The birth of ska – served up in a host of hard-edged classics from the early years – great Jamaican tracks that sound a lot more like soul music than most later
incarnations of the genre – no surprise, given that many of these cuts were crafted from the strong influence of American radio on the Kingston airwaves! The rhythms are definitely what you'd call ska, but the vocals often have a deeper approach than we're used to in later work of the genre – heavily tilted towards the soul and R&B side of the spectrum, especially when more than one singer is featured on a track – and often mixed with razor-sharp instrumentation that packs the punch of a vintage funky 45! Titles include "Valley Of Green" and "Take Your Time" by Jackie Opel, "Men Alone" by The Deacons, "Lonely & Blue Boy" by Ferdie Nelson, "Sweet Dreams" by Bibby & The Astronauts, "Snake In The Grass" by Larry Marshall, "Ten Virgins" by The Angelic Brothers, "Everyday" by The Avalons, "My Darling Josephine" by Joe G Henry, "Dream For Tomorrow" by Al & The Vibrators, "Fresh Out Of Love" and "Someone" by The Jetts, and "Never Too Young To Learn" by Andy & The Avalons. 40 tracks in all!
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