The Top 30 Albums of 1978: #19

Junior Delgado
Dance a Dub

Though he’d had hits in the early 70’s with the group Time Unlimited, Junior Delgado’s 1978 album, Dance a Dub, only received a printing of 500 copies on vinyl until the late 90’s, when it was finally released on CD. That may not seem out of the ordinary for what was essentially a remix album, released before the material it was remixing, but Dance a Dub is the very definition of a lost masterpiece, immaculate in its vision and execution. Though it was technically his debut solo album, Dance a Dub didn’t quite represent Junior Delgado’s personal steez. Delgado was a roots reggae singer, best known for his collaborations with his good friend Dennis Brown; Dance a Dub, on the other hand, is an airy, experimental album—like most dub albums, obsessed with texture and space and studio tinkering. Essentially, it was a playground for sound engineers Sylvan Morris, Soljie Hamilton, King Jammy (back when he was still a Prince), and, most importantly, King Tubby.

The album begins with a horn line riff, which hangs in the air by itself for a little while before a single down-beat introduces the idea that there could be other musicians out there in the world, somewhere—the opening horns are so crystalline and mesmerizing that you forget. As instruments begin to drift in, the horns become the song’s constant, while drums, keyboards and ambient noises flit around underneath them until they finally give way to an extended sax solo. That song, the album’s title track, is more than 60% longer than any other on the album, and it is transporting—it may actually slow down time. When Junior Delgado’s vocals finally kick in at the beginning of the second track, the Bob Marley-written “Hooligan Stew,” the rest of the music drops out, and Delgado’s voice is allowed room to echo. “Dance a Dub” and “Hooligan Stew” are so tightly wound that they build up enough momentum for the next couple of tracks to drift off into space, leading into “Kidnapped on a Subway,” and the album’s centerpiece, “Ups.” “Ups” is the closest Dance a Dub has to a roots reggae song, featuring Delgado singing some simple love lyrics: “Hold me tighter/ Never let me loose.” Its counterpart, “Downs,” is a dubbed-out cry for peace. Isolated into single lines and phrases, the lyrics have a chance to burrow, even if you never quite get to hear what Delgado wants you to do after he pleads “Brother… Sister…” In many ways, Dance a Dub is like a jazz album, allowing each individual component its moment to chase after a sound—and in each of those moments, the musicians (or engineers) try to not only make sound, but rediscover sound itself. It’s like hearing someone born with complete musicianship playing for the first time and realizing they know everything.

-Martin Brown, 2009

If you're interested in checking out this incredible album in its entirety, you can find the vinyl version here.

Comments

[Zebtron A. Rama]

Amazing godsdamn album. Many thanks for the heads up.