King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson

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King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson
Pressure Sounds reissue cover
Studio album by
Released1976
StudioKing Tubby's studio, Channel One, Joe Gibbs' studio, Dynamic Sounds, Harry J's studio, Black Ark
Genreroots reggae, dub reggae
Length40:39
LabelProphet, Nationwide, Pressure Sounds
ProducerVivian Jackson
Yabby You & King Tubby chronology
Conquering Lion
(1975)
King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson
(1976)
Deliver Me From My Enemies
(1977)

King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson (also known as Chant Down Babylon and Walls Of Jerusalem) is the second album by Jamaican musician Yabby You (Vivian Jackson), in collaboration with Jamaican sound engineer and dub music pioneer King Tubby.

The first half of King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson is tracks by Yabby You with his backing band The Prophets, some of which had previously been released as 45s.[1] The second half is dub versions of those tracks, made by King Tubby.[1]

Background and release[edit]

In 1975 Jackson and his vocal group The Prophets released their debut album Conquering Lion, which was popular in Jamaica and the UK.[2]

Walls of Jerusalem was first released in Jamaica in 1976, and was initially sold as an LP in a blank sleeve.[1] Jackson later reissued the album on his label Prophet under the title King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson.[3] In 1977 record label Nationwide released the album in the UK as Chant Down Babylon, with alternate cover art and track names, and erroneously credited it to "Yabby Youth".[1]

In 2019 Pressure Sounds reissued the album as Walls of Jerusalem on LP and CD. The reissue included a second disc of studio outtakes and dub versions.[4][5]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

Jo-Ann Greene of AllMusic wrote that title track "Walls Of Jerusalem" is a "stellar single, a major hit, and a song that helps make You's own religious beliefs clear."[6] The Rough Guide to Reggae said that "tracks like "Walls Of Jerusalem" and "Chant Down Babylon" are flawless, while the dubs are fully the equal of those on the classic Prophecy Of Dub set from Tubby."[1]

David Katz described the track "Chant Down Babylon Kingdom" as "one of Yabby’s most forceful releases".[7] He also described the album, and its follow-up Deliver Me From My Enemies, as being of the same standard as Yabby You's debut, and as "containing works of fearsome religious and political retribution, interspersed with the occasional love song."[8]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Vivian Jackson.

King Tubby Meets Vivian Jackson track listing
No.TitleTitle on Chant Down Babylon UK releaseLength
1."Walls Of Jerusalem""Walls Of Jerusalem"3:41
2."Chant Down Babylon""Chant Down Babylon Kingdom"2:32
3."Fire Round Town""See Them A Walk"3:24
4."Plague On The Hand""King Pharoah"3:04
5."Tribulation""Sufferation"3:46
6."Go To School Jah Jah Children""Black Mans Land"3:07
7."Dub Of Jerusalem""Dub Of Jerusalem"3:44
8."Chanting Dub""Historians Dub"2:46
9."Firey Dub""Theodore Dub"3:47
10."Dub Plague""Ainash Nubia Dub"3:26
11."Tribulation Dub""Shimezana Region In Dub"3:57
12."School Days Dub" 3:27
Total length:40:39
2019 Pressure Sounds Walls Of Jerusalem release: "Studio Outtakes" and "More Versions"
No.TitleArtistLength
13."The Man Who Does The Work"Vivian Jackson & The Prophets3:21
14."Valley Of Joeasaphat"Smith & The Prophets3:32
15."Go To School Jah Jah Children" (unreleased mix)Vivian Jackson & The Prophets3:43
16."Love Of Jah"Vivian Jackson & The Prophets4:30
17."Sand In My Shoe"Tommy McCook4:28
18."Jah Vengeance"The Prophets2:58
19."Greetings"King Tubby3:01
20."Fire Fire Dub"The Prophets2:33
21."Stand Up And Fight Dub"The Prophets3:35
22."Sand In My Shoe Dub"King Tubby3:01
23."Prophets Dub"The Prophets3:15
24."Repatriation Rock"The Prophets3:23
Total length:41:19

Personnel[edit]

Other credits

Technical

Artistic

  • Happening, Theo Bafaloukos – photography

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Steve Barrow; Peter Dalton (August 2004). "Yabby You: The Jesus Dread". The Rough Guide to Reggae (3rd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. p. 163–167. ISBN 1-84353-329-4.
  2. ^ a b Colin Larkin (1998). "Yabby You". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. VIII (3rd ed.). Muze. p. 5945–6. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
  3. ^ Diggory Kenrick, Sleeve notes of the Pressure Sounds Walls Of Jerusalem reissue
  4. ^ Walls of Jerusalem at AllMusic
  5. ^ "Yabby You Meets King Tubby – Walls Of Jerusalem", reggae-vibes.com, 2019-05-28, retrieved 2024-05-19
  6. ^ Walls of Jerusalem (song) at AllMusic
  7. ^ David Katz (2015-08-27), "A beginner's guide to Yabby You, the ultimate reggae outsider", factmag.com, Fact, archived from the original on 2024-05-19, retrieved 2024-05-19
  8. ^ David Katz (2012-02-01), "Yabby You obituary", theguardian.com, The Guardian, retrieved 2024-05-19