Dub Specialist

Since Studio One producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd was famous for some great early ska and rocksteady sides, he was pigeonholed and found that respect as a roots producer didn't come easy. He won fans over with a string of hits, but when it came to dub he played it safe and disappeared behind the pseudonym of Dub Specialist. A series of cheaply packaged and generically titled releases appeared under this name, and their unique combination of dub plus more uptempo rhythms than usual made them highly sought-after collector items. This 2008 collection from Heartbeat is a reissue of 17 Dub Shots from Studio One, the label's 1995 set of Dub Specialist dubs, with new artwork based on the 1974 album Better Dub plus the previously unavailable track "Dub Me Girl" tacked on the end. The liner notes are minimal, keeping the Dub Specialist mystique intact, but there's a helpful list of vocal cuts from which these dubs are sourced. Once you've devoured the work of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, and the other greats, Coxsone's less freaky and upbeat style of dub is worth exploring, especially when it comes in such authentic packaging. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide