By 1978, Mikey Dread was one of the biggest names in reggae: his show on the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation, Dread at the Controls, was one of the first national radio programs to play nothing but the hottest contemporary reggae and dub, and he would soon temporarily move to England and enter the Clash's orbit. His production and mixing of the Clash during their Sandinista! period would make Dread one of the most familiar reggae names to the punk and new wave audience. However, those folks should be warned: Augustus Gussie Clarke's 1978 dub release Dread at the Controls Dub, though it lifts its name from Dread's popular radio show, otherwise has little to do with Mikey Dread, who does not appear here as a producer, mixer, or performer. But don't let that stop anyone: Dread at the Controls Dub is vintage late-'70s dub well worth a listen. The original tracks were recorded by the Revolutionaries, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare's pre-Taxi Records band, behind singers like Leroy Smart and the Mighty Diamonds; here, the ten tracks are transformed into deep, heavy dub audibly influenced by Lee Scratch Perry's contemporaneous work, including many of the oddball sound effects and sonic manipulation pioneered by the master. However, ever since 1978, information about this album has been difficult to come by, and this otherwise exemplary remastered reissue is equally unforthcoming: Clarke produced the original tracks, not the dubs, and although rumors have suggested many different mixers (including Mikey Dread himself, which both Dread and Clarke deny) were responsible for these inventive and drop-dead cool versions, it remains unknown whose mixing talents are on display on gems like Double Bubble and Michael Campbell Theme, which pays homage to Mikey Dread under his real name. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi

1		Double Bubble
2		Michael Campbell Theme
3		The Meek Dub
4		Mixed Up Stuff
5		Bad Company
6		Dread at the Controls
7		Loving Sounds
8		Hot Steppers
9		Midnight Clappers
10		Golden Locks

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