Search - Sly & Robbie :: Overdrive in Overdub

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Tom Plum | Roswell, NM United States | 03/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A good compilation highlighting Sly and Robbie's work and not in the role of backing up a singer or band. While always good, some tracks are a bit indifferent in tone but are definitely brought up by the good ones that they only seem like interludes in the instrumentation.



Give this CD points too for containing material that looks like their Dub work with Black Uhuru, I don't know if this was ever released via that manner like Black Uhuru's excellent "The Dub Factor" but the first track is "Plastic Dub" which is of course, from Black Uhuru's "Plastic Smile" the second from the last track, 17 "Market Dub" also takes from their work with Black Uhuru, probably the "Guess who's coming to dinner" song but might have some of another one too. In fact, track 13, "heart made of dub" is probably more Uhuru with the recognizable voices of Rose and Puma Jones once again. Still, this track 13 must mainly be experimentation and I'm not into the duck quacks that much, you'd have to hear it to know what I mean...so in this case, it could sound like they were just messing around in the studio some but I won't dock 'em points 'cos the whole effort is strong. Some of these tracks of the total 18 sound like unfinished projects versus say the completeness of what is found on Black Uhuru's "Dub factor." The first track really kicks off!



It makes me think that some of these other tracks are probably unused ones from backing major artists but not all of them. There is a randomness about how these tracks are tossed together but they hold together in being well done dub.



There's some Dub on this CD that is more like "just plain fun" rather than some fine reggae but if their "Peter Gunn" takeoff isn't all that great, their dub version of yes, the same piano song in the Paul Newman/Robt. Redford music (Marvin Hamlisch maybe did that?) "The Sting" really a nice touch. One question I have on this album concerns track 6; the liner notes say it is "Roxanne" (no not the Police's Roxanne) but it sounds so much in rhythm like the song Simon and Garfunkel did, "El Condor Pasa"... so I don't know what the distinction is, but I find it enjoyable in thinking about the South American styled "El Condor Pasa."



Track 8 is "River Niger" the famed instrumental that I believe is taken from the theme song of a movie by the same name with James Earl Jones. To me, it is one of the best instrumentals in the history of reggae in it's original version. Here I fear it was shortened to be 3 minutes and 15 seconds but if it was shortened by around a minute or two, one still gets a good feeling for it.



Track 9 "Depth Charge" is alright and that name does lend itself to a dub song. Most of the other songs continue in being strong as well, if not overwhelming, pleasing enough to listen too. 12. "My whole world in Dub" has a nice peppy sound. And what about track 14, titled "Lovers Bob"; a nice sound incorporating xylophones and maracas but when Bob is mentioned, I thought maybe it was some sort of a Wailers song but the rhythm doesn't call to mind anything he did. Track 18 "Drum and Bass Dub" has a tinge of some pop song I believe I have heard but I can not quite remember it's name.



Altogether, a fine collection that spins easily by the Rhythm twins."