By utilizing the trio of discs as three separate opportunities to demonstrate such a claim, the 3-CD box set Dread Prophecy: The Strange and Wonderful Story of Yabby You takes on the ambitious task of celebrating roots reggae artist Yabby You, a relative unknown outside the genre’s circle, as one of its most influential and enigmatic performers and producers. Rounded up and divided into classics, moods, and rarities, with 31 of the 56 cuts having never been released on CD, and a dozen of those never released in any medium, the collection spreads a wide blanket displaying Yabby’s many shades, and while Marley, Tosh, and Wailer no doubt were the high trinity of reggae in the 1970s, and in essence remain so today, Yabby’s contributions cannot, and should no longer, be ignored. In a way, Dread Prophecy is a debut of this unique musician who, driven by willful independence and creative intuition, forged what would become a reggae sub-genre known as dub, and whose reach stretched well beyond Jamaican borders, including into the London punk scene and later, hip-hop and electronica.

Arriving with the hit single, “Conquering Lion,” and the album of the same name, Yabby’s efforts as a performer served quick notice, with the first disc of classics highlighting that smash as well as presenting his fruitful partnership with dub master King Tubby (“Tubby’s Vengeance”) and a tendency toward progressive anthemic chants like “Run Come Rally” and “Free Africa.” Variety spices the second disc, a concerted look at Yabby the producer, shining light on discoveries such as Trinity and Michael Prophet. The Yabby You flair is easy to spot, particularly in the instrumental “Love in Zimba” which rolls horn lines hinting ska with bending blues guitar into a carnival-like sideways tilt, or the suppliant “Stop Your Gang War,” a rather static groove made more interesting by left/right panning that pulls the music away from and back to the message. The third platter is reserved for the rare cuts with artists like Willi Williams, with whom Yabby collaborated for the ‘lost’ Unification release, and, until recently, undiscovered DATs left with Yabby’s widow. Much of this material, and really throughout the all 56 songs, voices fairly conspicuous themes of faith (“Words of the Prophets”), redemption (“Blackstar Liner”), and solidarity (“Black is Our Color”). An extensive essay and rare photos, perhaps the most updated and verifiable information on the late Yabby You, further provide essential context and depth in linking the elusive man with his mighty mission.

The aim of most multiple-disc releases, almost exclusively done in retrospect, is either to gather and assemble in one place a career’s worth of output, or to celebrate a particular aspect of said storied career. Dread Prophecy is somewhat unique, like its creator, in that not only does it achieve both of those goals, but it provides a truckload of new material, as well. For Yabby You, his strange and wonderful story is finally and rather comprehensively told.