*GUEST REVIEW*
The names above the title are a bit of a misnomer. Yes, these are King Tubby-mixed dub tracks of Inner Circle when Jacob Miller was their lead singer and they were still root-years away from the reggae crossover band they were to become. But what really sets these dubs apart is the nimble fingers of keyboard player Bernard "Touter" Harvey, who overlaid synthesizer parts atop the riddims to such Inner Circle songs as "Tenement Yard," "Suzie Wong" and "Tired fe Lick Weed in a Bush." The lengthy liner notes state that these synthed-up dubs weren't meant for release, and if that's the case I'm sure glad that someone screwed up and released them. What we have is dub from a time when the synthesizer was still considered a cutting-edge futuristic instrument, and here it's utilized in the service of a real one drop foundation courtesy of Inner Circle's Fatman Riddim Section augmented by players like Santa Davis and Chinna Smith. Unlike later years when synthetic sounds nearly destroyed roots reggae altogether, the approach on this album is strikingly good. Touter's overlays can be hair-raising, mystical, playful, ominous or all of those, always perfectly shadowing the skittering King Tubby dubs down below. The nascent possibilities of the synthesizer are handled the way Augustus Pablo handled the melodica-with humble restraint and spirit. This is music that even today sounds like it straddles the classic and the forward-reaching with visionary strength and inventiveness. Dub lovers should rush to get it.

- Tom Orr