Jack Ruby - Black Foundation In Dub (1995)

All of these tracks were originally produced by Jack Ruby for Burning Spear, Justin Hinds & the Dominoes, the Heptones, and other groups. This disc is compilation of dub versions of the tunes, the dubs mixed by Errol Thompson, King Tubby, Sylvan Morris, and Chris Wilson. Now, it would be nice if there was any indication in the liner notes as to who did the original version that provided the base track for each selection, who did the dub mix of each track, and when the dub mixes (and for that matter the original tracks) were done. There are none such things, nor even any liner notes giving a general indication of the date range and where, if anywhere, this stuff originally appeared. Yes, that's not an uncommon situation in reggae reissues (assuming this is a reissue of vintage material), but gosh darn it that doesn't make it right, does it? The best guess on the part of such uninformed chumps, then, is that the base tracks were done in the 1970s, and the dub mixes done relatively shortly afterward. As for the music, it's decent but not mind-blowing dub, retaining some of the lead and harmony vocals, and going rather mild on the effects relative to how radically dub remixes can reinvent the material in many cases. It's solid 1970s reggae with a dub spin, the most famous original track being Burning Spear's "Slavery Days." Who did that dub? Can't tell ya.~ Review by Richie Unterberger