The 1970s Dub Albums Collection

While not as well known as the titans of dub reggae like King Tubby and Lee Perry, or as respected as second-tier wizards like Scientist and Yabby You, Errol Thompson cooked up some magic when he paired with Joe Gibbs in the 1970s. Working together as the Mighty Two, they were responsible for a huge number of reggae hits as well as the series of dub albums collected here. Recorded between 1974 and 1979 and credited to Joe Gibbs & the Professionals, the recordings are an excursion into heavy rhythms, stripped-down tracks, and booming bass shepherded by the steady hand of Thompson. He doesnt go in for the woody mysticism of Perry or the ghostly sparseness of King Tubby. His productions, especially on the earlier albums, lean more towards the melodic and robust. He doesnt always subtract instruments or leave long stretches of space; instead, he lets the song play out in recognizable form. It helps that he was working with hits plucked from Gibbs Studio One label; its hard to make dub magic out of inferior source material. Despite Thompsons seemingly simple technique, he was something of a joker, adding odd sound effects like doorbells or barking dogs at random times and on later records going off on weird tangents like dropping in synths borrowed from Giorgio Moroder or devoting entire tracks to disco, like the fun and funky "Bionic Encounter." By the time of 1976s African Dub Chapter Two, Thompson was making music on par with the biggest names in dub. When African Dub Chapter Three was released a year later, he was coming close to surpassing them. Tracks like "Freedom Call" and "Angolian Chant" have all the power of Tubbys best work while bobbing and weaving like Perry at his slipperiest. Along with the original albums issued at the time is an eighth one made up of singles released throughout the last half of the decade. It all adds up to a truly magical listen and does well to spotlight one of the forgotten greats of the genre; Gibbs name might be on the cover, but its all Errol Thompson on the inside. Listening to the set from beginning to end is a fascinating journey that gives one a ringside seat to Thompsons growth as a producer and the evolution of dub itself from stripped-down instrumentals to an anything-goes art form all its own. ~ Tim Sendra