A typically heady mix from Nat's Ancient Archives featuring John Coltrane, Odean Pope, Dizzy Reece, Yabby You.
Track list:
1. Nizipho - Pharoah Sanders 2. Jays - Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre 3. Dadadun - Odean Pope & Misled Children 4. Communion - Dizzy Reece 5. Dial Africa - Wilbur Harden 6. Dial Africa - Rico Rodriguez 7. Keep Your Soul Together - Freddie Hubbard 8. Nature Boy (Live version) - John Coltrane 9. Things New - George Russell 10. Communication - Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell 11. One For Trane - Dizzy Reece 12. Voodoo Sense - Joachim Khun feat. Archie Shepp 13. Metaphysics - Hassan Ibn Ali feat. Odean Pope 14. Obidiah Iziah (aka Long Time Ago) Johnny Kool/Run Bag O' Wire - Jah Tony 15. Daydreaming Of Africa - Lloyd Jones 16. King Of Kings - Yabby You 17. Oh City Of Zion - Yabby You & King Tubby 18. Ainash Nubia Dub - Yabby You & King Tubby
Yabby You Sound – Dubs & Versions collects 20 rare tracks of great Yabby You dubwise productions on 2 LPs. Get it right here.
Here's the scoop...
In the early 1970s the island of Jamaica, and in particular its reggae musicians, developed a love affair with small Japanese motor bikes. Honda bikes were eulogised in Big Youth’s ‘S90 Skank’ and Dillinger’s ‘CB200’, whilst their rival was lauded on Shorty The President’s ‘Yamaha Skank’, to name the most obvious examples.The plot of the film ‘Rockers’ revolved around how transformative a motorbike could be, providing a livelihood whilst projecting an image of success in the ghetto.
Vivian ‘Yabby You’ Jackson had been fiercely independent as a singer and producer, and the success of his early self-pressed productions, mostly on the Prophets or Vivian Jackson labels, had given him a sense of hard earned autonomy. A motorbike was one of the fruits of his labours, acquired as a way of zipping around the capital’s roads to deliver records and organise recording sessions. His wife Jean could often be see hanging on to the back. Twelve years after his death, she remembers various exploits on the pot-holed roads of Kingston.
Jean Vencella Williams: ‘His first motorbike was a Honda 50 and then a 100, a Yamaha. I remember the Yamaha, it was a dark blue colour, it must have been from the mid 70s til the early 80s. I used to ride around on the back and we ride all over, like we go to the country cos his mother lived in Clarendon.And he had a little carrier thing for boxes of records, so we go to Mandeville in Manchester, sometimes to Spanish Town fe sell records. Most of the time he sell them to the shops, like Randys, and the people them buy it from there. He had pressing plants like Byron Lee and later Tuff Gong, so when the records pressed we find out the time when we get back the records, which usually was at least a couple of days or about a week.And later when we living in Clarendon we come into Kingston to pick them up at the pressing plant.And when he book the studio he might book two or three days and we come in and usually stay til late.
‘He used to carry the records from the different pressing plants on the bike, but because of the rain and weather you know it not so good for the records, and also the sun beating down.Then Wayne Wade had an accident on the Yamaha, and he was hurt quite bad, and he had to go to the hospital for quite a while. Well Yabby didn’t ride it after that, cos it was getting dangerous with so many cars coming in. So he gave up the Yamaha and bought a Toyota Carina, and that car was very good to him.Then the Carina become a little shaky, so he got a Toyota Corolla which he drove until his death.’
This album presents a sample of the best of those ‘Dubs and Versions’ that Yabby was ferrying around town, whether rarities, B-sides or tracks culled from albums that showcase the breadth of Yabby’s productions between 1975 and 1982.
Tribal War Dub and Creation Rock Version
We open with two make-overs of Studio One rhythms,‘Death In The Arena’ and ‘Rockfort Rock’.Yabby is rightly lauded for his well worked original rhythms, but the same care and attention is on display here.Slow and hypnotic,‘TribalWar Dub’ was recorded at the Black Ark but mixed and overlaid with syndrum sound effects at King Tubby’s. ‘Creation Rock Version’ was issued on 7-inch as the flip to a storming vocal by Michael Prophet: the dub is pounding and relentless, aimed straight at the sound system.
United Africa Dub
Tommy McCook’s delicate flute leads an instrumental dub of Yabby’s haunting song ‘Jah Over I’.The master saxophonist was a key collaborator with Yabby throughout the 70s, and often switched to flute or fife for atmospheric classics like the mighty ‘Death Trap’. Here his sublime melody floats over a solid steppers drum pattern from Sly Dunbar, with syncopated snare fills.
Lord Of Lords Dub, Black Is Our Colour Dub, Now I Know Dub and Man Of The Living Dub
Four dubs all taken from singles featuring the teenage singer Wayne Wade. Jean remembers Wayne Wade as ‘a very brilliant singer, really the first one that Yabby spend a lot of time on as he get more confident as a producer’.Wade recorded extensively for Yabby, and went on to cut the awesome ‘Poor And Humble’ for Linval Thompson and a couple of albums for Willie Lindo. ‘Lord of Lords’ is a reworking of Yabby’s signature tune ‘Conquering Lion’,‘Now I Know’ is a recut of Dennis Brown’s ‘Baby Don’t Do It’, and ‘Man Of The Living’ is one of the deepest tunes recorded by Yabby’s young protégé.The ‘Black Is Our Colour’ rhythm was recorded by Lee Perry at the Black Ark studio, with horns and flute by Tommy McCook added after the original release, as heard on this, the version side to Jah Stitch’s cut ‘African Queen’.
Dub U So and Yabby U Sound
Two tracks from an LP named ‘Yabby U Meets Sly and Robbie Along With Tommy McCook’ released in 1982, in which Yabby revisits some of his older rhythms with new dub mixes by Professor and Scientist.‘Dub U So’ focuses in on some stirring but plangent horn parts.An album track by Byron Otis of The Blackstones named ‘Set Me Free’ uses the same rhythm track, seemingly because its producer Jah Larry was living in Clarendon alongside Yabby. ‘Yabby U Sound’ is a minimalist remix of the anthemic ‘King Pharaoh’s Plague’, originally released five years earlier.
Vengeance In Dub, Repatriation Rock and Warrior No Tarry Yah Version
Three version sides to strong DJ records, with Ranking Trevor’s toast over a recut of ‘Jah Vengeance’, Jah Stitch’s DJ piece to ‘Zion Gate’ aka ‘Judgement On The Land’, and Tony Tuff ’s chant over his own ‘One Big Family’, riding the Paragons’ ‘Man Next Door’ rhythm.All were mixed at King Tubby’s, probably by Prince Jammy, and all three dubs show the standard Tubby’s practice of recording the DJ’s clean voice and the full dub mix onto separate adjacent tracks.This meant that the flip side of the record would not need to be mixed separately, the dub mix being the same as that behind the voice on the A side.You just pulled down the fader on the DJ’s vocal and your B-side dub was already mixed. Not a second was wasted in the studio!
Heads A Roll Dub, Mash Down Rome Dub and Turn Me Loose Dub
Michael Prophet was Yabby’s most successful and prolific artist. Jean remembers Michael’s recruitment:‘Michael Prophet came to him as part of a trio,andYabby liked Michael but for some reason he didn’t take the other two, and decide him better as a solo artist. So Michael was taught from scratch and him would come in the evening and practice and practice, until Yabby feel he was ready for the studio.’ These three tracks are from the confusingly named ‘Michael Prophet – Vocal and Dub LP’, which is actually a full dub album mixed by King Tubby, with extended vocal passages. It’s a very musical set that was obviously conceived as a coherent album, with new mixes to existing singles and subtle sound effects overlaid throughout.
Dub U So and Yabby U Sound
Two tracks from an LP named ‘Yabby U Meets Sly and Robbie Along With Tommy McCook’ released in 1982, in which Yabby revisits some of his older rhythms with new dub mixes by Professor and Scientist.‘Dub U So’ focuses in on some stirring but plangent horn parts.An album track by Byron Otis of The Blackstones named ‘Set Me Free’ uses the same rhythm track, seemingly because its producer Jah Larry was living in Clarendon alongside Yabby. ‘Yabby U Sound’ is a minimalist remix of the anthemic ‘King Pharaoh’s Plague’, originally released five years earlier.
Vengeance In Dub, Repatriation Rock and Warrior No Tarry Yah Version
Three version sides to strong DJ records, with Ranking Trevor’s toast over a recut of ‘Jah Vengeance’, Jah Stitch’s DJ piece to ‘Zion Gate’ aka ‘Judgement On The Land’, and Tony Tuff ’s chant over his own ‘One Big Family’, riding the Paragons’ ‘Man Next Door’ rhythm.All were mixed at King Tubby’s, probably by Prince Jammy, and all three dubs show the standard Tubby’s practice of recording the DJ’s clean voice and the full dub mix onto separate adjacent tracks.This meant that the flip side of the record would not need to be mixed separately, the dub mix being the same as that behind the voice on the A side.You just pulled down the fader on the DJ’s vocal and your B-side dub was already mixed. Not a second was wasted in the studio!
Heads A Roll Dub, Mash Down Rome Dub and Turn Me Loose Dub
Michael Prophet was Yabby’s most successful and prolific artist. Jean remembers Michael’s recruitment:‘Michael Prophet came to him as part of a trio,andYabby liked Michael but for some reason he didn’t take the other two, and decide him better as a solo artist. So Michael was taught from scratch and him would come in the evening and practice and practice, until Yabby feel he was ready for the studio.’ These three tracks are from the confusingly named ‘Michael Prophet – Vocal and Dub LP’, which is actually a full dub album mixed by King Tubby, with extended vocal passages. It’s a very musical set that was obviously conceived as a coherent album, with new mixes to existing singles and subtle sound effects overlaid throughout.
Death To All Racist and Aggression Dub
Yabby took a pretty relaxed attitude to naming tracks, especially on his dub albums, which today causes some confusion among the ranks of record collectors.These two neglected tracks are both from LPs with contradictory information.The various pressings of ‘Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet And Scientist At The Dub Station’ use the same track names for totally different dubs, but ‘Death To All Racist’ on the original 1981 release is the dub to Michael Prophet’s ‘Stop Throw Stones’. Meanwhile the tracklisting on ‘Michael Prophet – Stars In Disco Showcase’ does not match between the sleeve and the label, so ‘Aggression Dub’ may actually be named ‘Falkland Crisis Dub’. Whatever, it’s a great version, probably mixed at Channel One, although strangely the only known vocal on this rhythm, ‘Come Make We Rally’ by Willie Williams, was produced by Sugar Minott.
Babylon A Fall Dub
‘Babylon A Fall’ was released as a Discomix 12” on the Grove label, with the dub segueing from Yabby’s vocal. Here the dub is presented on its own, with instrumentation led by trombone and a slightly tentative flute, again probably mixed by Prince Jammy.
Time Changing Dub and Chanting Version
These are the version sides to singles by Samuel Patterson (‘Time Changing’) and Errol Alphonso (‘Chant Jah Victory’) respectively, two talented singers who sadly seem to have recorded only one or two tunes each, and exclusively for Yabby. Both dubs have the musical weight so typical of the music mixed at King Tubby’s. ‘Chanting Version’ has a great intro guitar lick, probably played by Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, and brilliant use of the famous hi pass filter to alter the whole perspective of the mix half way through.
Although drawn from disparate sources, hopefully this collection presents a coherent overview of the drum and bass music produced byYabbyYou from the late 70s to the early 80s.As Jean remembers:‘Yabby really loved dubs, I think he put special care into them. And he loved what he did.’
Here's a mystical selection of vintage Vivian "Yabby You" Jackson 45s and dub plates. See tracklist below.
Yabby You dubwise selection
1. King Tubbys Rock - Prophets & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
2. Dub In Zion - Prophets & King Tubbys (King Tubbys Dubplate)
3. Warning Version - Prophets & King Tubbys (Forbes 45)
4. Tubby's Vengeance - Prophets & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
5. Flour Blow (Original mix) - Dillinger & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
6. Flour Blow (Version 2) - Dillinger & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
7. Love Of Jah Version - Prophets & King Tubbys (Globe International 45)
8. Love Of Jahoviah Version - Prophets & King Tubbys (UMR 45)
9. False Dread - Prophets & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
10. Cleo's Dub - Cleopatra Williams & King Tubbys (Hot City 45)
11. Riding Forward Dubwise - Tommy McCook & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
12. Magnum Version - Rankning Magnum & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
13. Amagideon version - Willi Williams & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
14. Mount Zion Dub - Patrick Andy & King Tubbys (Grove Music 45)
15. Repatriation Rock - Prophets & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
16. Judgement Style - Jah Stitch & Prince Jammy (Jammys 45)
17. Sister Gene Dub - Jah Pops & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
18. Chalice Dub - Prophets & King Tubbys (Prophets 45)
19. Upsetter's Vengeance - Wayne Wade & Upsetter (Prophets 45)
20. King Tubbys Special - Wayne Wade & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
21. Living Style - Tommy McCook & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
22. Rally Dub - Prophets & Upsetter (Prophets 45)
23. Love Thy Neighbours Version - Prophets & King Tubbys (Vivian Jackson 45)
Single Artist Releases 1. WITCH - We Intend To Cause Havoc! 2. Don Cherry - Organic Music Society 3. The Flatlanders - The Odessa Tapes 4. Hannibal Marvin Peterson - The Tribe 5. Feedtime - The Aberrant Years 5. Ebo Taylor – Twer Nyame 6. Dan Penn – The Fame Recordings 7. Myrian Makenwa – La Extraordinaria 8. Edzayawa - Projection One 9. Tim Maia – Nobody Can Live Forever 10. Henri-Pierre Noel - Piano 11. Azanyah - The One 12. Yabby You & Bretheren - Deeper Roots: Dub Plates & Rarities, 1976 to 1978 13. Can - The Lost Tapes 14. The Funkees - Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Exponents, 1973-77 15. Lee Perry - Sound Doctor: Lee Perry And The Sufferers' Black Ark Singles & Dub Plates 1972 To 1978 16. Sandy Denny – The Notes and Words: A Collection of Demos and Rarities 17. William Parker - Centering: Unreleased Early Recordings, 1976-1987 18. Henri Guédon - Cosmozouk 19. Grupo Los Yoyi - Yoyi 20. Buck Owens - Tall Dark Stranger 21. The Lijadu Sisters – Afro-Beat Soul Sisters: The Lijadu Sisters At Afrodisia, Nigeria, 1976-79 22. Reverend Gary Davis - An Afternoon With Reverend Gary Davis 23. Ilaiyaraaja – Fire Star: Synth-Pop & Electro-Funk from Tamil Films 1985-1989 24. Pauline Oliveros - Reverberations Tape and Electronic Music 1961-1970 25. Alfonso Lovo - La Gigantona 26. George Jackson - Let The Best Man Win: The Fame Recordings Volume 2 27. William Sheller - Lux Aeterna 28. Derdiyoklar İkilisi - Disco Folk 29. Augustus Pablo - Dubbing On Bond Street 30. Lee Hazlewood – The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides, 1968-71 31. Afro Funk - Body Music 32. Pharoah Sanders - In The Beginning 33. Ahora Mazda - Ahora Mazda 33. Rob – Make It Fast, Make It Slow 34. Brenda Ray – D'Ya Hear Me! Naffi Years, 1979-83 35. Karen Dalton - 1966 36. HE3 Project - Chapter Three 37. Tronics – Love Backed by Force 38. Emil Richards - Stones / Journey To Bliss 39. The Outsiders - Monkey On Your Back: Their 45s 40. Baris Manco - Sakla Samani, Gelir Zamani 41. Doug Jerebine – Doug Jerebine Is Jesse Harper 42. Lou Ragland – I Travel Alone 43. Shin Joong Hyun – Shin Joong Hyun & Yup Juns 44. Mahmoud Ahmed - Mahmoud Ahmed Accompanied By The Ibex Band 45. Roy Porter Sound Machine – The Story of Roy Porter Sound Machine 1971-1975 46. Domingo Cura – Tiempo De Percusion: An Anthology, 1971-77 47. Royal Band de Thiès – Kadior Demb 48. Justin Rutledge & The Junction Forty - No Never Alone 49. Afro Kelenkye Band - Jungle Funk 49. Salah Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band - Unreleased Egyptian Jazz 1968-1974 50. Ironing Board Sam - An Introduction To Ironing Board Sam
Various Artist Compilations
1. Diablos Del Ritmo: The Colombian Melting Pot,1960-1985
2. The Return Of The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
3. Jukebox Mambo: Rumba & Afro-Latin Accented Rhythm & Blues 1949 to 1960
4. It's Saturday Night!: Starday-Dixie Rockabilly 1955-1961
5. Personal Space: Electronic Soul, 1974-1984
6. R&B Hipshakers, Vol. 3: Just a Little Bit of the Jumpin' Bean
7. Holy Spirit: Spiritual Soul & Gospel Funk from Shreveport’s Jewel Records
8. TV Sound & Image: British Television Film & Library Composers 1955-78
9. Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard: Hard Time, Good Time & End Time Music, 1923-1936
10. A Search For CMS African Records by Blue Flamingo
11. ¡Saoco! The Bomba and Plena Explosion in Puerto Rico 1954-1966
12. The Detroit Funk Vaults: Funk and Soul from Dave Hamilton, 1968-1979
13. Killed By Synth, Vol. 1
14. The Rojac Story: The Best Of Rojac & Tayster
15. The Original Sound of Cumbia: The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By The Phonograph 1948-79
17. Soul Cal: Funky Disco & Modern Soul Masterpieces 1971-1982
18. Fetén: Rare Jazz Recordings From Spain, 1961-1974
19. Now's The Time: Deep German Jazz Grooves Vol 2: 1957-1969
20. Cooler Than Ice: Arctic Records & The Rise Of Philly Soul
21. Loving On The Flipside: Sweet Funk And Beat-Heavy Ballads 1969-1977
22. Royal Grooves: Funk & Groovy Soul from the King Records Vault
23. Tomorrow's Achievements: Parry Music Library 1976-86
24. Down Under Nuggets: Original Australian Artyfacts 1965-1967
25. Spiritual Jazz Volume II and III: Esoteric, Modal And Deep European Jazz 1960-78
26. Eccentric Soul: Omnibus Vol. 1
27. Regional Garland - Mixed Sugar: The Complete Works, 1970-1987
28. Hall of Fame: Rare and Unissued Gems from the Fame Vaults
29. From The Vaults Of Ric & Ron Records: Rare & Unreleased Recordings 1958-1962
30. Sensacional Soul Vol. 3: Spanish Soul Stompers 1966-1976
31. The Music City Sessions, Vol. 1-3
32. Eccentric Soul: A Red Black & Green Production
33. Zendooni: Funk Psychedelia & Pop From Iranian Pre Revolution Generation
31. Wail Man Wail! The Best of King Curtis 1952-1961
32. Twin Cities Funk & Soul: Lost R&B Grooves From Minneapolis/St. Paul 1964-1979
33. Deep Enough Volume 1: Deep Jazz, Deep Funk & All Kinds Of Deep Grooves
34: Man Chest Hair: 17 Outbursts Of Unreleased Testosterone From The 1970s Mancunian Rock Underground
35: Java-Java: Indonesia Screaming Fuzz, Vol. 2
36. Soul Braza: Brazilian 60's & 70's Soul Psych, Vol. 2
37. Ike Turner Studio Productions: New Orleans And Los Angeles 1963-65
38. Cumbia Beat Vol 2: Experimental Guitar Driven Tropical Sounds From Peru 1966-1983
39. You Turned My Head Around: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1967-1970
40. Sofrito: International Soundclash
41. Lost Soul Gems: From Sounds Of Memphis
42. Surinam: Boogie & Disco Funk From The Surinamese Dance Floors, 76-83
43. Strange Passion: Explorations In Irish Post Punk DIY & Electronic Music 1980-83
44. Ivory Coast Soul 2: Afro Soul In Abidjan From 1976 To 1981
45. Ritmo Caliente
46. Khana Khana: Funk Psychedelia & Pop From Iranian Pre Revolution Generation
47. The Best of Perception & Today Records
48. Diggin' Down Argentina: Nuggets From The Rioplatense Scene 1967-1976, Vol 2
49. Jende Ri Palenge: People Of Palenque
50. Dabke: Sounds Of The Syrian Houran
