Various – Rubadub Revolution 2LP Pressure Sounds

Over the past decade Pressure Sounds Records and producer Bunny “Striker” Lee have collaborated on a series of critically acclaimed reissues and compilations that highlight Mr. Lee’s contribution to Jamaican music from 60’s rocksteady (The Uniques – Absolutely Rocksteady) to 70s reggae, roots (Bunny Lee & Friend’s Next Cut) and dubwise styles (Conflict Dub). This fruitful partnership continues with “Rub A Dub Revolution: Early Dancehall Productions From Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee” their first foray into Mr. Lee’s transformative rub a dub work from the late 70s to mid-eighties. In the late 1970s, Kingston was in the midst of a transformation from a decade of warfare and street battles. Sick of the politics and violence the population was ready to move on. Slowly the dancehalls, all but shuttered during the 1970s were returning to life and a host of new singers and DJs flocked to the sound systems with lyrics and style that spoke to the dancehall itself. This new breed of “rub a dub soldier” eschewed the international market, and spoke to Jamaicans in their own language, about their own concerns from sex to humor to the day-to-day problems of suffering in the ghetto. Bunny Lee was always attuned to the slightest changes in the musical landscape and quickly picked up on this shift in taste. By 1980 he had gathered a stable of young artists around his core veterans like Cornell Campbell and Johnny Clarke to build riddims and tunes to speak to this new “dancehall” vibe. With a deep knowledge of classic songwriting, an ability to effectively communicate with musicians and an infusion of new talent, Striker Lee’s new direction quickly hit gold. “Rub a Dub Revolution” mines this often overlooked period with tracks of rarities like the Paragons obscure “Place Called Zion”, classic tunes such as Don Carlos’ iconic “Pass Me The Lazer Beam” and extended 12″ mixes featuring DJ verses by Papa Tullo, Purpleman, Simple Simon and others that showcase the excitement, experimentation and raw energy of this transformative period of Jamaican music.