One of Reggae’s most revered songwriters meets mixing board maestro Mad Professor on Bob Andy’s Dub Book As Revealed To Mad Professor. I discovered the album for the first time just recently and it took me by surprise. I can’t believe this album is so seldom spoken about in Dub circles of even among Mad Professor devotees. Perhaps, this also has to do with the huge back catalog of Mad Professor who has been active since the early eighties. So, getting yourself familiar with Mad Professors work as dub mixologist therefore can be a daunting task. The Dub Me Crazy series for instance has already 12 installments to its name and is just one of the many dub projects bearing his name. To save you some time, I recommend The African Connection (Dub Me Crazy #3) and Escape To The Asylum Of Dub (Dub Me Crazy #4) as a starter but all installments have their merits. Apart from the Dub Me Crazy series, he has applied his unique dub treatment to some of the most stunning works by the likes of Massive Attack, Ruts D.C., and Jah9 to just name a few. This time around, Mad Professor celebrates some of the timeless works of Bob Andy.
Heralded by many as one of Jamaicans most prolific songwriters, Bob Andy’s legacy speaks for itself. The world has truly lost a voice with his passing three years ago, but he still resonates through a new generation of Reggae vocalists. Just listen to We remember Bob Andy released early this year to behold the extent of his influence. Bob Andy’s Dub Book As Revealed To Mad Professor turns some of his classics inside out before reassembling them in an different order entirely. The title might suggest the album to be fully based on 1970’s cornerstone Bob Andy’s Songbook, but apart from the phenomenal Chain Free Dub and Dubbing Home mostly draws inspiration from later in his career. Something I came to appreciate very much as it works perfectly with Mad Professor forward thinking Dub methods.
For fans of Mad Professor, you can catch him live in just two weeks at Reggae Geel 2023 where he will performing a live dub set deep in the Belgian woods. Bob Andy’s Dub Book As Revealed To Mad Professor makes a perfect warm-up for the festival vibes.