East of the River Nile
An instrumental album of melodica and keyboards, played with studio musicians known from the Wailers backing band and partly cut at Lee Perry's Black Ark.
Augustus Pablo, 1977
- Released
- 1977
- Studio
- Harry J, A & R, Channel One, King Tubby's and Black Ark studios, Kingston
- Label
- Message
- Producer
- Augustus Pablo
- Length
- 41:09
Pablo wrote every track and produced the album himself. Studio musicians known from the Wailers backing band play on it, with Earl Chinna Smith on lead guitar. Two tracks, Chant to King Selassie I and Natural Way, credit the Ja-Malla Band. Three more, Upfull Living, Unfinished Melody and Memories of the Ghetto, feature Lee Perry's Upsetters. King Tubby mixed the record, except for Upfull Living, which Perry mixed. Pablo said Addis Ababa was done at Perry's studio, where Perry ran it through a phaser.
Randall Grass wrote in The New Rolling Stone Record Guide that it takes dub melodicism to new heights. Trouser Press called it quintessential Pablo and perhaps his most consistent LP, and the Spin Alternative Record Guide noted a floating, childlike wonderment in the first half. Robert Christgau gave it an A. A 2002 reissue with six bonus tracks reached No. 13 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart.
Track listing
- Chant to King Selassie I
- Natural Way
- Nature Dub
- Upfull Living
- Unfinished Melody
- Jah Light
- Memories of the Ghetto
- Africa (1983)
- East of the River Nile
- Sounds from Levi
- Chapter 2
- Addis Ababa
Personnel
- Augustus Pablo melodica, organ, piano, clavinet, strings, producer
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett bass
- Robbie Shakespeare bass
- Clayton Downie bass
- Earl "Bagga" Walker bass
- Carlton Barrett drums
- Noel "Alphonso" Benbow drums
- Max Edwards drums
- Earl "Chinna" Smith lead guitar
- Everton Da Silva percussion
- King Tubby mixing
- Lee Perry engineer, mixing
- Errol Thompson engineer
- Prince Jammy engineer
- Sylvan Morris engineer
- Ernest Hookim engineer
More from Augustus Pablo
Ital Dub (1974), King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown (1976), Original Rockers (1979)
Sources
- East of the River Nile, Wikipedia
- East of the River Nile, Message LP, Discogs
- East of the River Nile, master release, Discogs
- Robert Christgau: East of the River Nile, Robert Christgau
- Augustus Pablo, Trouser Press
- Tales of Pablo, Reggae Vibes / More Axe (1987)