The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

Same as above reviewer, 11 Mar 2006
King Tubby's music is the work of an absolute master. His timing in his mixes are beautiful, typified by the trumpet on the track mentioned above, just sublime. It does the same to me on every single listen to this album. What a great artist and this compilation is wonderful from start to finish

An Excellent Tubby Compilation, 18 Nov 2002
Like all the (too) many Tubby collections there's some absolutely great stuff mixed with that which is merely good - but this stuff errs on the great, hence the full 5 stars! Not for people who like sing-song choruses and predictable constructs. Tracks 6-8 inc. are just astonishing pieces of music: the wonderful bit of trumpet that comes from nowhere in 'Straight to the Boy Niney Head' being a particular point for me. Finishes off with a good number as well.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

Same as above reviewer, 11 Mar 2006
King Tubby's music is the work of an absolute master. His timing in his mixes are beautiful, typified by the trumpet on the track mentioned above, just sublime. It does the same to me on every single listen to this album. What a great artist and this compilation is wonderful from start to finish

An Excellent Tubby Compilation, 18 Nov 2002
Like all the (too) many Tubby collections there's some absolutely great stuff mixed with that which is merely good - but this stuff errs on the great, hence the full 5 stars! Not for people who like sing-song choruses and predictable constructs. Tracks 6-8 inc. are just astonishing pieces of music: the wonderful bit of trumpet that comes from nowhere in 'Straight to the Boy Niney Head' being a particular point for me. Finishes off with a good number as well.

Another great King Tubby, 12 Dec 2008
This compilation features 20 dub versions of Bunny Lee productions from the mid-seventies by King Tubby. His pioneering style reconstructs on the amplified bass and drums snippets of other instruments and sometimes vocals to a fresh sound of wellknown hits by Johnny Clarke and others. Take five is the exception as it is a straight instrumental lead by Tommy McCook's saxophone playing.
Standouts are many with Declaration of dub, Real gone crazy dub with Big Youth on the intro, Bionic horn and Roots dub as the best.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

Same as above reviewer, 11 Mar 2006
King Tubby's music is the work of an absolute master. His timing in his mixes are beautiful, typified by the trumpet on the track mentioned above, just sublime. It does the same to me on every single listen to this album. What a great artist and this compilation is wonderful from start to finish

An Excellent Tubby Compilation, 18 Nov 2002
Like all the (too) many Tubby collections there's some absolutely great stuff mixed with that which is merely good - but this stuff errs on the great, hence the full 5 stars! Not for people who like sing-song choruses and predictable constructs. Tracks 6-8 inc. are just astonishing pieces of music: the wonderful bit of trumpet that comes from nowhere in 'Straight to the Boy Niney Head' being a particular point for me. Finishes off with a good number as well.

Another great King Tubby, 12 Dec 2008
This compilation features 20 dub versions of Bunny Lee productions from the mid-seventies by King Tubby. His pioneering style reconstructs on the amplified bass and drums snippets of other instruments and sometimes vocals to a fresh sound of wellknown hits by Johnny Clarke and others. Take five is the exception as it is a straight instrumental lead by Tommy McCook's saxophone playing.
Standouts are many with Declaration of dub, Real gone crazy dub with Big Youth on the intro, Bionic horn and Roots dub as the best.

terriable sound quality, 10 Jun 2007
Don't buy this release if you care in any way about sound quality. It has been 'mastered' from crackly vinyl and is an insult to the buyer and the name of the great King Tubby. If you want some dubs from Tubbs, you will be safe with Blood and Fire releases. This is not killer price but filler splice. avoid.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

Same as above reviewer, 11 Mar 2006
King Tubby's music is the work of an absolute master. His timing in his mixes are beautiful, typified by the trumpet on the track mentioned above, just sublime. It does the same to me on every single listen to this album. What a great artist and this compilation is wonderful from start to finish

An Excellent Tubby Compilation, 18 Nov 2002
Like all the (too) many Tubby collections there's some absolutely great stuff mixed with that which is merely good - but this stuff errs on the great, hence the full 5 stars! Not for people who like sing-song choruses and predictable constructs. Tracks 6-8 inc. are just astonishing pieces of music: the wonderful bit of trumpet that comes from nowhere in 'Straight to the Boy Niney Head' being a particular point for me. Finishes off with a good number as well.

Another great King Tubby, 12 Dec 2008
This compilation features 20 dub versions of Bunny Lee productions from the mid-seventies by King Tubby. His pioneering style reconstructs on the amplified bass and drums snippets of other instruments and sometimes vocals to a fresh sound of wellknown hits by Johnny Clarke and others. Take five is the exception as it is a straight instrumental lead by Tommy McCook's saxophone playing.
Standouts are many with Declaration of dub, Real gone crazy dub with Big Youth on the intro, Bionic horn and Roots dub as the best.

terriable sound quality, 10 Jun 2007
Don't buy this release if you care in any way about sound quality. It has been 'mastered' from crackly vinyl and is an insult to the buyer and the name of the great King Tubby. If you want some dubs from Tubbs, you will be safe with Blood and Fire releases. This is not killer price but filler splice. avoid.

Arguably the best King Tubby dub album, 09 Jul 2008
This is a great collection of King Tubby's dubversions. As the description already states, there are no vocals and the dub is cut to the pure rhythm and bass, with hints of other instruments only to accentuate the sunny base melody.Some of Tubby's albums features more dark dubs. This collection grosses in uplifting tunes; the type you want to listen to in a hammock near a beach with Palm trees. The sound quality of the tunes are good, and certainly typical for (re)mastered King Tubby dubversions.

The Perfect Introduction, 07 Jun 2006
King Tubby pioneered dub reggae and so left his mark on much of today's music.

There's hundreds of King Tubby CDs out there, some of them very dodgy packages featuring tired rythmns that somebody once waved in the general direction of Tubbs. A lot of them have been nowhere near King Tubby's mixing skills. This one is different.

There's a vast selection of tracks from some of his best known work such as "Roots of Dub" and "Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub". Much of this is King Tubby in his prime.

Fans will already have much if this elsewhere, but there are a few gems that were new to me. For newcomers to dub, this is probably the best possible introduction. Bargain priced, over 3 hours of music, good mastering and some damn hot rythmns.


Crucial and incomplete, 26 Dec 2007
This King Tubby compilation has crucially next to the obvious Bunny Lee's Aggrovators dub tracks (15-22) dubs of tracks by producers Fatman (1-12) and Phil Pratt (13,14). This makes for a fascinating mix of different styles, all refashioned in a truly dub way. Highlights are many with the 2 Phil Pratt songs The best is lose and Blow down Babylon as melodic and rather subdued standouts. More of these would have been welcome.

Same as above reviewer, 11 Mar 2006
King Tubby's music is the work of an absolute master. His timing in his mixes are beautiful, typified by the trumpet on the track mentioned above, just sublime. It does the same to me on every single listen to this album. What a great artist and this compilation is wonderful from start to finish

An Excellent Tubby Compilation, 18 Nov 2002
Like all the (too) many Tubby collections there's some absolutely great stuff mixed with that which is merely good - but this stuff errs on the great, hence the full 5 stars! Not for people who like sing-song choruses and predictable constructs. Tracks 6-8 inc. are just astonishing pieces of music: the wonderful bit of trumpet that comes from nowhere in 'Straight to the Boy Niney Head' being a particular point for me. Finishes off with a good number as well.

Another great King Tubby, 12 Dec 2008
This compilation features 20 dub versions of Bunny Lee productions from the mid-seventies by King Tubby. His pioneering style reconstructs on the amplified bass and drums snippets of other instruments and sometimes vocals to a fresh sound of wellknown hits by Johnny Clarke and others. Take five is the exception as it is a straight instrumental lead by Tommy McCook's saxophone playing.
Standouts are many with Declaration of dub, Real gone crazy dub with Big Youth on the intro, Bionic horn and Roots dub as the best.

terriable sound quality, 10 Jun 2007
Don't buy this release if you care in any way about sound quality. It has been 'mastered' from crackly vinyl and is an insult to the buyer and the name of the great King Tubby. If you want some dubs from Tubbs, you will be safe with Blood and Fire releases. This is not killer price but filler splice. avoid.

Arguably the best King Tubby dub album, 09 Jul 2008
This is a great collection of King Tubby's dubversions. As the description already states, there are no vocals and the dub is cut to the pure rhythm and bass, with hints of other instruments only to accentuate the sunny base melody.Some of Tubby's albums features more dark dubs. This collection grosses in uplifting tunes; the type you want to listen to in a hammock near a beach with Palm trees. The sound quality of the tunes are good, and certainly typical for (re)mastered King Tubby dubversions.

Turn your bass up to max!, 22 Jan 2006
quite exceptional reggae album. 'Under Me Fat Thing - Red Rose' and 'Babylon - King Kong' would be worth the money alone, but the album is crammed with excellent tunes 'Two Big Bull Inna One Pen - Red Rose & King Kong', 'Line Up - Osbourne, Johnny' and 'Rude Bwoy - Hemmings, Lloyd' are my other personal favourites . i stumbled upon this album by chance and it has swiftly become one of my favourite albums ever, reggae or otherwise. it is breathtaking.

this is not typical king tubby. you would probably say that this album is more accessible than alot of his more dubby, instrumental stuff. there are tunes and choruses to go with the inevitably top-notch production and beats.
there are deep, roaring, and - at times - stabbing basslines that roll beautifuly throughout the album. and superb vocals to boot.

i would strongly recommend this album. *****

The 20 slabs of King Dub serve as an excellent introduction to one of the last century's prime musical innovators. The selection starts in 1973, when Osbourne "Tubby" Ruddock's studio reputation was blooming. In the late 1960s, this electronic tinkerer could already boast one of Jamaica's finest sound systems, his Home Town Hi-Fi featuring DJ toasting by U-Roy. Then Tubby assembled a tiny studio, at 18 Drumilie Avenue, in the nervy Waterhouse area. This was where he was to meet an untimely end in 1989, gunned down by a twitchy robber. Using a primitive four-track mixer, Tubby used the B-side version as a playground for studio experimentation, spinning in echo and reverb effects, coaxing out the lowest, cage-rattling bass frequencies. He'd toy with sudden drop-outs, swooping surges, having horns stride out of the murk, pianos making unexpected jangles and drums stuttering into infinity. These tracks utilise source material by the likes of the Heptones, the Abyssinians and Horace Andy, usually deconstructed to skeletons, but often retaining the elements of the original vocal track, with Cornell Campbell peeking through on at least three numbers. --Martin Longley