two of which have also contributed to this album.

I seriously recommend this album to any dub fan, but if you already know you like Augustus Pablo, then remember it’s just a compilation and try the earlier releases. The only people who wouldn’t like this album are those who don’t care for reggae already or aren’t really into music orientated around an intense rhythmic bass line. If instrumental sounds aren’t your thing and it’s got to have lyrics, then leave this one out. For all others, you will discover Augustus Pablo really is the melodica king. 

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