Various Artists - Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown (CD)

All Music Guide

Don Letts used to spin the chill soundtrack at London's ~Roxy Club during punk's 1976-1977 heyday. Helping the likes of the Clash, Siouxsie Sioux, and the Sex Pistols wind down from a gig, Letts tapped his vast reggae collection for a mix of classic roots reggae from the early and mid-'70s. Now the magic is canned for all to hear, with cuts featuring such Jamaican stars as Junior Byles, U-Roy, the Mighty Diamonds, Horace Andy, and Lee Perry. Many of them English favorites; the disc's 16 tracks also include a few dread dub sides from King Tubby and a classic from rockers Svengali Augustus Pablo ("King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown"). A fine way to eavesdrop on what Joe Strummer probably heard while taking in the London punk club scene.

- Stephen Cook, All Music Guide