Joe Gibbs And The Professionals — The 1970s Dub Albums Collection

Here’s a four-disc CD set that brings together seven largely instrumental dub albums from the mid-to-late 70’s helmed by respected Jamaican reggae producer Joe Gibbs, as well as near on an album's worth of unreleased tracks. The set takes in a whooping eighty-eight tracks- with the sound moving between stripped-back beat ‘n’ bass affairs, to more studio playful fare, and more lo-fi electronica touched ‘n’ pulled fare.

The set comes presented in a long fold-out five-panel digipak. On the front cover we get small reproductions of the cover artwork for each of the seven albums, and then as we unfold the digipak, we get vinyl label reproductions. Also included is a twenty-page glossy inlay booklet- this features a two & a half page write-up about Mr Gibbs, and how this album series came about in the 70s. Then we get a write-up about each of the seven albums, as well as more reproduced artwork. So, another nicely presented release from Cherry Red’s reggae-focused sub-label Doctor Bird.

Joe Gibbs was born in Salt Spring, St. James, Jamaica in the year 1942. He studied electronics in Cuba, going on to work as an electronic technician for Stone and Webster in Montego Bay. In time he decided to strike out on his own moving to Kingston, where he set up an electrical repair shop, - initially focusing on repairing and selling TV’s. But in time he also started selling records from the shop too. The local reggae scene was taking off, so in 1966 he started to record some artists in the back of the shop with a two-track tape machine, working with Lee Perry who had recently ended his association with Kingston-born producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. With the help of producer Bunny Lee, he launched the Amalgamated record label, with one of his first successes being with early rocksteady track, “Hold Them" by Roy Shirley, which went up the charts in Jamaica.

In the year 1972, Joe moved his studio into the Duhaney Park area, and started to work with sound engineer Errol Thompson- they became known as "The Mighty Two". He also created the studio band The Professionals – featuring Robbie Shakespeare- bass, Sly Dunbar- on drums/ percussion, and Earl "Chinna" Smith- on guitars. Joe, Thompson, and the band went onto release hundreds of singles, including the hits "Money in My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Eviction" by Black Uhuru, and many others.

The Professionals, as well as a host of other session players, feature on these seven albums. And first out of the gate, we have 1974’s Dub Serial - this feature twelve tracks. We get a few instrumental dub versions of singles here like “Money in My Pocket”, and dub covers like “Rainy Night In Georgia”. The former features tight cymbal percussion, on/ off organ & strutting guitar playing. While the latter features blown-out dub grooves & warbling church-key rises. Also on this first album we have, hissing percussion, meets bass plod ‘n’ groove of “Without Love Version” which has a rough ‘n’ ready take on the dub form. Next on disc one, we have African Dub: Almighty- this appeared in 1975, and took in another twelve tracks. These go from the swinging horns meets bonding dub bass of “African Dub” which along the way adds in jaunting barroom piano tones. Onto wavering ‘n’ weaving organ, compressed dub hoover, and subtle strutting guitar tones of “Campus Rock”. Through to horn ‘n’ trombone swagger & groove Strutt of “East Africa”. Both of these albums really show The Professionals & Gibbs finding their way/trying to perfect dub- some of the material is somewhat samey, and by the end of the CD one does feel a little jaded, but along the way, there are some moments of subtle experimentation, and setting of the dub form- so as historical sonic documents these are worthy.

Moving onto the second disc and we have two albums from the year 1976- there’s African Dub: Chapter Two, and State Of Emergency- each of these offers up twelve tracks a piece. The first album goes from the male vocal snippet reverb trails of “The Marijuana Affair” which features a bright jaunting ‘n’ jiving blend of organ groove, strutting guitar, tight percussion, and of course the all-important dub-bound bass line.  Onto the lo-fi electronica weaved vibes of “Idlers Rest” which blends reverb dub bass line, tip-tap percussion, and simmering-to-darting synth tones. There’s “Heavy Duty Dub” which blends synth ‘n’ formal bass groove, with jaunting organ ‘n’ piano key runs and the occasional joint horn swing. Moving onto the second album on disc two State Of Emergency- and this moves from the springing groove meets rattling percussion of “ Tribute To Donald Quarrie”. Onto lightly flute touched snapping percussion of “Wicked And Dreadful” Though to the urgent horn ‘n’ organ swing of the title track, which features some a nice almost stumbling down steps percussion line. The production, instrumentation, and feeling of variety is more realized on these two albums- as is the more progressive/ experimental too.

Moving onto disc three, and we have 1977’s African Dub: Chapter Three, and 1979’s African Dub: Chapter Four from 1979. Each of these albums features ten tracks, and I say this is the most wholly consistent of the discs here. On the first album we move rapidly trotting percussion, dub bass reverb trails, and wayward sound sample/noise-edged “Chapter Three”. Onto spacy synth stretch, bouncing vocal samples,  water rushing & muted jungle animal sound sample edged “Freedom Call”.  Through to the steaching ‘n’ jiving dub groove of “Angoliain Chant” which pulls ‘n’ warps jingling piano keys, soulful vocal trails, and synth darts together. On the second album African Dub: Chapter Four- we move from the spiral gun carriage-meets-clip clop percussion trails of “Crucial Attempt”. Onto shimmery metallic hits, low-key organ dwell, and detailed percussion of “Power Pack”. Through to the thick, choppy dub meets spacy tone dart of “Snipper” which keeps trying to fully let out its jiving organ melody, but never does. Definitely the highlight disc of the four here.

Finally, on disc four we have Majestic Dub from 1979- this takes in another ten tracks. And if that wasn’t enough there are another twelve bonus/ rare tracks from the same period. With the album tracks we go from the bright whooshing disco meets dub of “Ten Commandments”, onto jiving funk keys meets dub bass breakdowns of “Kings of Dub”. There’s “Edward The Eight” which opens with just pared back zooming synth space tone & an echoed male voice- before alternating between dub-out reverb and grooving keys hinting at melody/ other sonic flotsam jetsam. Of the bonus tracks, we have the skittering organ meets low bass groove of “Alan Hit by A Lorry”. There is the smoky-yet cheeky sax reverb ‘n’ sail of “Arlene Dub”, or the disco tom drum lined meets snapping dub percussion of “Infatuation”. This disc isn’t quite as consistent as the third disc, but it’s close.

It's great to have all of these albums & bonus tracks presented as one big box set- so you can really chart how Gibbs, The Professionals, and Thompson developed & experimented with the dub form. If you do pick this up, don’t be put off by the interesting/ if not terrible inspired first disc, as it’s an important starting point for what they launched into later.