Reggae — All Formats  

A set of some of the finest 70s recordings of mighty Ethiopians – many pulled directly from the excellent Slave Call album – plus a couple of early treasures and otherwise classic material! There's a tenderly soulful qualtity to the group's vocals that's always made them a favorite and this set filled with gems! Includes "Train To Skaville (Original Version)", "Guilty Conscience", "Hurry On", "Reggae Hit The Town", "The Selah", "Ethiopean National Anthem", "Need Someone", "Slave Call", "Everything Crash", "Love Jah", "Obeah Book" and more.

Regal King Jammy productions from the late 70s – featuring a stellar roster of vocalists and instrumention laid down by the cream of the group – numbers by Anthony Johnson, Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott, Junior Brown Wayne Smith, Puddy Roots, Junior Reid, Mighty Rudo and more! Soulful voices and steadily rumbling rhythms underneath. Timeless material! 14 tracks in all: "More Love In The City" by Anthony Johnson, "Life Can Be Easy" by King Everald, "No Darkness Tonight" by Junior Reid, "Come Along" by Wayne Smith, "Yah Wi Deh" by Anthony Johnson,"Learn Fi Drive" by Early B, "Just Cool" by Mighty Rudo and more.

Militant rockers rhythms with some fine toasting courtesy the top of the second generation of Dee Jays, Tappa Zukie. Probably his most well known LP, both in and out of Jamaica, given the boost he got from some patronage courtesy a number of rock stars, this is still as fine an example of the Dee Jay form as you could get circa '78. Includes"MPLA", "Don't Get Crazy", "Stop the Guns Shooting", "Ital Pot", "Chalice to Chalice" and "Don't Deal With Babylon".

A sweet little set of 70s dubs – recorded at Channel 1, Harry J's, Randy's and King Tubbys in the heart of the dub era – with dubby takes on classic cuts by Barry Brown, Horace Andy, Don Carlos and others. The rhythms were laid down by the cream of the crop, too – Santa Davis, Sly Dunbar, Robby Shakespeare, Chinna Smith, Tommy McCook, Deadley Headley, Bobby Ellis, Sculla Sims and others. Includes "Why Fight The Dub", "Conversation Dub", "A Better Version", "Care Free Dub", "Step Inna Dub Style", "Creation Of Dub", "My Brethren In Dub", "A Wicked Dub", "Rub This Dub", "The Jehovah Version" and more. 2 CD bonus tracks: "Invasion Dub" and "A Lonely Dub".

A set of roots reggae from the immediate post rocksteady years – great late 60s and early 70s reggae with more earnestly soulful vocals and sweet Caribbean rhythm! Includes numbers by Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, Linval Thompson, Horace Andy, Barry Brown, Leroy Smart and more. 16 tracks on the CD: "Roots Natty Congo" by Johnny Clarke, "Bad Minded People" by Leroy Smart, "Skylarking" by Horace Andy, "Declaration Of Rights" by Johnny Clarke, "Trying Youthman" by Barry Brown, "Politricks" by Cornell Campbell and more.

Militant rockers rhythms with some fine toasting courtesy the top of the second generation of Dee Jays, Tappa Zukie. Probably his most well known record, both in and out of Jamaica, given the boost he got from some patronage courtesy a number of rock stars, this is still as fine an example of the Dee Jay form as you could get circa '78. Includes"MPLA", "Don't Get Crazy", "Stop the Gun Shooting", "Ital Pot", "Chalice to Chalice" and "Don't Deal With Babylon". 2 bonus tracks on this CD version: "Pick Up The Dub" and "Dub MPLA".

A sweet little set of 70s dubs – recorded at Channel 1, Harry J's, Randy's and King Tubbys in the heart of the dub era – with dubby takes on classic cuts by Barry Brown, Horace Andy, Don Carlos and others. The rhythms were laid down by the cream of the crop, too – Santa Davis, Sly Dunbar, Robby Shakespeare, Chinna Smith, Tommy McCook, Deadley Headley, Bobby Ellis, Sculla Sims and others. Includes "Why Fight The Dub", "Conversation Dub", "A Better Version", "Care Free Dub", "Step Inna Dub Style", "Creation Of Dub", "My Brethren In Dub", "A Wicked Dub", "Rub This Dub", "The Jehovah Version" and more.

A tight batch Horace Andy material from the hit years of the 70s! Say Who is heavy with numbers made after he started working Bunny Lee – revisiting some of his earlier style from a fresh 70s reggae perspective, some sweet cover versions – and ultimately some of Andy's most popular songs! Includes "You Are My Angel", "My Guiding Star Money", "Just Say Who", "Money Money", "Skylarking", Something On My Mind", "Better Collie", "Zion Gate", "No Man Is An Island", "Don't Try To Use Me", "Better Collie" and more. 14 tracks on the vinyl version.

Killer rhythms and charismatic dub vocals from the mighty Jah Stitch – a tight collection of his late 70s deejay cuts from Kingston Sounds! Nice versions of classic backdrops originally laid down by John Holt, Johnny Clarke and more – done up nicely here with Jah's prime, inimitable 70s style. Includes "Dread Inna Jamdown", "Make A Joyful Noise", "Natty Dread Skanking", "From Dusk To Dawn", "Rock To The Beat", "Natty Going On So", "Live Together In Harmony", "Love For Everyone", "Serious Thing", "The Best By Any Test" and more.

A hearty collection of The Originator at his most influential – the mighty mid 70s period when he was defining the DJ landscape of Kingston and beyond! U-Roy toasts or otherwise reworks Delroy Wilson, Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke and many more – on cuts produced for the most party by Bunny Lee in the heart of the 70s. Includes "Call On Me", "You Never Get Away", "Every Knee Shall Bow", "Gorgon Wise", "Hold On", "Joyful Locks', "Cool Down Your Temper", "Stick Together", "King Of The Road", "Creation Rebel". CD has 2 bonus tracks: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "I Shall Not Remove".

Vintage dancehall sounds from the early 80s! Listen Up! Original Dancehall puts together some classic dancehall numbers from the earlier part of the 80s – before the digital beat started to really take a stronger hold at around the midpoint of the decade – and it features cuts by Don Carlos, Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke, Dennis Brown, Linval Thompson and many more. 14 tracks on the vinyl version: including "Laser Beam" by Don Carlos, "Love Trap" by Cornell Campbell, "Tribal War" by Ronnie Davis, "Prophecy" by Neville Brown, "Satisfaction" by Johnny Clarke, "Mr Babylon" by Robert French", "King Of The Arena" by Johnny Clarke, "Mr Landlord" by Micheal Palmer, "Time And Place" by Dennis Brown and more.

Ghetto, maybe, but it's most certainly prime era ska! Ghetto Ska is a stellar compilation of tracks from vaults of the Wirl & Federal Studios – backed by the Skatalites and featuring numbers by Theophilus Beckford, Frank Cosmo, Lloyd Clarke and others. The vocals are soulful and the shuffle rhythm in full effect here – heavy with numbers fronted by T Beckford. Includes "Don't Have A Ticket Don't Worry", "Seven Long Years" and more by T Beckford, "Come On My People" and "Brother Nathan" by Daniel Johnson, "Love Me Or Leave Me" by Lloyd Clarke, "On Your Knees" by Frank Cosmo, "Now You're Gone" by Shenley & Annette, "Streets Of Glory" by Basil Gabiddon and more.

Fresh dubs of rare tracks by Dennis Bovell – all redone recently, but with a vibe that's right up there with the best of classic Kingston! The package has a fascinating origin – in that Bovell had a recent medical ban on playing the bass, so decided to turn the clock back, dig up some vintage tapes, and go to work in the studio of Mad Professor – to turn each number into a dub-heavy masterpiece! The sound is wonderful – still very much indebted to the original basslines, but stretched out much more fully too – with spacey sounds all over the place, really abstracted instrumentation, and the kind of groove that reminds us that they still do make dubs this great – as long as you know where to look. Titles include "Princess Dub", "In The Mix", "Afreecan", "Binghi Man", "Dub Code", "Burden", "After The Storm", "Wallpaper Eraser", "Mek It Run (Run Rasta Run)", and "Floods Of Tears".

This is definitely not your father's calypso – no living room limbo or Harry Belafonte cliches – and instead, a smoking batch of Caribbean grooves from The Mighty Sparrow! Sparrow was very much on the edge of the best styles in the 60s and early 70s – and although his basic groove might be termed calypso, he also brought in plenty of Cuban, Haitian, and Jamaican rhythms to his music too – as well as an occasional does of American soul! Like some of the best early sounds from Kingston, the grooves here often echo a deeper R&B sensibility, turned towards island rhythms – and really hit home strongly by Sparrow's wonderful vocals – as catchy, compelling, and charming as some of the best US singers of the time – with touches of the wit of Oscar Brown Jr, the warmth of Lou Rawls, the swing of a young Marvin Gaye, and the spookiness of Screamin Jay Hawkins! This massive collection is the first to really dig through his older records to pull out the best tunes – just the kind of special focus we'd expect from the Strut label, with a wicked track selection and great notes too! Titles include "Bongo", "Calypso Boogaloo", "Zinah", "Fool Fool Fool", "Ah Diggin Horrors", "Jook For Jook", "Sparrow Come Back Home", "Slave", "She's Been Gone Too Long", "Congo Man", "Ten To One Is Murder", and "Kennedy & Kruschev".

This is definitely not your father's calypso – no living room limbo or Harry Belafonte cliches – and instead, a smoking batch of Caribbean grooves from The Mighty Sparrow! Sparrow was very much on the edge of the best styles in the 60s and early 70s – and although his basic groove might be termed calypso, he also brought in plenty of Cuban, Haitian, and Jamaican rhythms to his music too – as well as an occasional does of American soul! Like some of the best early sounds from Kingston, the grooves here often echo a deeper R&B sensibility, turned towards island rhythms – and really hit home strongly by Sparrow's wonderful vocals – as catchy, compelling, and charming as some of the best US singers of the time – with touches of the wit of Oscar Brown Jr, the warmth of Lou Rawls, the swing of a young Marvin Gaye, and the spookiness of Screamin Jay Hawkins! This massive collection is the first to really dig through his older records to pull out the best tunes – just the kind of special focus we'd expect from the Strut label, with a wicked track selection and great notes too! Titles include "Bongo", "Calypso Boogaloo", "Zinah", "Fool Fool Fool", "Ah Diggin Horrors", "Jook For Jook", "Sparrow Come Back Home", "Slave", "She's Been Gone Too Long", "Congo Man", "Ten To One Is Murder", and "Kennedy & Kruschev".

A stellar set of surviving 70s Black Ark productions by Lee Perry – with rare and unreleased cuts plus pivotal, if long-buried sides by Junior Byles, U Roy, Delroy Butler, Tinga Stewart, The Upsetters, The Flames, The Ethiopians, Jah T and more – Perry-produced gems for Kingston's cultural rebels and sufferers! The Sound Doctor compilation is really an essential, perfectly-collected batch on Pressure Sounds – the UK label that once again proves to be among the finest and most respectful of Sound Doctor devotees. Among the exceptional rarities are the unreleased "Army Of Love" by Junior Byles, an exclusive dub plate mix of the Upsetters "Horny Train", the raw original mix of U Roy's "006" and many more – stirringly soulful Black Ark singles and dub versions including "Sound Doctor" by Bobby Floyd, "Do Good" by Al Maytone", "Different Experience" by Brother Ray", "Smiling Faces" by Tinga Stewart, "It’s Impossible" by The Ethiopians, "Grandfather Land" by Jah T, "King Of Kings" by Pat Francis, "Be Prepared" by Keith Poppin, "Key Card" by Lee & Jimmy, "Start Over" by The Gatherers and more.

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some base rhythms cut for Errol Dunkley's Sit And Cry Over You Record – released on Shelley's label. The rhythms are indeed impeccable, and there are all these unique soulful layers added to them that really give it a worthwhile life of their own as a soulful reggae instrumentals set. Players include Michael Bammy Rose on sax, Lester Sterling on trumpet and sax, Tyrone Downie, Gladdy Anderson and Winston Wright on keys, Jackie Jackson on bass and Winston Grennan on drums. Beautiful, timeless and soulful rhythms that are on par with the finest Carribbean music of the period – whether it was recorded in Kingston, London, or anywhere else. Essential! Includes "Rebel Rock", "Repatriation Remedy", "Our Dream World", "Patricia's Love", "Soothing In The Mind", "Black Moon", "For All Ways", "Just For You", "Train To Skaville" and "Moog In Blues".

Top notch instrumentals from the loose collective dubbed Third World All Stars – recorded in the mid 70s at London's Chalk Farm and EFM studios – and featuring both London-based and visiting Jamaican legends in the mix! The production is billed to Count Shelly, and it features some base rhythms cut for Errol Dunkley's Sit And Cry Over You Record – released on Shelley's label. The rhythms are indeed impeccable, and there are all these unique soulful layers added to them that really give it a worthwhile life of their own as a soulful reggae instrumentals set. Players include Michael Bammy Rose on sax, Lester Sterling on trumpet and sax, Tyrone Downie, Gladdy Anderson and Winston Wright on keys, Jackie Jackson on bass and Winston Grennan on drums. Beautiful, timeless and soulful rhythms that are on par with the finest Carribbean music of the period – whether it was recorded in Kingston, London, or anywhere else. Essential! Includes "Rebel Rock", "Repatriation Remedy", "Our Dream World", "Patricia's Love", "Soothing In The Mind", "Black Moon", "For All Ways", "Just For You", "Train To Skaville" and "Moog In Blues".

Part soul music, part Caribbean sounds – and a much-needed look at the lover's rock genre in reggae – that unique blend of Jamaican rhythms and American soul that took place in the British scene of the 70s and 80s – and created some pretty amazing records overall! There's definitely echoes here of the reggae styles you'd know from big Kingston recordings of the 70s – but there's also a mellower, more laidback mode as well – yet one that's warmed up a bit by more soul-styled production – creating a sound that's almost linked to some of the American midtempo soul that was playing big on the steppers scene. Once again, our hat's off to Soul Jazz for doing such a great job with the project – pulling together excellent work from overlooked recordings – and finding a way to help send it all home with great notes and track selection. Titles on this second vinyl volume include "Stop & Think It Over" by Full Wood, "Caught By Love" by Christine White, "Paradise" by Jean Adebambo, "People Make The World Go Round" by The Cool Notes, "Thinking Of You" by Candy McKenzie, "We've Got One" by Wendy Walker, "Even Though You're Gone" by Louisa Mark, and "Goodbye My Love" by The Sadonians.

Cooking Kingston sounds from the 60s – a heady helping of work from the under-documented Caltone label – an early imprint whose quality level was right up there with Studio One! Caltone was a smaller operation, but managed to issue sides by some of the best on the scene at the time – and did so in a way that often created a nice sense of variety, given the looser setup of the company. Most of the grooves here are in a rock-solid rocksteady mode – with plenty of echoes of American 60s soul – and although the instrumentation is great throughout, the sublime vocals on some cuts are really what make the package crackle! Titles include "Killer Joe" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, "Making Love" by Devon & The Tartans, "Hold Your Love" by The Cool Cats, "Hear Them Say" by Eric Monty Morris, "Gypsy" by The Emotions with Lynn Taitt Band, "The Journey" by The Uniques, "Return Home" by Alva Lewis, "I'll Never Try" by The Clarendonians, "Why Wipe The Smile From Your Face" by The Kingstonians, "Listen To The Music" by Lloyd & The Groovers, and "You Are The One" by King Rocky & The Willos.

A stellar set of surviving 70s Black Ark productions by Lee Perry – with rare and unreleased cuts plus pivotal, if long-buried sides by Junior Byles, U Roy, Delroy Butler, Tinga Stewart, The Upsetters, The Flames, The Ethiopians, Jah T and more – Perry-produced gems for Kingston's cultural rebels and sufferers! The Sound Doctor compilation is really an essential, perfectly-collected batch on Pressure Sounds – the UK label that once again proves to be among the finest and most respectful of Sound Doctor devotees. Among the exceptional rarities are the unreleased "Army Of Love" by Junior Byles, an exclusive dub plate mix of the Upsetters "Horny Train", the raw original mix of U Roy's "006" and many more – stirringly soulful Black Ark singles and dub versions including "Sound Doctor" by Bobby Floyd, "Do Good" by Al Maytone", "Different Experience" by Brother Ray", "Smiling Faces" by Tinga Stewart, "It’s Impossible" by The Ethiopians, "Grandfather Land" by Jah T, "King Of Kings" by Pat Francis, "Be Prepared" by Keith Poppin, "Key Card" by Lee & Jimmy, "Start Over" by The Gatherers and more.

Cooking Kingston sounds from the 60s – a heady helping of work from the under-documented Caltone label – an early imprint whose quality level was right up there with Studio One! Caltone was a smaller operation, but managed to issue sides by some of the best on the scene at the time – and did so in a way that often created a nice sense of variety, given the looser setup of the company. Most of the grooves here are in a rock-solid rocksteady mode – with plenty of echoes of American 60s soul – and although the instrumentation is great throughout, the sublime vocals on some cuts are really what make the package crackle! Titles include "Killer Joe" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, "Making Love" by Devon & The Tartans, "Hold Your Love" by The Cool Cats, "Hear Them Say" by Eric Monty Morris, "Gypsy" by The Emotions with Lynn Taitt Band, "The Journey" by The Uniques, "Return Home" by Alva Lewis, "I'll Never Try" by The Clarendonians, "Why Wipe The Smile From Your Face" by The Kingstonians, "Listen To The Music" by Lloyd & The Groovers, and "You Are The One" by King Rocky & The Willos.