Record

The Undertaker

Derrick Harriott1970

At a glance

Artist
Derrick Harriott
Released
August 1970
Label
Trojan Records
Catalogue number
TBL 114
Format
12″ Vinyl
Country
UK
Tracks
12

In the issue

70s Dub Reggae
Start here · 1968-1980

One of the first instrumental reggae albums, it proved instrumentals could sell, clearing the path for dub itself.

Engineered by Errol Thompson at Randy's Studio 17 in 1970, this is one of the first strictly instrumental reggae albums ever made, built on inventive studio effects work. It proved instrumental tracks could stand on their own commercially, clearing a path for dub's emergence as a genre in its own right.

Where to start with 70s Dub Reggae

Find a copy

The original 12″ vinyl: Trojan Records TBL 114, 1970.

DiscogsBandcamp

Track list

  1. A1Bombshell
  2. A2The Undertaker
  3. A3Overtaker
  4. A4Biafra
  5. A5Reggae Showdown
  6. A6A Fistful of Dollars
  7. B1Musical Madness
  8. B2True Grit
  9. B3Lady Madonna
  10. B4The Bad
  11. B5Doctor Who (Part 1)
  12. B6The Barefoot Brigade

The label

Trojan Records
London · founded 1968 · Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal, Chris Blackwell · 70s Dub Reggae

The London label that brought Jamaican productions to Britain from 1968, including Lee Perry's Upsetters singles and Derrick Harriott's 1970 instrumental album The Undertaker, one of the early all-instrumental reggae LPs.

Notes: the original release and its track list come from MusicBrainz. Everything else on this page is from the issue above.