King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown

I'm so glad someone put this on here! There's a handful of reggae albums on the list (mostly Marley), but no dub, which is, I think, a huge musical innovation, and worthy of having at least one album to represent the genre. If there would be a single pick to represent all of dub, this would be a strong contender. Others might be Keith Hudson's "Pick a Dub" or something like Lee Perry's "Blackboard Jungle Dub." Dub is pretty much the birth of the remix, and has been highly influential on the the effects and techniques used in all kinds of music, especially electronica. Dub is also intertwined with the birth of hip-hop. Groundbreaking stuff that deserves more attention. This album is an exquisite example of using the studio as an instrument.

I'm glad someone suggested this as Dub is sinfully under-represented in the book. This dates from the mid-70s so the effects are somewhat crude but still very effective today. King Tubby basically invented this genre, putting echoes and reverb into the forefront for a psychedelic effect that would probably best be listened to in a hazy room full of ganga smoke. I also love the drum flourish that introduces almost all of the songs. The highlight for me is King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown which has spectacular reverb action for the drums, melodica and vocals and a remix of Baby I love you so.

SO GOOD. Ordering the vinyl right now. Thanks for adding this.

Can always use more dub in my life

One of the truly great summer albums, love it

Beautiful, low, wobbly bass.

The thing about Dub, is that it is what I think people are actually referring to as music you need to be high to enjoy. While it does need an entry in the list, I just fully don't vibe as strongly as I do to proper Reggae.

I thought I liked dub, so was sad to have this largely slide past me. Very soundscapey, which means a revisit is in order. No particular hooks but also no predictable groove.

Wasn't really interesting to me. 4/10

Thank you for adding in some dub reggae (as opposed to superstar Marley, Tong, Toots). Not essential, but good to hear and test the bass speakers! First half is entertaining then it gets boring.

One of my favorite reggae albums that certainly deserves a place on the original list. I've got a fever and the only prescription is more melodica!

Actually mindblowingly incredible, holy shit. So far my winner for the best new album I've discovered through the user submissions by several orders of magnitude. Now I have to go on a Dub binge.

Loved this, fills in a lot of gaps in the family tree of music that I love. What I came to the original list for glad this got added in the user list

1976. Atmospheric and addictive. It takes you to another place. Just simply Brilliant.

Thanks for the discovery ! Now, I got to hunt a vinyl version that isn’t off-centered (even the streaming is a needle-drop that sounds off-centered on the last two songs).

Extremely surprising find with then-cutting edge studio effects to make a dreamy, trippy sound. And I usually tire of reggae after a couple songs.

Probably one of the quintessential dub albums out there. Feels like it's just cooked in to everything that's come since. Excellent record.

Surprised this also wasn't on the list. I'm always dub-appreciative and this one was a banger, albeit a bit one-note.

Very nice! Excellent groove to the whole thing. 4 stars.

I was previously aware of Dub from various electronic samples here and there, but had never given a full LP a listen until now. Clearly I've been missing out – the warped and twisted alleyways this album took its tracks down was right in my wheelhouse. Loved the ethereal, hazy sense the chopped rhythms and punchy guitars produced, and the vocals wandered in and out to only further the sense of a trip gone horribly right. Big ups for adding this one to the list, I've already come back to this one a few times and see it hitting my heavy rotation.

Right in my wheelhouse, the sort of thing I'd have taken a chance on thumbing through albums at a used record store. Shame on everyone in my life for never introducing me to this previously.

Dub is not well represented in the original list which is strange because some genres that are well represented such as post-punk, drum and bass, etc. are hugely influenced by dub especially in the UK. This album was a lot of fun. The beats were great and I could hear so much of the seeds of music that was to come.

It's sunny outside, couldn't go lower than a 4

Very cool vibes, iconic contribution to the dub scene. This was definitely overlooked in the first draft of the official list.

Injected a bit of sunshine into a Scottish midwinter, which was previously thought impossible. Would be a great resource for sampling, or for The Clash to cover in their dub era, and definitely deserves more recognition. An absolute joy.

Had never heard about this artist, but seems like a missed opportunity to explain the history of dub and how much of an impact he had on the Jamaican scene as a whole. Dub isn't necessarily my thing, but as I get older, I find myself enjoying it more. Definitely needs an inclusion on the list. Favorite track: "Corner Crew Dub"

Oh this was lovely. Big spacey dub that filled my kitchen on a Friday night.

Though nothing really stood out, I got into the vibe, enjoyed something new, and had a good time with King Tubby.

Snowed under with work today, which is a shame, because I need to place myself in an adequate, care-free mindset to truly appreciate a good dub record. From my short -- and probably inadequate -- listening session while toiling on a few things on my computer, *King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown* sounded like a well-crafted (and apparently groundbreaking) album in the genre. Truth be told, I also had a feeling that the record now seemed a little by-the-book from today's perspective, at least compared to the weirder, loonier, moodier, more whimsical and maybe also more endearing works and productions of Lee "Scratch" Perry and The Upsetters (as displayed in the *Super Ape* album). But what do I know? I don't pretend to have a very self-assured taste when it comes to Jamaican music (apart with household names such as Marley, Toots, The Congos and Desmond Dekker). And browsing through the album again now that my work is done, it feels that some of the tones, arrangements and interesting key changes in this LP have become more evocative and accessible. Maybe it's because winter night has fallen, and I wish it became a hotter Jamaican night... So I'm leaving this LP the benefit of the doubt. I hope that one day, I'll be able to return to it in more comfortable circumstances. In the meantime, here's a tentative grading for the album... 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 2 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 4 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 3

Surprised this isn't on the original list. I am not a huge reggae fan, but I understand the importance of dub. Once again the authors of the OG list had a pretty superficial understanding of some genres of music. 
This isn’t the type of music I would actively seek out, but it’s nice and short with some good vibes. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Yes.

I'm having some intense hormonal emotions and rage ATM and this was exactly what I needed to chill me the f out and put me in a much better mood. I really loved it! I could have this on a lot. Excellent background music

First thing's first, this album was only mixed by King Tubby. The actual music is credited to Augustus Pablo, who had collaborated with Tubby on a number of projects. That said, Tubby's influence behind the board cannot be understated; the genre of dub and modern music as we know it today would sound radically different if it were not for King Tubby. His knowledge of electronics combined with a keen ear for innovative production techniques made him one of the most important figures in all of recorded music. It's so easy to overlook his work but I believe it deserves just as much representation compared to the roots reggae stuff on the list. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Yes, without a doubt.

I enjoy dub music

Never heard this before, great choice.

Was gonna say likable but generic. But after a bit of research, it seems better to say, likable and genre-creating. And further research indeed confirms it's better with a room full of ganja – so likable, genre-creating and ganja-enhanced. Conclusively belongs on the list proper.

If you love dub you'll love this

Mejor de lo que esperaba, teniendo en cuenta que no me gusta el reggae. Supongo que será porque es dub-reggae.

Had Super Ape from the list recently and loved it. This is great too, chill vibe, just hanging out being cool. That said it is samey enough to kind of fade into the background after a while. The main album project was an education, the user list doubly so. Kudos to all y'all really for some great shares.

Loved it, would never have heard it if not for this, so thank you whoever nominated this album.

ei huolen häivää tätä kuunnellessa

More dub and great dub at that! Lovely music to put on and let unfold

Special vibes.

A dub classic of classics! Shame it was a cold winter day for me... not same vibes as an evening summer in the sun...

Very relaxing music to listen while working. But not exactly some album I would play in my spare time

6/10. Definitely pleasant and mellow. Not something I'd have sought out on my own, but a cool little recommendation.

I don't feel like I have a very knowledgeable or sophisticated ear for dub and reggae but even I can tell this is the real original business of this era. I felt like it lost me in the back half with its many stripped down, mostly instrumental pieces and heavy-handed reverb and delay effects.

Make dub not war

Rating: 6/10

Enjoyable. Chilled. But no a lot going on, really. Undoubtedly listening to the album under influence of something stronger than beer would add a star to the review.

Pretty cool

Good

Dub (reggae). Un poco rollo. Ni fu ni fa.

A really rich, resonant sound that I enjoyed quite a bit. I think the album needed more vocal effects though just to break things up a bit. For a relatively short album, it sometimes feels like long stretches of sameness. Fave songs: King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, Stop Them Jah, Skanking Dub, Keep On Dubbing, Each One Dub

This is what I’d imagine stereotypical dub is like except it’s not a stereotype it’s the real thing. Just some funk dub beats with some dub lyrics for 35 minutes. To me it’s a very unique style of music that is probably best listened to while under the influence of a specific plant. Overall though it’s fun and easy going. 6.1/10

Definitely needed some other substance to enjoy it more

Good to have dub reggae represented. Pleasant to have on in the background. Rating: 3 Playlist track: King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown Date listened: 31/09/24

I agree with this being on the secondary list there wasn’t enough dub on the main list, I enjoyed this album but did just get a bit repetitive for me to add this to my frequent rotation.

Ambient 70s reggae was a nice change of pace from the type of stuff I’ve been getting recently.

Never been a big reggae guy, but I like this one! Feels very elemental, sound is stripped to the essentials a bit. I can't help but laugh just seeing the name Augustus Pablo - I've never listened to him before but know the name from the Portlandia skit (that I definitely linked on another review) about the openly reggae mayor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4KCB3-UZqM. "Wow, he's into some root stuff, huh!" I like it. Favorite tracks: Keep On Dubbing, Corner Crew Dub. Album art: Is that Augustus? He's standing in front of a wall plastered with posters and fliers or something. Not bad, not super memorable either. 3.5/5

Dub may not be one of my preferred genres, but I could feel this album growing on me a bit. It was so smooth.

Real nice on a Monday morning

A fun and eclectic dub record, not really my thing but there are some interesting moments and I totally see the appeal and influence of this

This was fine, a bit repetitive but good background music.

I wasn't really familiar with how dub worked as a genre before listening to this. Granted, it was because I was struggling to understand why this album was significant, but still. This album is kinda cool. I like the extensive use of delay that they seem to lose control of every once in a while. On the other hand, there's lots of times where it feels like nothing is happening 3/5 Pretty solid album to listen to if you're too stoned to change it when it comes on

Ok ish as background music, but as ever anything purely instrumental gets a bit samey after a while

Dub (reggae). Un poco rollo. Ni fu ni fa.

Reggae MOOSIC JA. The dub music always just sounds the same to me but its a cool groove for knocking shit out.

You can actually hear the idea of remixes evolve on records like these. King Tubby was a pioneer for sure. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of remixes in general - and dub is also not my usual cup of tea. There’s absolutely nothing wrong here and it’s always a pleasure listening to the Barrett brothers, I just don’t see that this wouldn’t be even better with some vocals on top?

Super Ape was super dub, this was more boring dub. Some cool effects though.

Decent reggae but nothing particularly outstanding in my opinion

Not a reggae fan. Just tooooo samey. 2/5.

Not my genre and frankly not much going on here, sorry.

All of these songs sound exactly the same

I'm sorry. I don't get it. It's all so repetitive. If there was more variety I would be more into it.

Not my favorite genre, although the “Dub” subgenre I’ve only become aware of recently. While my cats seemed a little freaked out by them, the echo effects were psychedelic & groovy (they’d be perfect if someone slipped me a mickey). Still, this isn’t my thing at all.

I always enjoy a little Reggae and this hit the spot. Truly nothing stood out beyond being reggae, I bet there are many other albums with more oomph or purpose, but someone chose this and I'm sure they have their reasons!

Another instrumental album. A couple in a row. As with most instrumental music, I need to be zoned out and zoned in only to this. It's fashionable enough, I guess.

I’m full of reggae

I am envious of people who can pick an album to go on this list, but sometimes I wonder how they got to that choice. Is this the best King Tubby album, or is it just the choosers favourite? I’ll never know either way.

Expected more.

As far as dub goes, this is about as harmless and pain-free as it gets. Full instrumental, short tracks, only half an hour long. I'll take it.

Culturally very significant. But very boring IMHO. It was short though. So there's that

Truly sorry, but reggae and dub never have been for me. After one song I am done, especially when there is no vocal to be spotted.

Who thought there was not enough reggae on list ? Choices like this amazes me 1

I’m not high enough. I don’t think I’ll ever be that high but I’m glad that Damon Albarn was and snatched some of this for Gorillaz.