AUGUSTUS PABLO’S “PABLO MEETS MR BASSIE” REISSUED BY ROUGH TRADE RECORDS
Rough Trade Records is thrilled to announce the reissue of Augustus Pablo’s “Pablo Meets Mr Bassie,” the label’s second-ever 7″ single. The legendary roots reggae multi-instrumentalist and producer released the record in 1978, and it has since been remastered and cut by Marco Perry (known for his work with Bjork, Dennis Bovell, and Massive Attack).
The reissued version will feature the original sleeve, sticker, and label artwork. The recently released 7″ has a limited run of only 1,500 copies worldwide.
Geoff Travis, Rough Trade’s co-owner and founder, emphasises the significance of this record in the label’s history.
“This is the re-release of our second-ever Rough Trade single release. Richard Scott was working with us, developing a mail order and then a distribution company, and had deep Jamaican connections as he had been part of the management team for Third World.
He made a deal with Joan Higgins, a 15-year-old relative of Augustus Pablo, who worked the Saturday shift in Pablo’s Kingston Record shop. Everton Da Silva was also involved, perhaps as a go-between.
I always maintained that this is one of the best Rough Trade releases, if not the best. One of my very bad jokes is that it was all downhill from this point. In any case, it’s a monumental record and likely justification for the whole enterprise.”
Geoff Travis, 2023
ABOUT AUGUSTUS PABLO
Augustus Pablo, born Horace Swaby in 1953 and died in 1999, was a musician, businessman, and artist. He had a daughter named Isis and a son named Addis, who are also involved in music, business, and the arts. During the early 1970s, while attending Kingston College, Swaby and his friends developed an interest in music, which led them to practice their keyboard skills in a local church. In 1971, while on a record-buying trip, Swaby was given a Melodica by a young girl, which impressed record shop owner Herman Chin Loy. Chin Loy took Swaby into the studio the next day and gave him the stage name Augustus Pablo during their first session.
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