Trojan Dub Rarities Box CD

After two other three-disc budget sets of dub, Trojan must be out of crucial tracks, right? Hardly, and in this case, "rarities" doesn't mean "curio," either. Discs one and two far outshine disc three, but Trojan Dub Rarities Box is nearly as satisfying as the two non-rarities volumes already available, probably even more satisfying for the dub collector who'll agree that some of these tracks have been mighty hard to find. Of special note is Augustus Pablo's "Babylon Police Thief Dub," a fantastic dub of Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" that rears its reissue head only every once in a while. Dub godfather Lee "Scratch" Perry is well represented by jems like the paranoid "Tedious Dub" and the more fun than it sounds "Iron Wolf," but where the collection really shines is by shedding new light on producer Niney the Observer and offering a set of Tapper Zukie tracks that should increase awareness of his often ignored dub work. Niney's hands are especially twitchy on the knobs for his "Boiling Water" while "Iron Fist" offers a taste of his later, synthetic dub, which is as idea-filled as the ragga work of Scientist. Zukie offers curveballs that are even more welcome, as psychedelic guitars wander through "Double Struggle"'s jungle and the jaw-dropping "Revolution Version" strips his vocal track "Revolution" down to the snidest lines and sharpest stings for a dub that's hardly chillout material. Overlooked artists like producer Blackbeard and the nearly forgotten In Crowd are finally given some much deserved reissuing, but with so much eye-opening material, Trojan's standardized reissue packaging is unfortunate. The budget price excuses slight quality drop on disc three, but not the three pages of liner notes and skeletal credits, since Trojan must be aware reggae fans seeking rarities also desire the when, where, and why. In the end, it means dub fanatics need only jog instead of sprint to the record store to acquire this mostly satisfying, sometimes eye-opening set. ~ David Jeffries

Includes previously unreleased tracks.

Liner Note Author: Stephen Nye .