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Scientist Meets the Space Invaders (Greensleeves, 1981)
This album was produced in part by Linval Thompson, which goes a long way to explaining why the music is so understated. Looking at the wild cover art, you wouldn't think that would be the case. Particularly since this is a dub album, you'd expect there to be a ton of weird digital effects, video game samples and so forth, but no, it's pretty tame. This doesn't mean that it's bad, however -- just not as good or as cool as it could've been. The music is old-fashioned rootsy dub, but more stripped down and simple, with heavy bass, sharp, echoed drums, and only the occasional guitar or echoing vocal. I like vocal snippets thrown in my dub, and as such, my favorite cut here -- "Laser Attack" -- is one of the few on Scientist Meets the Space Invaders with them. The other 2 with vocals -- "Quasar" and "Cloning Process" -- are also nice, as are the driving bass and bluesy guitar of "Red Shift" and the dancehall-esque bass line of "De Materialize."
| Track Listing 1. Beam Down 2. Red Shift 3. Time Warp 4. Cloning Process 5. Pulsar 6. Laser Attack 7. De Materialize 8. Fission 9. Super Nova Explosion 10. Quasar |
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Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires (Greensleeves, 1990 [orig. released 1981]) This is probably my favorite of the Scientist albums I've heard (Who wouldn't love this cover art?), largely because I know and enjoy many of the vocal tracks from which these dubs are culled. Michael Prophet provides the inspiration for half of this album, as dubs of 5 tunes from Gunman and Righteous Are the Conqueror can be found here, most notably "You Are a No Good" ("Dance of the Vampires"), "Hold on to What You Got" ("Cry of the Werewolf"), and my favorite "Love and Unity" ("Your Teeth in My Neck"). The uncluttered drum and bass sound that made the vocal versions so compulsive come to the forefront here, and Scientist includes just enough vocal snippets to help keep the dubs from getting dull. Aside from Michael Prophet, Scientist dips into The Wailing Souls' pool for 3 cuts from Firehouse Rock, the best being the title track ("The Mummy's Shroud") and "Oh What a Feeling" ("The Voodoo Curse"). The cream of the crop on The Evil Curse of the Vampires, however, may be the funky digital wa-wa groove of "Blood on His Lips." Scientist knows not to screw around with producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes' original raw early dancehall sound, smartly keeping it intact on this strong set. |
| Track Listing 1. The Voodoo Curse 2. Dance of the Vampires 3. Blood on His Lips 4. Cry of the Werewolf 5. The Mummy's Shroud 6. The Corpse Rises 7. Night of the Living Dead 8. Your Teeth in My Neck 9. Plague of the Zombies 10. Ghost of Frankenstein |
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Scientist Meets Roots Radics: Dubbin With Horns (Burning Sounds, 1996)
Horny dub fans unite! Producer Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas gathered the two powerhouses Scientist and Roots Radics for the sessions that resulted in the rootsy dub tracks on Dubbin With Horns. Thomas wrote about half of the songs on the album, but his tunes fall flat in comparison to the versions of previously released material included here, headlined by the classic riddims of "Stalag 17," "Shank I Sheck," "Pretty Looks," and "Heavenless." Even if these titles don't sound familiar, the music should, at least to those who've been listening to reggae for a while. The funky "Jah Wrote Me" (one of the only tracks with vocals included) and "What You Gonna Do" round out the best of Dubbin With Horns, which, as the title implies, features horns as the driving musical element. Still, as classic as some of these riddims are, I can't help but feel a sense of sterility because they weren't necessarily the original versions. If that doesn't bother you, though, then this album should suit you just fine.
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