Keith Hudson: Pick a Dub [VP]

Why you'll love it

This VP Records and 17 North Parade reissue brings back a cornerstone of dub. Jon Savage called it the greatest dub album ever, and The Guardian put it in its 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die.

This edition

• 17 North Parade series
• Pressed in the Czech Republic

About the album

Before dub had a rulebook, Keith Hudson was busy writing his own. The Kingston producer took his earlier rhythms into Harry J. Studio, stripped them back to drum and bass, and let the vocals drift in and out like voices from the next room. He produced and arranged it himself, and played drums too.

He had the best rhythm section in Jamaica to work with: Carlton and Aston Barrett of the Wailers, with Augustus Pablo adding melodica. Fragments of Hudson, Horace Andy and Big Youth flicker through the mix. The title track dubs Hudson's own "S.90 Skank," a hit for Big Youth, while "Black Right" and "Satia" recast "Declaration of Rights" and "Satta Massagana." Hudson skipped the effects that later became standard, so it's all space, weight and that heavy, slightly gothic mood.

The Wire called it a must-have, and Lloyd Bradley ranked it with King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown and Super Ape among the heavyweight dub sets. Fifty years on it still sounds like it was mixed in a cave, which is the highest compliment we know how to pay a dub record.

Also at Kops: more Keith Hudson on vinyl · browse Reggae & Caribbean

Tracklist

Listen

On VP Records / 17 North Parade (cat# VPRL2782), a reissue of the 1974 album.