Just the Boys on Saturday

It's Saturday and the boys and I are hanging out. Abby is getting a much needed spa day and I'm getting a much needed "Daddy Day" with Arjen and Sage. I can see why Abby is so wiped out when I get home from work. Initially, one would think that staying at home everyday would be relaxing and easy. The boys don't allow it. They have been competing for my attention all day and it really wears you down. Thank God for nap time!

I took these two pictures after I put the boys down. It's been raining all day and has now changed to snow. Gotta love March weather! Hopefully the moisture keeps coming, our plants and trees could really use it.

Normally at 1:00 on Saturday, I'd be listening to Reggae Bloodlines on KGNU. The past week they have been having the pledge drive (KGNU is a public radio station) and they're not playing much music. I pledged last week during Postman Roger's show and should be receiving my premiums (killer Bob Marley and Peter Tosh Bootlegs from the the late 70's and early 80's) in a few days. Today I thought I'd take a break from the Bloodlines show and listen to some of my Reggae Vinyl.

With it snowing outside, I thought some MASSIVE Dub Reggae was in order. Today's selection was "King Tubby Presents The Roots of Dub". I got this record off of Ernie B's reggae distribution site. It's an orignal 1975 Jamaican pressing and Ernie B listed it as an essential record. It's not available on CD and I really think that the soul of this record would be lost if it

was "digitized". The beautiful thing about Dub reggae in the 70's is that these guys (King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mad Professor to name a few) produced these records without the aid of computers. They layered track over track with analog equipment. The reverb, echoing and other sound effects are astounding. "The Roots of Dub" is no exception. The musicians on this record are known as the "Aggrovators". The most notable member is Robbie Shakespeare who lays down some of the best baselines in all of Reggae music. Any album featuring Robbie is worth listening to. The interesting thing about this record is that it doesn't feature Robbie's drumming partner Sly Dunbar. Sly and Robbie are synonymous with reggae drum and bass. None the less this album is exactly what it advertises. The slight vocals and guitar are dwarfed by the hard hitting bass. My favorite tracks on the record are Loving Dub and Dub Magnificent. Definitely a classic for any Dub Reggae lover.

Well the boys are up from their nap and my attention is needed again. Expect more record reviews coming soon!