Singing Dianne
You Gotta Give Away

Black Ark In Dub is another piece of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s limitless musical puzzle. "Featuring a bedrock of deep and heavy rhythms recorded at the Black Ark just before its demise, Black Ark In Dub features bass heavy spooky dub deconstructions of ‘Jah Love Is Sweeter’, ‘Ethiopia’, ‘Lion A De Winner’, ‘Open The Gate’, ‘Guideline,’ and ‘Mr Money Man’, along with an embellished dub version of Ras Keatus I ‘Dreadlocks I’ and the much sought after ‘Guidance’ a longime Jah Shaka killer exclusive to this set. Originally released in 1981 the hard to find Black Ark In Dub remains a frozen sonic timepiece, captured at the beginning of the end of one era and poised at the start of another.

The Train To Skaville single was very much “the little train that could”. The disc managed to post a top 40 placing in the UK under some of the most unpromising of circumstances. Cut in 1967 with backing from Lynn Taitt And The Jets, it was originally issued in Britain on the tiny Rio label owned by one William Rickard, really just an off-shoot of his record shop which catered for Jamaican recordings. With little radio support, the key to its success was the popularity it gained on the dance club scene. This momentum pushed it onwards and into the charts.The taste that the Mods had got for Jamaican music through the Ska boom had remained as that fashion receded and this enduring interest led to the talented duo of Leonard Dillon and Stephen Taylor’s sole hit. Though another British chart placing eluded them, Train To Skaville set them up for a long run of success back in Jamaica with many well respected recordings. A knock on effect of the single’s triumph was they were one of the few artists afforded the opportunity of cutting a long playing record so early on in their careers, the Engine 54 LP that we have here.

‘Sound System International' is a Clancy Eccles produced dub set featuring ten thrilling King Tubby’s deconstructions of a selection of Dynamites rhythms where Tubbs spins the tunes around and comes up with something very, very special. as he takes these straight forward reggae songs, turns them upside down and on to somewhere completely different.The ten track vinyl album remains the same as the rare original release and includes Tubby’s dubs to Lord Creator’s winsome ‘Kingston Town’, The Dynamites’ beautiful ‘Red Moon’ and King Stitt & Andy Capp’s ‘Herb Man’. The CD echoes the origins of dub in Kingston’s sound systems and comes with five bonus tracks including ‘Phantom’ Lynford ‘Andy Capp’ Anderson’s next cut to ‘Herb Man’ one of the earliest ever dub mixes; two outings from ‘The Ugly One’ foundation deejay King Stitt including his riposte to U Roy“You say you rule the nation with version…” entitled ‘King Of Kings’ and the amazing ‘Dance Beat’ where Stitt and Clancy discuss the early days and characters of the sound system scene and finishing up with The Dynamites’ stirring ‘Tribute To Drumbago’.Originally released in a plain cover rubber stamped with only the title and track listing ‘Sound System International’ now comes replete with superb graphics, stunning contemporary photographs of King Tubby and extensive sleeve notes detailing the origins of the dub and deejay phenomenon. The set has also been totally re-mastered. We at Pressure Sounds were thrilled to be able to negotiate the release of this awesome rarity where, for once, the hyperbole is all for real.