The Professionals

30 tracks new to CD. Essential Joe Gibbs dub from 1975 to 1978. Includes dub versions of numerous Jamaican hits. By the mid-70s, Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson had formed a formidable partnership, which had spawned a multitude of major reggae best-sellers featuring the cream of Jamaica’s musical talents. But while the Mighty Two’s vocal productions have rightly earned widespread praise, the high standard of their dub mixes from the era have received considerably less attention. This 2CD collection addresses this oversight by bringing together 48 of their finest dub works from the reggae sub-genre‘s heyday: 1975 to 1978.

The 1970s were a golden age for dub music, with the decade witnessing its humble beginnings through to it becoming a dominant force on the Jamaican music scene. Throughout this fascinating evolution were a handful of pioneering sound engineers who transformed the style from relatively simple experimentations in sound to awe-inspiring reggae masterpieces, with their pioneering work continuing to inspire and influence music makers the world over, up until the present day. Leading this dub revolution were such seminal figures as King Tubby, Errol Brown, Scientist, Prince Jammy and perennial hitmaker, Errol Thompson, whose work with music impresario Joe Gibbs produced some of the biggest hits of the 1970s and beyond. Much of the latter’s dub output from the decade was featured on seven popular long- players that saw issue in Jamaica on Gibbs’s eponymously titled record label between 1974 and 1979, commencing with the experimental, yet hugely influential, ‘Dub Serial’ and ultimately culminating with the suitably titled ‘Majestic Dub’ from five years later.

The Professionals is a 1966 American western written, produced, and directed by Richard Brooks. It starred Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, and Claudia Cardinale, with Jack Palance, Ralph Bellamy, and Woody Strode in supporting roles. The script was adapted from the novel A Mule for the Marquesa by Frank O'Rourke. The film received three Academy Award nominations and an enthusiastic critical reception. The musical score was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre.