A massive amount of radical records from the great Joe Gibbs – a producer who forever changed the face of Jamaican music with a legendary run of dub albums in the 70s! Joe was no stranger to the scene by the time of these tracks – but the sessions had him really burrowing in to very experimental territory, coming up with sounds that were years ahead of their time, and which set the tone for so many other dub productions in years to come – all very far from some of the chart-topping reggae hits of the decade! The work features plenty of hypnotic rhythms from Sly & Robbie, and great guitar work from Earl Chinna Smith – plus nice horn parts and keyboard lines too – all elements that are whipped up into a sonic souffle by the maestro. This 4CD set features this legendary run of records – Dub Serial, State Of Emergency, Majestic Dub, More Majestic Dub, and the African Dub albums, chapters 1 to 4 – with 12 tracks that have never been on CD before, and the usual deep detail and top-shelf presentation of the Doctor Bird label. CD

Genius in one of its purest forms! Paul Desmond's alto sax was honed to perfection by the time of these recordings – worked out through fame in the Dave Brubeck Quartet years of the late 50s and early 60s, but also relaxed in a confidence that makes these sides completely majestic, and utterly fantastic! Desmond's tone and approach are languid – but in a way that's incredibly compelling: notes just floating out of the horn, almost effortlessly, seeming not to come from Desmond himself, but to him, gathered together by his warmth and good wit, honed in further by the spare and gentle guitar work of the great Jim Hall – and heard in the company of Gerry Mulligan on one album too! The package is great – with mini LP-styled cover reproductions of 60s RCA classics that include Desmond Blue, Take Ten, Bossa Antigua, Glad To Be Unhappy, Easy Living, and Two Of A Mind – with a booklet of notes, too. CD