Trojan Dub Box Set

The first of two valuable dub collections on Trojan -- part of the label's bargain, three-disc box set series -- this 50-track mix of trance-inducing sound effects and brutal rhythms chronicles the music during its '70s heyday. Selecting from a store of original sides by the likes of Gregory Isaacs and former Skatalite and tenor great Tommy McCook, dub originator King Tubby and prot?g?s Scientist and Prince Jammy deliver plenty of solid version remixes, while early knob-twisters Lee Perry and "Niney" the Observer weigh in with some quality reworkings of their own. Crack-session bands the Upsetters, the Aggrovators, the Revolutionaries, and the Roots Radics all come off sounding like the real bedrock of reggae, as space-probe interjections bounce off heavy, heavy bass and drums. A quality dub primer perfect for reggae newcomers. Stephen Cook.