just listen with your third eye

BASS

BASS seconded. Also unusual forms of percussion, pretty much.

Hearing an original track first (i.e. Jacob Miller’s “Baby I Love You So”) and then listening to the dub later (Augustus Pablo’s “King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown”) is a pretty good tutorial if you wanna train yourself

The best bit is just concentrating really intently on the percussive/rhythmic elements and letting the melodic touches kind of sneak up on you.

I just feel heretical for really getting into shit like No Protection and some of the Scientist albums vs. “foundational” stuff like Blackboard Jungle Dub. I totally prefer King Tubby to Scratch, for example. I feel like I’m missing something in Scratch, cause he’s supposed to be THE DOOD.

Nah Scratch’s dubs are not even his best material.

There’s nothing heretical about liking Scientist! Heavyweight Dub Champion is fantastic.

I mean if you don’t like Heart of the Congos or Party Time or Super Ape or any of the vintage Black Ark vocal/DJ stuff than yeah you are missing something, but if you find the most of the dubs of those tracks less exciting than Tubby’s best stuff well don’t worry cuz it probably is.

There’s nothing heretical about liking Scientist

I took it as heretical to prefer a dude like Scientist to Scratch.

What to listen for in _____

fuck these threads

Fuck off with yr fuckin.

are you asking for recommendations? cuz there’s a dub listening thread: What dub have you been listening to recenty?

but if this is “how do i shot listened to [insert genre]?” then .........

I’m not asking for recommendations, I’m asking if I’m missing something in preferring so-called “lesser lights” like Mad Scientists to supposed titans like Lee Perry. I figure if dude is revered there’s a reason, and I was missing it completely. Was I just hearing it wrong, listening for the wrong things? Hence thread.

I mean if you don’t like Heart of the Congos or Party Time or Super Ape or any of the vintage Black Ark vocal/DJ stuff than yeah you are missing something, but if you find the most of the dubs of those tracks less exciting than Tubby’s best stuff well don’t worry cuz it probably is.
— Alex in SF (clobberthesauru...)

Sorta did it for me though.

I just feel heretical for really getting into shit like No Protection and some of the Scientist albums vs. “foundational” stuff like Blackboard Jungle Dub. I totally prefer King Tubby to Scratch, for example. I feel like I’m missing something in Scratch, cause he’s supposed to be THE DOOD.

— u got yr hoo in my steen! (no reese’s) (merlindude04@yahoo.com), December 16th, 2006.

dude, I felt the same way for the first year or whatever of listening to reggae. I eventually realized, fuck it, King Tubby is the true king of dub and Lee Perry just kind of sucks but is a funny character.

u r idiot

Agreed.

i mean, king tubby may be better (not that i agree but i don’t really care) but lee perry does not “just kind of suck.”

you must have tin ears

Agreed.

I mean seriously anyone who upon listening to any of the four albums I listed above, plus the Junior Murvin, George Faith and Max Romeo albums and about three or four essential compilations of absolutely classic singles that Perry did in the same period PLUS the pre-Island Wailers stuff and various Junior Byles things and tons of smoking pre-dub instrumentals and probably at least 6 or 7 other things I am forgetting then who would then argue that Scratch “just kind of sucks” is an idiot.

i suppose that if you approach his music wanting some hazy sci-fi sound effects trip through outer space and the small intestine you’ll be dissatisfied but if you just come to it listening for beautifully written songs with careful loving ear-massaging production then everything should work out.

I just remembered the Susan Cadogan album!

and in my opinion you can save yourself some time and just listen to heart of the congos if you are unsure of your status as an idiot. if you like that, keep exploring. if you think it just kind of sucks,, musiclaly, you know what to do.

because what alex describes requires a whole two days or so to digest, you’d have to be unemployed or bedridden or something to do it

eh, I can’t get over Lee Perry’s constant voice over his tracks. it annoys the shit out of me and ruins the dub experience. if you want to say I am an “idiot” because of that to earn your Never Dropping The Grudge Merit Badge or whatever, so be it.

his voice is found on pretty much NONE of the albums Alex listed!

lee perry productions are dub-by but not dub so the comparison with king tubby (an engineer/sound-man, not a producer) is silly.

scientist albums are perfect getting-your-feet-wet dub records for newbies. not the absolute best but solid throughout and very creative.

and they’re easy to find and cheap

i would have said that to anyone mickey

i don’t care who thinks lee perry sucks, if they are posting on an internet message board meant for music obsessives, i think there is something wrong with them

amon, re: “lee perry productions are dub-by but not dub so the comparison with king tubby (an engineer/sound-man, not a producer) is silly.”

...weren’t we talking about lee perry’s dub albums?

after all, the comment that started the comparison was:

I just feel heretical for really getting into shit like No Protection and some of the Scientist albums vs. “foundational” stuff like Blackboard Jungle Dub

and like the dude who said that, I also prefer Scientists’ dub albums over Perry’s. it’s been a few years since I’ve listened to this stuff (never re-bought these albums after my computer/music was taken, sort of ended my reggae phase) but if I remember correctly Blackboard Jungle Dub was loaded with Perry’s vocals. almost every one of his dub albums I listened to was, and I tried to give him numerous chances. but shit, his voice just kills the dub for me. I can’t get past it.

“but if I remember correctly Blackboard Jungle Dub was loaded with Perry’s vocals”

You don’t remember correctly.