Review: Five essential Yabby You roots classics from the mid-70s are being released via Prophets and Digikiller and they all come paired with King Tubby's visionary dubs. This one focuses on 'Fire In Kingston' from Vivian Jackson and The Prophets and it's the pinnacle of roots music blending spiritual depth with Tubby's groundbreaking production. The low end is warm and cavernous and the vocals are effortlessly stylish and soulful and with the addition of sprinkling percussion and a zoned-out dub and you have a lovely little 7".
Review: The Vivian Jackson label has locked in this crucial reissue of a roots classic from Yabby U, a late Jamaican artist and producer who released it originally back in 1977. 'Chant Down Babylon' is a warm one with lazy and rolling drums and natty acoustic guitar riffs with Jah worshiping vocals and Babylon yearnings that unfurl up top with a real smoothness. On the flip, you will find the 'Chant Dub Mix' which removes the vocal chantings and allows the hats to hiss and the snares to take off like UFOs while the fleshy low end is couched in oodles of reverb.
Review: Pressure Sounds serve up a superb collection of Yabby dubs that have mostly been taken from past singles, but not in all cases. The vast collection comes with sleeve notes from Diggory Kenrick that give great context and take us back to the 1970s dub heyday in Jamaica. That is when Vivian 'Yabby You' Jackson was a fiercely independent singer and producer making waves off the back of his first early tunes. He famously carried all his records to the pressing plant on the back of his much loved motorbike. An accident caused him to give it up but the music survived and is this collection proves, it is crucial stuff.
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