Linton Kwesi Johnson - In Dub (1980)

Linton Kwesi Johnson is a towering figure in reggae music. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the Brixton section of London, Johnson invented dub poetry, a type of toasting descended from the DJ stylings of U-Roy and I-Roy. But whereas toasting tended to be hyperkinetic and given to fits of braggadocio, Johnson's poetry (which is what it was -- he was a published poet and journalist before he performed with a band) was more scripted and delivered in a more languid, slangy, streetwise style. Johnson's grim realism and tales of racism in an England governed by Tories was scathingly critical. The Afro-Brits in Johnson's poems are neglected by the government and persecuted by the police. Johnson was also instrumental (with his friend Darcus Howe) in the publication of a socialist-oriented London-based newspaper, Race Today, that offered him and other like-minded Britons, both black and white, an outlet to discuss the racial issues that, under Margaret Thatcher's reign, seemed to be tearing the country apart. For one so outspoken in his politics, Johnson's recorded work, while politically explicit, is not simply a series of slogans or tuneful/danceable jeremiads.

"LKJ in Dub" was released in 1980 on the Island Records label. It was produced by Linton Kwesi Johnson and Dennis Bovell (credited as Blackbeard). It contains dub versions of tracks from the two previous LKJ albums, "Forces of Victory" and "Bass Culture". This would be the last LKJ release for four years.

Tracklist:

Victorious Dub" – 3:32
"Reality [dub]" – 2:45
"Peach Dub" – 3:48
"Shocking [dub]" – 4:45
"Iron Bar Dub" – 3:42
"Bitch Dub" – 4:35
"Cultural Dub" – 3:27
"Brain Smashing Dub" – 3:27

Linton Kwesi Johnson - In Dub (1980)

(256 kbps, cover art included)