Cold Crusher

Ranking Barnabas or simply Barnabas, is one of the many unsung heroes of Jamaican dub music, which is usually associated with names such as King Tubby, Lee Perry, Scientist, or Prince Jammy.

Barnabas was born Stanley Bryan in Kingston in 1960, a few years later he became a regular at the legendary Channel One Studios. In the 1970s, Channel One was the hot spot in Jamaica's studio landscape, offering the best technology and producing reggae at an internationally competitive level. Stanley Bryan was an all-rounder. During the day, he sat at the mixing desk as an engineer and mixed, to name just one, the Eek-a-Mouse classic "Wah Do Dem." If the drummer dropped out during a recording, Barnabas stepped in. And at night, he took the microphone at the Channel One Sound System as Ranking Barnabas and toasted over riddims that he had frequently recorded himself in the studio. It was the heyday of Jamaican dub, and Barnabas was the often uncredited creator of countless dubs for maxi-singles and single B-sides. Although he contributed to countless Dub LPs, only The Cold Crusher was released under his name. Barnabas' only LP was released in a mini edition in the USA, was never repressed, and became a highly priced, sought-after rarity.

The Italian label Jamdung, known for its high-quality reissues, has now unearthed The Cold Crusher after 50 years and reissued it with a new artwork that matches the original design. The album has been restored to high quality in Berlin by Dubplates & Mastering and features detailed liner notes by dub specialist Helmut Philipps (Dub – The Sound Of Surprise) and Lee Perry biographer David Katz (People Funny Boy, Solid Foundation). Two renowned reggae authors who have collaborated for the first time on this reissue. Photo on cover by legendary Beth Lesser.

Stanley "Barnabas" Bryan did not live to see the release of his album. He passed away while working on the reissue on August 18, 2025, at the age of 65. Thus, the reissue of The Cold Crusher unexpectedly became his musical legacy. Limited Edition on vinyl