This is a long overdue re-issue of Augustus Pablo's classic album Thriller. I already own a couple of singles from the album but not the album. For me this would be a classic Monday afternoon reggae session album, back in the days when my friend Bill would bring round the Lambs bread or sensi and we would sit smoking, drinking coffee or sipping rum listening to tunes, discussing the music. With Bill having lots of great stories from back in the day, when he was a well-known Jamaican radio DJ in London. Because of that I had to review this album on a Monday around the time of day that Bill would pop by for a couple of hours or so, every two or three weeks for several years. I still miss him since he moved into a nursing home aged 78 a few years ago. This review is dedicated to Bill.
The A-side opens with the title track Thriller that has an imperious lead trombone part that I'm sure I would have discussed with my friend Bill as it floats above the cymbal heavy drums and super slow bassline this is glorious.
Pablo In Red has Augustus front and centre on his melodica, set against some rock steady bass snaking its way across the speakers, this builds slowly as you start to skank along with it.
The slow dub cut version of Everything I Own (Pablo Style) takes the Ken Boothe classic, strips it right back it needs to be heard while enjoying some lambs bread or Sensi, thanks to this year's Notting Hill Carnival I have a little sensi to help bring the magic, to a wonderfully sparse take on this classic tune I can hear Bill telling me to rewind the selector on this one.
I still remember buying the 7" of Last Of The Jestering at reggae revive, being so happy to be adding more versions of this tune to my collection, this is heavier by far than the Patti Smith version that first made me love this song, this is a heavy heavy dub version with speaker rattling drums, Augustus playing the main melody magnificently.
Striker closes the A-side and I believe it's a tribute to Bunny Lee that reworks a classic Jazz tune with some nice trombone, the sparse drums and bass driving things deep into your mind, while almost sounding like it comes from Tappa Zukie's Dubbing with horns set.
The B-side opens with Pablo Nah Jester that's a far straighter take on No Jestering than Last Of the Jestering, all it needs is someone to toast the vocals over the top, where's Carl Malcolm when you need him, I love the way the melodica hits the tune, then wanders away an back again.
Fat Girl Jean has loping bass and a slow skank, being a dub version means we can imagine for ourselves what they thought of Fat Girl Jean, as we sip on some good rum and smoke some more sensi, as those keyboards come in under Augustus melodica line, turn this up and shake the walls.
Marcus Garvey turns this Burning Spear Classic into a faster than usual, piano led dub, with some very understated guitar lines against the solid as you can get rhythm section.
Rocky Road is for taking a slow wander down that road, with a big spliff in your hand as you lope along as Augustus does some wonderful stuff with his melodica and every now and then the guitar comes in.
The album closes with Skibo Road that feel quite dancefloor orientated as I sit and figure where I know the piano part from, with the percussion doing lots of cool weird things as an organ elevates this a level or too, this is just brilliant dub as you'd expect, a great end to a classic dub album.
Find out more at https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/15590
