Ok, so here we have a true Reggae legend. Like Bob Marley? Well, almost. One of the things that always gets stuck in your mind when you listen to alsmost any Reggae tune besides the bass and drums is the sound of the keyboards, that is almost formulaic, but is very distinctive and always wins you over. Jackie Mittoo practically invented that sound, and the imitators mushroomed, not only in Jamaica, but all over the World. His sound was so distinctive and intricate, that made a pile of albums with him in the main role. You can play any of those, and the sound of Mitoo's keyboards will definitely transfix you. A virtuoso in his own right. You would have definitlely heard more of Jackie if he didn't die of cancer in 1990.
Obviously, there is yet another pile of unissued Mittoo material, among which there is surely a lot of half-baked material that should probably stay securely in the vaults. "The Aggrovators Present Jackie Mittoo" is not one of those. The Aggrovators are a brand of dub innovators themselves, and as Jackie, they have played with everybody that is some kind of a quality name in Reggae. What you get here is of course, a set of early Seventies material, what you can call "lite dub", with Mittoo's organ dominating the proceedings, and rightly so. While there is a definite "history research" importance in this material, you can definitely enjoy it on its own musical merits. The great musicianship abounds, and you cn certainly hear where and how developments in Reggae and Dub came from. Prime examples: "RanKING" and "Shook", both stuck in the middle of the album, so you can't skip them, but then, why should you skip anything here?
If you are accustomed to the more contemporary production values of modern Dub and think this might be a bit "old fashioned" for you and think you should skip it, don't. Not only will you get a true idea where that new sound really started, but will get to enjoy the virtuosity of Mittooo and The Aggrovators. Young kids in Jamacia had the habit of putting this on at maximum volume, with the speakers in the yard, and their behind stuck firmly to the bass speaker, letting it bounce them off while Jackie Mittoo's organ swirls around them. Try it out!
