Customer Reviews

Declaration of Dub

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, don't even think of buying this album before owning the original, the Abyssinians are a vocal group, the songs are great, hear them in their entirety. The dub mixing on this album is not credited to anyone, this is not a vintage dub album, these are modern dubs of vintage songs. The mixing is boring, predictable, and formulaic. Not creative at all, these mixes just leave you wanting the originals. The vocals are never echoed off into the distance; they play for a few bars and then just stop. Dub is not about turning instruments on and off; it is about weilding the instruments like swords, slicing through the sound and flowing through your head. A good dub will create new rhythms by using different combinations of the existing tracks to create something more than the sum of its parts. This album is just the original album, lacking different instruments at different parts. Completely predictable, the mixer of this album seems to just be following the 'rules of dub': play vocals for two bars, stop, play bass and drums for two bars, use reverb, stop, enter guitar for measure, stop, repeat. Dissapointing. And "declaration of dub"'s only version of the great song "declaration of rights" is not even from the original recording; new electronic-sounding instruments and NO vocals are the dub of the song. Weak.

It would be strongly advised to listen to the original "Satta Massagana" recordings before hearing these dub remakes to better bask in all of the beauty the Abyssinians have to offer, especially those beautiful voices and harmonies...

...BUT even if you don't, you can not help but be amazed by what this album has to offer. You still have the music pretty much intact, and tasty pieces of the roots reggae vocals that made Abyssinians songs what they were, on there to whet your appetite for more of this great trio.

For me, however, as much as I love dub albums, the Abyssinians are best heard in their full vocal glory, and dub, by definition, will only give you small glimpses into what was really going on in any session, song, etc. Enjoy this album for the dub it offers- its straight forward and has great moments on it- but also get the original "Satta Massagana" lp to fully understand the Abyssinians experience.

This is the disc that did it for me. One day, two years ago, I was high and listening to this album, and I had a realization.

Something like "Reggae's not about who can do what, or how fast they can solo. It's about channeling something deeper"

Since then my life has changed. This CD, especially "Thunderstorm Dub" - is profound.