Throwback 45s: Dillinger – Stumbling Block
The post Throwback 45s: Dillinger – Stumbling Block appeared first on Reggae Vibes.
Black News 
Throwback 45s: Dillinger – Stumbling Block
ARTIST: Dillinger
TITLE: Stumbling Block
LABEL: Black & White
YEAR: 1977
Stumbling Block
If you’ve watched the reggae cult classic film ‘Rockers’, you’ll probably remember the scene at Randy’s Record Mart. A man in a yellow tracksuit dances his way through the room, showing off some lightning-fast footwork while Dillinger’s tune Stumbling Block blasts from the speakers. It’s one of those moments that stays with you long after the film ends.
Stumbling Block was produced by Carlton Patterson, who put Lester Bullocks, the deejay also known as Dillinger, over a tough Soul Syndicate Band rockers cut. The riddim goes back to The Techniques’ 1967 rocksteady tune Love Is Not A Gamble, but this relicked version has a completely different feel.
It opens with a sharp drum roll and cymbal crash, followed by a deep, bouncing bassline and a strong horn arrangement. Dillinger sounds right at home, delivering his toast with the relaxed confidence that became part of his trademark style. He talks of his “musical shock attack” and introduces Natty Dread as the “cool operator”, before reminding us that “natty dread is not a drunken sailor.”
Flip the record and you get Page One, a wicked slice of rockers dub. The mix doesn’t rely on excessive effects. Instead, it lets the bass and drums do the heavy lifting, with the horns appearing here and there to add another layer. Here, the credit “King Tubbys” refers to the legendary recording and mixing studio in Kingston’s Waterhouse district. This particular dub hasn’t been mixed by Tubby himself but by Prince Jammy, who was the studio’s primary resident engineer at the time.
There’s a reason Stumbling Block works so well in Rockers. It captures the raw, driving energy of the rockers era while giving Dillinger plenty of space to do what he did best. It remains one of his strongest recordings.
The post Throwback 45s: Dillinger – Stumbling Block appeared first on Reggae Vibes.
