As the meteoric rise of reggae began to captivate listeners around the globe in the 1970s, innovative artist Augustus Pablo emerged as vital creative force pushing the genre forward. An important figure in the Jamaican music scene during this remarkable era, Pablo was not only a skilled musician but an influential producer who shaped the sound of countless classic recordings. While his instrumental work and legendary dubs remain essential, Pablo was also responsible for iconic vocal tracks from a wide range of local talent, many of which were released on his own label Rockers. Now, Nature Sounds is proud to present Rockers United!, a collection of classic and rare vocal selections from the Rockers archives, all produced by Augustus Pablo. Deeply rooted in hypnotic, bass-heavy instrumentation, the album features remastered audio transferred from the original master tapes, with vocals by Jacob Miller, Delroy Williams, Hugh Mundell, Tetrak, Junior Delgado, Earl Sixteen, Spliffy Dan and more.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jacob Miller – Keep On Knocking
2. Junior Delgado – Away With You Fussing And Fighting
3. Hugh Mundell – Africa Must Be Free By 1983
4. Jacob Miller – Baby I Love You So
5. Delroy Williams – Think Twice
6. Spliffy Dan – No Justice Place
7. Tetrack – Let’s Get Together
8. Sister Erica – One In The Spirit
9. Dillinger – Brace A Boy
10. Jacob Miller – Who Say Jah No Dread
11. Earl Sixteen – Changing World
12. Paul Blackman – Earth Wind & Fire

“Both are legends because both innovate – and activate and motivate. King Tubby (Osbourne Ruddock) arrived on earth in 1941. As a teenager he repaired radios before moving onto repair sound system speakers. Since the mid-50s, sound systems had conquered Jamaica, replacing live bands as the people’s favoured choice of access to their music. Tubby (a very slim man) found himself much in demand. In 1968, Tubby opened his own shop, Tubby’s Home Town Hi Fi. That led him into the world of sound, led him into recording studios where first he remixed. But then he got bored and in doing so released himself by devising his own amazing aural vision. Tubby invented dub and he did so by experimenting, by creating a unique template where he stripped away certain parts of the record, replaced them with another, highlighted some instruments, dropped others, and on top of this used all kinds of studio effects.

And thus King Tubby became King of Dub. In 1971, inevitably, he opened his own studio – and he took the music deeper. Many musicians loved his set up, including Augustus Pablo. Pablo (Horace Swaby) arrived on earth in 1954. He hit the musical scene playing…the melodica. No one had thought to do so previously. Again, the breaking of new ground was heard in Jamaica. The instrument was perfect for the King Tubby vision, Pablo’s playing producing a sound that was melodic, harsh, edgy, and soulful. Over Tubby’s shuffling rhythms and maelstrom of sound, Pablo improvises with huge imagination and skill. His major hit East Of the River Nile suggested and put forward a sound derived from the Far East and he was up and running. In 1975, he began a fruitful collaboration with King Tubby. Their first album together Ital Dub is a classic. The later King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown is more than that, it is legendary. And now The Messenger is upon us, an album cut at some point in the 70s and which remained in the vaults. Should it have stayed there? No way. This is music that upholds the very high stars of their past, music which fires itself on imagination and strength, a collusion and collaboration of immense proportions, music that provides and creates moods with such purpose and drive. Pablo’s melodica is centre stage but is counterpointed by contagious rhythms and touches of inspiration as horns and bass lines mesh in and out of view, held down by an ever steady barrage of sturdy drums and bass and a never ceasing source of imaginative and delightful sounds. The sound constantly changes and because it does the album contains a staggering array of moods, from upbeat into deep waters. The Messenger is forward music, still sounding as fresh as it did on the day of its conception. And it will do so for time eternal.” Paolo Hewitt 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Some classic riddims here from Tubz N Pabberz, in some cases in their original conception. Augustus' mystic melodica collides beautifully with Osbourne's magic dub techniques making for an enchanted early prototype of the genre.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Stars 03:16
A2. That’s Real 03:34
A3. Sugar 3:02
A4. Happy And Merry 02:59

B1. Watchful 03:04
B2. Prince 03:24
B3. Uprising 03:00
B4. Smiling Faces 02:49 

Re-mastered version of the 1977 dub companion album to the classic Hugh Mundell release (also re-released this week) marking the 40th anniversary of the Greensleeves label. Pablo chucks Mundel outta the studio replacing him with buckets of thick ganja smoke and infinite tape delay! Heady and heavy, packing just as much punch as the politically charged vocal-led original; Pablo just hammers home his message through thick walls of bass psychedelic tape echoes. Obviously featuring the same musicians as the original album (listed on our site), extra mixing is done by Prince Jammy at King Tubby's (probably where the tape delay is housed). A wonderful companion piece and a great standalone dub album in its own right. Recommended!

TRACK LISTING

1. Levi Dub
2. Revolution Dub
3. Judgement Dub
4. Sufferer Dub

1. Unity Dub
2. Africa Dub
3. My Mind Dub
4. Western Kingston Style

Augustus Pablo (Horace Swaby) was born just outside of Kingston. “I am a Kingstonian,” he told the NME in 1986, “but my heart is for the hills.” This mystical connection to “the hills” is at the heart of Pablo's unique and immediately identifiable sound. By the late '60s, Swaby and his brother Dougie had founded a small sound system they called Rockers. The brothers spent a lot of time in record shops, including Aquarius, where owner Herman Chin-Loy heard Swaby experimenting on his melodica and was struck by the inspiration to record. The resulting tune was credited to Augustus Pablo, a name that Chin-Loy invented, as the story goes, to give an air of mystery to the release. Pablo recorded two more singles soon after with “Java” becoming a major hit and being voted Instrumental Song Of The Year by Jamaica's Swing Magazine. This success led to the Randy's label moving to create a full-length album from Pablo. Recording in the Randy's studio upstairs from the record shop “we weren't watching the clock...we had the studio,” Clive Chin recalled. The band included a cast of the greatest reggae musicians of all time: future Wailer Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, “Fully” Fullwood and Lloyd Parks on the bass, Carlton Barrett, “Santa” Davis and Lloyd “Tin Leg” Adams were on drums and Earl “Chinna” Smith played guitar. In addition to these future Hall of Famers, the mixing board was helmed by Errol Thompson. Thompson and Chin would together pioneer a tough, new reggae sound that, Chin referred to as “Rockers” after the Swaby brothers' Rockers Hi-Fi sound system. 'This Is Augustus Pablo' is considered among the greatest collections of Jamaican instrumental music and is an essential part of reggae history. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Dub Organizer
2. Please Sunrise
3. Point Blank
4. Arabian Rock
5. Pretty Baby
6. Pablo In Dub
7. Skateland Rock
8. Dread Eye
9. Too Late
10. Assignment No. 1
11. Jah Rock
12. Lover’s Mood

One of two vinyl reissues on VP featuring  Augustus Pablo productions. The first is a classic 1980 collection of reggae rockers, melodica masterpieces, deep dubs and classic vocal sides from the likes of Delroy Williams, Earl Sixteen, Tetrack etc. all built on Pablo’s signature rock solid drum and bass foundations. The second is a highly regarded collection of golden age rockers from the likes of Jacob Miller, Earl Sixteen, Norris Reid etc.

A brilliant collection of super-rare B sides and unreleased dubplates from the mid to late '70s. Including newly discovered versions of "Cassava Piece" and "King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown".