Well Charged

No band is credited on the cover of this vintage dub program, but a quick glance at the lineup makes it clear (despite a few aliases) that these rhythms are the work of the Revolutionaries: drummer Sly Dunbar, bassist Bertram "Ranchie" McLean (sitting in for Robbie Shakespeare), keyboardist Ansel Collins, and all the rest of the usual suspects. Production is courtesy of Ernest Hookim, and the result is a solid, if not especially noteworthy, collection of instrumental dub. Most of the tracks are versions of classic Mighty Diamonds songs from their highly productive Front Line period, including dubs of "Go Seek Your Rights" (presented here as "Cell Block 11") and the sufferer's anthem "I Need a Roof" ("Roof Top Dub"). As is typical of Hookim productions, the dub arrangements are idiomatic without being terribly innovative, but the instrumental tracks on which they're based are rock solid. Anyone looking for a gentle introduction to the world of dub could do much worse than to start here. ~ Rick Anderson|