Customer Reviews

Instrumental Reggae

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The Aggrovators was the name given to one of the first CHANNEL ONE (Not to be mistaken by STUDIO ONE) studio bands. It is within the Aggrovators, that legendary Reggae Drummer Sly Dunbar developed the "Steppers" Rhythm, with a bassdrum hit on every count.
As the title already indicates, "Instrumental Reggae" is not just another Dub Album by the Aggrovators. And although the music is mixed in Dub style, it features the band's horn section just as much as it features the Rhythm Section. And that makes the album kind of special. It's not "instrumental reggae" in the sense that it's just the tracks without the vocals, because on most tracks there is some dub mixing going on. Not too wild, not too heavy, but to emphasize the music itself.

The drum and basslines are all solid, each and every one of them. The horns play skilfully on top of it. Some tracks contain beautiful themes, played powerfully by the whole horn section ("Rocking Jamboree" is a good example of that), where others contain complete saxophone solo's.

Automatically, when listening to "Instrumental Reggae", jazz comes to my mind. Much of the solo's contain Jazzy vibes. But where the solo's are played on Solid Rockers by the Aggrovators, who practically invented the Reggae Genre, it gives a much more powerful vibe.

All in all, I would recommend this album to everyone who like Reggae horns and Dub. It might be not mixed to the fullness, but the solidness of the Aggrovators make that up, and the subtle dub really forms a perfect foundation for the Hornsmen: Tommy Mc Cook and Bobby Ellis. Plus, the fact that the music on the disc lasts well over an hour and can be seen as "packed full" will definitely be another argument to buy the album.

The Aggrovators, the well known conglomeration of session musicians, are best known for their work with both Bunny Lee and King Tubby during most of the 1970's, making tight albums of incredible quality that are now dub classics.

This lp of instrumentals showcases the Aggrovators without any sort of studio enhancement. While the grooves are nice, to me, the album falls flat. It sounds like the group were having an off day, or weren't completely in sync with each other. It is not what one would come to expect from some of reggae's finest session men.

This lp comes somewhat recommended, because in dub mixes, the instrumentation can easily get lost in the mix. This allows the listener to get up close and personal with the band and get a feel for their unique chemistry. Any of their lps with King Tubby come more highly recommended, but this lp is listenable.