Reggae and Dub: Mandatory listening....

[BornboreD]

I've recently started playing with a new group of guys, and we've been messing around with alot of Reggae/Dub grooves during jams. It's kind of all new to me, for most of my playing experience revolves around Punk and Metal projects.

I'm a self taught bassist and have always learned by nailing the "textbook" way of doing things, then with time and comfort letting my own personal flair shine through..

Which Reggae and Dub albums are mandatory listening for the studying bassist?? Which are the traditional/definitive albums of the genre??

Thanks in advance for all reply's....

 

[bryan bailey]

Not by any means standards but I figure they contribute enough of a different spin to these said genres.

10ft Ganja Plant and Dub Trio. Check em out.

 

[Brad Maestas]

Any albums in the Studio One discography are a good place to start. Studio One Kings was just released and it is really good! Studio One was started by Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd who also went by the name Dub Specialist. Keep your eye out for that, too.

Other favorites include:
Studio One Dub
Studio One Scorcher Vol. 1 & 2
Studio One DJ's
Studio One Groups
Studio One Soul

The Trojan Dub box set is another diamond mine.

There's a ton of great (Lee 'Scratch') Perry out there, too like the Black Ark sessions and Arkology.

Others:
Augustus Pablo - Original Rockers
Cedric Brooks - Light of Saba
Ja-Man Allstars - In The Dub Zone
Jackie Mitoo - Keyboard King of Studio One, Evening Time
King Tubby
The Upsetter (Perry)

New:
The Slackers - Close My Eyes
Victor Rice - At Version City (one of my very favorites although it leans more towards ska. Victor is the bassist and he's got exemplary feel and touch!)
[edit: oh yeah] Menahan Street Band (on Daptone Records)

 

[Sounbwoy]

If you want groove, musical reggae basslines, then pretty much anything from "Family Man' Barrett (Bob marley & The Wailers), Studio One, Coxsone, etc.
If you want technical (and some groove stuff) listen to Robbie Shakespear (Sly and Robbie) especially the Black Uhuru stuff.
As far as dub goes, those bassists I just mentioned played on numerous cuts, so in many cases you may be hearing them all over again!

 

[Matt Till]

Lee
Scratch
Perry

 

[manicbassman]

Easy Star All*Stars

two albums that I have:

Any Dub You Like
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the above has samples

Radiodread
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has a player to launch

I must check out their other work...

 

[popinfresh]

More reggae/rock and people might not agree on here..

But apart from obvious ones people mention, I say listen to some Sublime. Great lines.

 

[manicbassman]

well if you get all purist, then just get some Trojan boxes...

Trojan Dub box set TRBCD 002 Z

Trojan Tribute to Bob Marley box set TRBCD 006 Z

and:

The Trojan Story METRDCD518

all pretty classical genre... I have _all_ the Trojan box sets... go me!!!

Personally, I like bassically anything with a good Bass line

Dread Zeppelin, Dub Pistols, Easy Star All*Stars, Asian Dub Foundation, Groundation

I consider all the above to do extremely good reggae bass...

 

[4lPh4n0m3g4]

Lee
Scratch
Perry

AKA

The Upsetter

The Trojan Dub Box Set, Lee Scratch Perry's, Arkology, and any Sly and Robbie dub material ( from Sly and the Revolutionaries to Black Uhuru, ) are perfect primers for traditional foundation dub.

The label, Blood and Fire, put's out some good old school dub compilations too.

Other traditional dub sounds that come to mind are:
Horace Andy
Burning Spear
Prince Jammy
Yabby U
I Roy
Tappa Zukie


For electronic dub check out:
Mad Professor
Jah Shaka
Alpha & Omega
Bush Chemists
Power Steppers
Tasilli Players
Twilight Circus
Roots Control

 

[Matt Till]

I know, I was just restating, he is the man for dub/reggae.

 

[Planet Boulder]

Here's a great one to start with (pure dub):

Jah Wobble & Bill Laswell - A Dub Transmission

Link

 

[SKA-KID]

heres a technique reggae players use that might help you. they call it the "one drop", they avoid hitting the 1st beat of each bar/measure. lots of reggae players do the one drop. and for good reggae/dub music..

BOB MARLEY??!
Sublime
and a band called "Bedouin Soundclash"

 

[KekChoz]

High Tone!!! a dub band from France, and they came once at the Montreal Jazz Festival.
Really good dub. simple but groovy basslines.

 

[Sounbwoy]

heres a technique reggae players use that might help you. they call it the "one drop", they avoid hitting the 1st beat of each bar/measure. lots of reggae players do the one drop. and for good reggae/dub music..

BOB MARLEY??!
Sublime
and a band called "Bedouin Soundclash"

One Drop is like the foundation of reggae music. 90% of what you hear will probably be a one-drop beat. Made famous by BM&W drummer Carlton Barrett (Family Man's brother) R.I.P.

 

[30hrz]

The foundation to a good Dub is of course a good reggae song. I would suggest listening to all the vintage Studio One recordings, all the music Lee Perry produced, Duke Reid produced music which I think are on Trojan Records now. Then there is Sly and Robbie, King Tubby, Scientist...

Modern Dub tends to have simplistic bass lines which you may not find as interesting to play as the Dubs created off of classic reggae songs.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Haha, The Mars Volta got me into Reggae, and the Scarface Game and San Andreas got me into Black Uhuru

 

[One Drop]

Maybe a little late, but also check out Living Dub Volumes 1-4, basically very clean musical dubs of some of the best Burning Spear recordings out there, and the sublime Garvey's Ghost, available as a double CD bundled with the album it dubs up, namely 'Marcus Garvey'.

Also, Joe Gibbs 'African Dub' Chapters 1-4, King Tubby's Roots of Dub and Dub from the Roots (and everything else he produced dubs of),

Augustus Pablo's 'Original Rockers' and King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown' are unmissable, as is Keith Hudson's 'Pick A Dub'.

Gregory Isaacs 'Slum In Dub' is an all-time great, as is 'Gregory Isaacs in Dub'.

Besides the great Black Ark Lee Perry stuff, look for 'Blackboard Jungle'
in the stereo version if you can find it, and also the incredible recent release with very early King Tubby/Lee Perry dubs of the early '70s Wailers material Scratch produced, called 'Wailers in Dub', IIRC. Eye opening stuff, way ahead of it's time musically and production-wise.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

i'll add an opinion...
this "one drop" ain't really what it's about.
reggae was heavily influenced by soul and r&b from the '50's.
listen up and i bet you won't hear as much "one-drop" as solid, authoritative basslines that start on the 1.
i'll add one of my faves to the list :
sly&robbie: dub factor
i love the sly&robbie sound, more of a modern approach with great use of electronics and edits
their site:
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and to add a modern dub which is really killer, check out :
no protection: massive attack vs. mad professor
http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=fUYmYr3yNOP&aid=F5LrNh7gQPP
.02

 

[Dave Bassincus]

Here's a great one to start with (pure dub):

Jah Wobble & Bill Laswell - A Dub Transmission

Link

+1000
Also:
Lee Perry (the source)
other Bill Laswell/Axiom dub cuts
Bad Brains - esp. their newest CD 1/2 thrash - 1/2 reggae

 

[PocketGroove82]

Here ya go:

http://www.amazon.com/Tougher-Than-Tough-Story-Jamaican/dp/B000003QLC

This collection not only gives you 40-50 years of classic Jamacian Hit Singles in one box, but you get a book full of some of the history behind the evolution of the different styles Jamaican music.

It's a good place to start...I scratched mine up all to hell, it got played so much.

Also, my favorite MODERN reggae bands are "10Ft. Ganja Plant" and John Brown's Body. Check'em out.