Revolution Dub was released in 1975 in the United Kingdom by Cactus, Reviewing the album alongside other new dub releases in Record Mirror & Disc, Hamilton wrote that although Perry elected to use dub as a backing for his "relatively normal singing", the album's best track was "Doctor on the Go", which he described as a "subtle pulsating instrumental" with "snatches" of the Doctor on the Go soundtrack.
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Rick Anderson wrote that despite its short length, Revolution Dub is essential as an effective encapsulation of Perry and the Upsetters' music. He considers it to capture Perry "at the peak of his somewhat creepy powers", highlighting his deconstructionist dub techniques, "apocalyptic imprecations" and "off-the-wall witticisms", finding the tracks powerful for juxtaposing Perry's absurd production aesthetic with the Upsetters' "utterly rock-solid grooves, grooves which not even the chief Upsetter himself can dislodge." a Trojan Records compilation that sequenced Revolution Dub with two other acclaimed dub albums by Lee Perry, Cloak & Dagger and 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (both 1973), on two discs. PopMatters said that, although Revolution Dub was already available on CD, its inclusion on Dub-Triptych appeared more legitimate as the set's "high standard of production" countered the "lack of quality control over Perry's massive oeuvre," and that the improved sound quality made the new version preferable. while a compilation of other Black Ark dubs from the era, Upsetter in Dub, was released the same year.
Legacy
Revolution Dub has been described as one of Perry's most important recordings. In 2016, Exclaim! included Revolution Dub in their "Essential Guide" to Perry's work, where Patrick called it a "an oddly satisfying trip," while Variety listed the "haunting, hypnotic" album among "Perry's most mesmerizing moments". However, PopMatterss editors wrote that, despite the album's important role in dub's evolution, and in Perry's "rise to dub-master", it had become "somewhat unjustly ignored" in the producer's repertoire. Lloyd Bradley writes that Revolution Dub and the material gathered on Upstter in Dub were "little more than overture" to the Upsetters' next release, Super Ape (1976), However, Nigel Williamson of Music & Media considers both Revolution Dub and Super Ape to be "ground-breaking albums".
thumb|right|150px|[[Stevie Wonder took influence from Revolution Dub for "Master Blaster (Jammin')" (1980).]]
The album is considered innovative for sampling television before the invention of the sampler, In their list of 50 of the best dub albums, Matador Network wrote that Revolution Dub was a concise take on the genre with some of Perry's best ever work. In the Portable Press guide Encyclo-Weedia, the record is listed among the best stoner albums and is highlighted for its sparseness, minimal grooves and distinctive sense of space.
In the late 1970s, soul singer Stevie Wonder was shown Revolution Dub by his British manager, Keith Harris, and was greatly impressed by Perry's sonic experimentation and scratching styles. and he combined its influence with that of Bob Marley into his reggae-styled 1980 hit "Master Blaster (Jammin')". German musician Holger Czukay, who taped excerpts of shortwave radio for vocals in his own music, recognised Perry as his first "brother in music" for his radical use of television snippets on Revolution Dub and cited the album as one which "changed his life", also citing the music's extreme "emptiness" as unusual in pop music. According to Jon Langford of rock band the Mekons, Revolution Dub was one of three albums that members of his group and Gang of Four listened to in "constant rotation" in their shared student home in Leeds. Eshun describes the snare drum work on "Bush Weed" as anticipating 4Hero's "The Paranormal in 4 Forms" (1994).
Track listing
All tracks composed by Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Side one
- "Dub Revolution" – 4:26
- "Woman's Dub" – 3:28
- "Kojak" – 3:45
- "Doctor on the Go" – 3:59
- "Bush Weed" – 3:48
Side two
- "Dreadlock Talking" – 3:26
- "Own Man" – 1:42
- "Dub the Rhythm" – 3:02
- "Rain Drops" – 3:03
Personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of Revolution Dub
- Lee Perry – composer, producer
- Creole Music – publishing