Chewing Pine

Keith Hudson – Pick a Dub (Atra, 1974)

Alright chillren, it’s learnin’ time. Another musical biscuit from Jamaica.

Keith Hudson began carrying shit around clubs for the venerable Don Drummond (Skatalites) in the sixties. So, early in his life Hudson had an affinity for music. He eventually became a dentist (oddly enough) and saved his loot. The DDS saved so much skrill from his practice, he started a label and began producing records. Engineering albums for John Holt, Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, U-Roy or Dennis Alcapone doesn’t seem too bad for a former Skatlite roadie (were they even called roadies then?). Eventually, Hudson started putting versions (dubs) of hits from Jamaica into album form. That’s where Pick a Dub flies in the face of conventional ska, rock-steady and reggae.

Being produced so early in the seventies, this album by Hudson helps to define the basic principals of dub. Pick a Dub was originally released in 1974 on Hudsons’ own label Atra, but was re-released by Blood & Fire in 1994. While Lee Perry’s Return of Django was released in 1969, his classic Super Ape albums didn’t come out until 1976 and 1980 respectively. So, the production techniques of Hudson on Pick a Dub were not influential in general but specifically in the case of Perry. Pulling in and dropping tracks from each song became the norm. The concentrated orchestration of drum and cymbal echoes alone must have taken Hudson a great deal of time. But, even more interesting are the melodies. While there are a number of very basic reggae guitar lines on here, there are a few (“Michel Talbot Affair” and “Depth Charge”) that are so lush, it sounds as if they came from Detroit.

For those of you accustomed to the Lee Perry method of insano-dub, you won’t find that here. Hudson is not quite that adventurous. Each track sports a solid drum and bass section of Ashton and Carlton Barrett with various melodic accompaniment by Augustus Pablo and the Soul Syndicate.

“Pick a Dub”, the title track comes first. A nice melodica courtesy of Augustus Pablo fades in and out over drum and bass provided by the Barrett brothers. A jubilant Big Youth chants towards the end and gives the track a plenary sound, not found on all the selections.

The track that sounds soul-derived is “Michael Talbot Affair”. More melody than rhythm this time. With a horn melody mirrored by lead guitar line, the Soul Syndicate delivers what their name promises. This could be the theme song of any 70’s blaxploitation film. A more solid melody by the rhythm guitar, gives the lead guitar and organ more room to intertwine with the track. As always, Hudson pulls out the melody to display the drum and bass half way through, creating different movements in the track from a single idea.

The middle of the album consists of basic dubs. Since we get to hear all of this 30 years after the moment of innovation, the simplicity is stifling and can cause the listener to lose interest, but at the time that this record was produced, there wasn’t a flock to herd this with.

Like a number of other tracks on this slab, the deftly played and syncopated drum and bass of “1-2 Dubwise” gets the showcase. Occasional support from a tasty dense echo laden guitar line livens up the space, but nothing more than solid dub.

There are two consecutive tracks (“Satia” and “Black Right”), which are versions of the Abyssinians songs “Declaration of Rights” and “Satta Massanga”. “Black Right” is transformed into one of the most listenable versions on this slab.

The most intriguing aspect of “I’m Alright”, one of the last tracks Hudson offers here, is the fact that the lyrics constitute an Eastern belief of prior to offering advice to others, perfect yourself, your life. The lazy rhythm doesn’t hurt the delivery; it just floats out of the speakers, languidly resting upon the lobes and into the brain.

There are some hints of Keith Hudsons’ future religious righteousness on this slab (“Black Right”, “Dreaded Than”), but not too much. Major labels would try to whore this man out shortly after this album was released, turn him into another Marley. But Boo to that.