Crucial Tony is back in the mix for this righteous early 80s album from Creation Rebel – a set that has Adrian Sherwood only furthering his production genius as he layers together stunning instrumental work from the group! The presence of the vocals has the instrumentation slightly back in the mix – but there's still a great run of rhythms throughout, all driven by the mighty heady basslines of Lizard Logan! There's less keyboards than before, but still some nice electronic bits all over the place – and titles include "The Dope", "African Space", "Threat To Creation", "Highest Degree", "Mother Don't Cry", and "Drum Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

The album may not have been much of a Money Maker for Studio One Records – given that it's one of the rarest in their catalog – but it stands as a key illustration of the label's genius, and just how far away they were from most of their contemporaries! The set's a bit of a split effort in the studio – mostly tracks credited to the duo of Im & David, who are Cedric Im Brooks and David Madden – plus a few others handled by keyboardist Jackie Mittoo, and a few by others thrown in for good measure! Yet as on most indie reggae efforts of the time, there's a very unified vibe to the whole thing – especially as the album's a mostly instrumental outing, and most likely features the same players working together on different tracks – contributions from Sound Dimension, Soul Vendors, and Soul Brothers – plus some sweet guitar from Ernest Ranglin. Titles include "Money Maker", "Black Is Black", "Soul Brother", "Soul Walk", and "Candid Eye" by Im & David; "Stormy Night", "Mixing", and "Feel It" by Jackie Mittoo; "Black Man's Train" by Lloyd Williams; and "Great Gu Gu Mu Ga" by The Boss. CD

Stunning sounds from the first three years of Niney The Observer on record – a huge amount of rare singles from back in the day, served up in a double-length package that features 22 tracks on CD for the first time ever! The mix of modes here is incredible – and a real demonstration of that made creative genius that made Niney such an important force in the studio and in front of the microphone – as lots of these tracks have really unusual inflections, odd arrangements, and a way of putting over a weird sound that most folks think was only invented by Lee Scratch Perry! Instead, Niney maybe claims his own throne here with well-deserved credit that is spun out in the very detailed notes – next to fantastic tracks by Niney & The Observers, and lots more from The Sound Dimensions, Dennis Alcapone & Lizzy, Eric Monty Morris, The Hardy Boys, Max Romeo, The Virgins, Max Romeo, and others – stretched out over 47 cuts in all. CD

Dubby genius from the great Augustus Pablo – a set that continues the spirit of his best 70s work in this mode, but with a sound that has a few slight 80s touches! The overall sound is still very nice and spare – laidback, gently tripping in the rhythm department, and with both melodica solos from Pablo – and some other keyboard work that really echoes the moody, spacey, snakey sound of his work on the blown instrument! The title names are a bit basic, but that hardly matters, given the sound of the set – and tracks include "Riot Dub", "In The Red Dub", "Hanging Dub", "Night Patrol Dub", "Rastaman Dub", "Zion Way Dub", and "Dubbing King James". LP, Vinyl record album