According to our
Rough Guide To Reggae, Jimmy Radway's
Dub I is one of the heaviest dub albums ever released. And, as usual, the're right. Former painter and political gunman Ivan Jimmy “One Foot” Radway (born Kingston, 1947) recorded a bunch of wicked tunes in the early seventies for his Capricorn and Fe Me Time labels. He gets his first hit with Errol Dunkley’s
Black Cinderella in 1972, written by Radway himself. He returns to the charts in 1973 with Leroy Smart’s
Mother Liza, and releases several other tunes with deejays I Roy, Big Youth and Scotty. By 1975, he also did an entire dub album, filled with the tough riddims of his earlier tunes, all mixed in a day by mixing desk wizard Errol T at Joe Gibbs. A the time only 300 copies were pressed (the Micron label had folded), making it a sought-after item on the collecter’s market. Adding to the mystery, the album carries many different names such as
Dub I, Micron Dub, Hug a Dub, Dubwise Shower and Fe Mi dub. Now, this mythical dub album gets a proper re-release in his original sleeve by
Pressure Sounds, who again deserve praise for their work in uncovering Jamaican gems. No tricks here, the horns with lots of echo, the basslines with lots of crunch, heavy and grim dub, reflecting the dark and violent circumstances of Kingston’s ghettos at the time. Dub versions to afore mentioned
Black Cinderella (and its deejay and melodica cuts from Big Youth, I Roy and Augustus Pablo) and
Mother Liza, plus dubs of Scotty Bells’
Black Am I, Leroy Smart’s
Happiness Is My Desire and Desmond Young’s (later known as Desi Roots) awesome original cut
Warning, toasted by Big Youth as
Wolf In Sheep’s Clothin. Radway also recut Glen Brown’s
Slaving as
Wicked Have To Feel It. Musicians include Jamaica’s finest session players: Carlton and Aston Barret, Alva Lewis, Tyrone Downie, Bobby Ellis, Vincent Gordon, Dirty Harry, Tommy McCook and the mighty Cedric “Im” Brooks. His vocal work of the early seventies can be found on the
Keep the Pressure Down compilation on Prestige records, recorded at Randys and Dynamics 1972-1976. After the Dub I album, Radway decided to quit the music business and retired to the countryside. By 1996 he was down on his luck living in Ocho Rios, unable to afford a mobile phone. Hopefully this beautifull re-issue will get him some more of the attention and financial reward he deserves.
Tracklist:
1. Black Rights Version
2. Cinderella Version
3. Micron Way Version
4. Hell & Sorrow Version
5. Awn Yah! Version
6. Mother Liza Version
7. Back To Africa Version
8. She’s Mine Version
9. Wicked Have To Feel It Version
10. Black I Am Version
Greensleeves
