Customer Reviews for The Dub Factor

Black Uhuru: Michael Rose, Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones (vocals).Additional personnel: Ranchie McLean, Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan, Mikey Chung, Barry Reynolds (guitar); Ansell Collins, Robbie Lyn, Keith Stirling (piano); Wally Badarou (synthesizer, vocoder); Robbie Shakespeare (bass); Sly Dunbar (drums, electronic drums); Sky Juice, Sticky Johnson (percussion).Recorded at Channel One Studio, Kingston, Jamaica and Compass Point Studio, Nassau, Bahamas in 1983. Originally released on Mango (9758). Includes liner notes by David Katz.This is part of Mango's "Reggae Classics" series.Since Black Uhuru is, with the possible exception of the original Wailers, the most famous vocal group in reggae history, a full dub album might seem an odd career choice. But 1983's THE DUB FACTOR is one of the decade's finest dub efforts. With classic reggae voices like those of Michael Rose and Puma Jones at hand, it's no wonder producers/bandleaders Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare use more vocals than are common in dub.The vocals are treated as accents, or processed beyond recognition (as on the wild "Android Rebellion"). This leaves the focus squarely on Sly and Robbie's staggering bass/drum interplay and on the inventive keyboards of Wally Badarou. His unique synthesizer style has been so widely used and imitated that, by decade's end, it was almost a cliche. THE DUB FACTOR, however, remains as fresh and exciting as it sounded the year of its release.