Compilations

Augustus Pablo
Gold

Tracklist

1. Chain Gang
2. Africa 1983
3. Java
4. Mr. Bassie
5. Natural Way
6. Pablo Majestic Mood
7. Rockers Mood
8. West Abyssinia
9. East of The River Nile
10. Up Warika Hill
11. 555 Crown Street
12. Pablo Satta
13. Thunder Clap
14. King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
15. Keep On Dubbing
16. Jah Light
17. Too Late
18. Pablo Dub
19. Upful Living
20. Unfinished Melody

Notes

Whilst musicians such as Peter Tosh and Joe White may have been the first to play melodica in a Jamaican reggae session, it was Augustus pablo who elevated this simple keyboard-cum-wind instrument to credible status, and coaxed the most spiritually uplifting sounds from it.

Real name Horace Swaby, this slightly built, earnest youth from uptown Kingston first recorded for Herman Chin Loy of Aquarius Records, debutising with Iggy and an early cut of East Of The River Nile.

The name Augustus Pablo had been coined by Chin Loy for a handful of previous instrumental releases, but quickly became associated with the future reggae legend, whose next move found him recording at Randy's studio on North Parade for Clive Chin, who unleashed Java and his debut album "This Is Augustus Pablo" to notable acclaim in 1974.

After freelancing as an instrumentalist - playing either melodica or keyboards - for producers such as Leonard "Santic" Chin, Bunny Lee, Gussie Clarke and Keith Hudson, Pablo then set up his own label called Rockers, which he'd named after his brother Garth's sound-system.

Their first album release was the seminal "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown" in 1976, which is still widely regarded as one of the greatest reggae dub albums of all time.

Two years later, "East Of The River Nile" proved to be another masterpiece, by which time Pablo was beginning to make his mark as a producer.

Hugh Mundell ("Africa Must Be Free"), Jacob Miller (False Rasta), Tetrack, Junior Delgado, Big Youth, Earl Sixteen and Norris Reid (Entrance To Jah World) were among the many talented roots acts to benefit from his involvement, and his influence faded during the early eighties, he and Delgado made a dramatic comeback during 1986, when "Raggamuffin Year" stormed the international reggae charts and earned them a deal with Island records.

Always frail heath-wise, he continued releasing albums featuring both himself and other artists until his death from a nerve disorder called myasthenia gravis on May 18th 1999, leving behind a remarkable legacy spanning nearly three decades.

This album now gathers unforgettable extracts from Pablo's career, including the title track of King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown.

Although like any other serious reggae, jazz or blues musician, he frequently revisited classic rhythms or song of old, as tyified here by Mr. Bassie, his version of the Abysinnians' Satta Massagana and Thunder Clap, which reworks the melody line from Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine - itself immortalised in reggae by Doctor Alimantado's Best Dressed Chicken In Town, among other celebrated tracks of the mid-to-late seventies.

To his enduring credit, Pablo never compromised his art for short-time monetary gain, choosing instead to forge his reputation by virtue of demanding musical standards and the truthful exposition of his Rastafarian ideals. It was the depth of feeling and soulful expression in his work, together with an astute subtlety, that have enshrined his recordings in reggae's Hall Of Fame, and by which he will be remembered by subsequent generations of music lovers.

John Masouri

Musicians

• Augustus Pablo: ?
• ?: bass
• ?: drums
• ?: guitar