AUGUSTUS PABLO Vinyl & CDs

Review: Reissued via Only Roots in full, rejuvenated form, Rockers Meets King Tubbys In A Firehouse is a dub studio album by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, first released in 1980. "Fire House" is a reference to the Waterhouse section of Kingston, where King Tubby's studio was located; however, one could consider it a double-entendre, not least since the only place to safely record such incendiary music is in a proverbial "fire station", otherwise all manner of fiery dub hell would presumably break loose. With the likes of Mickey "Boo" Richards, Leroy Wallace and Albert Malawi on drums, Robbie Shakespeare on bass guitar, and Earl "Chinna" Smith on guitar - together credited as the Rocking All Stars - the group conspire to produce such well-sculpted dub firebombs as 'Jah Say Dub' and 'Zion Is A Home'. This new reissue comes in the crispest quality yet, and once again rejumbles the original tracklist slightly.

Review: This is a new collection of gems from the one and only Augustus Pablo that has been put together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Rockers label, which was named after his popular sound system. The visionary artist is one of the most crucial in the reggae game over the years and is the man who is most often credited with having popularised the use of the melodica in reggae. His most fertile and influential period was the 1970s and tunes made them helped to take the sound global. This vinyl collection mixes up rare dubs and out-of-print tracks with tunes from all across his long and successful career.

Review: Blowing With The Wind is the second August Pablo album to get the reissue treatment this month following on from 1986's Rising Sun. This one came in 1990 when the legendary dubber had fully updated his original sound with more modern aesthetics and digital techniques. It picked up rave reviews and proved to be one of the artists' most successful records since the seventies. It is defined by a mix of nyahbinghi drumming and hardcore steppers that was fully embraced by the sound system culture of the tie and took Pablo to new heights in the Far East, culminating with a tour of Japan.