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18 tracks in all – including "Have You Ever", "Cosmic Force", "The Prophet Rides Again", "Tribulation", "Revolution (part 1)", "Liberation", "So Long Rastifari", and "Love Has Found Its Way". CD

A pair of King Jammy sets, both making their CD debut – and presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is The Exit – a stunning set from Dennis Brown, and the kind of record that shows why he was one of the most soulful singers of the early digital scene! King Jammy put the set together, and uses all these bits borrowed from dub, but in a sparing way – so that Dennis is allowed to step out strong, in a very straightforward way – crafting these wonderful vocals next to sweet electro bits and warmer rhythms – on titles that include "The Exit", "Too Late", "Dance All Night", "Tracks Of Life", "We Should Make Love", and "Material Girl". Added to the set is another great Jammy's production, but one that was never released at the time – the album Hold Your Corner, with vocals from Al Campbell – a mighty great singer, and one with a sweetly crackling style! Titles on that record include "Hot Love", "Big Wheel", "Equalise It", "Stop You Fussing & Fighting", and "Buss Them Shut". The CD also features four more Jammy's productions – on cuts that include "She's Done With It" and "I Love You" by The Mighty Rudo, and "She Only Want Something" and "Crucial Lover" by Leroy Smart. CD

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Crucial work from Dennis Brown – one of the most soulful voices in reggae at the end of the 70, and an artist who achieved some great global fame – but who is also represented here on a host of the more obscure 7" singles issued by Joe Gibbs back home in Kingston! The set is unique, in that it features both a-sides and b-sides – work that shows the complex array of material that Dennis was working with, especially on the cool flipsides – which sometimes include dubs, sometimes other tracks that never got larger exposure at the time – including 11 numbers of the 42 in the set that appear on CD for the first time ever! The crispness of Joe's production works perfectly for Brown's vocals – putting them center stage, but never in a commercial way – on titles that include "Your Man", "Assigned To Leave", "Foul Play", "Love Dub", "Get High On Your Love", "On The Rocks", "Rain", "Ghetto Version", "Runnings Ire", "Nu True", "So Jah Say (live)", "Cassandra", "Should I", "Bubbling Love", "Rolling Down", "Hope We Get To Love In Time", "Timely Lover", and "Homeward Bound". CD

A stellar collection of singles by one of the great voices of Jamaican music – Dennis Brown, The Crown Prince Of Reggae – singles from the early 70s to mid 80s! The 2 CDs features 40 great tracks – with backing by The Taxi Gang, The Professionals, Derrick Harriott & Crystalistes, Aggrovators & Roots Radics. Titles include "Musical Heatwave", "Let Me Down Easy", "Concentration", "Don't Yo Cry", "Let Love In", "Satisfaction Feeling", "Rocking Time", "Breaking Down The Barrier", "Whip Them Jah Jah", "Equal Rights", "Words Of Wisdom", "Revolution", "Love Light", "and more. The DVD includes Dennis Brown Live At Montreux, 1979 – backed by Lloyd Parks And We The People Band, and titles include "So Jah Story", "Wolves & Leopards", "Ain't That Lovin You", "Don't Feel No Way", "Money In My Pocket" and more. CD

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Nice, nice 2 CD set collecting the best work of the great Jamaican crooner Dennis Brown. Working mostly with producer Winston Niney Holness, the pair brought out the best in each other, with Niney coaxing some great performances out of Brown, and Brown getting the best rhythms Niney had to offer. 48 tracks in all, including "He Can't Spell", "Musical Heatwave", "Money In My Pocket (1973)", "Westbound train", "Yagga Yagga (You'll Suffer)", and "Whip Them Jah Jah". CD

Later work from the great Roy Brown – captured here in some relatively hip LA company – with work from Don Randi on piano, Clifford Scott on tenor, Dennis Budimir and Charles Wright on guitars, and Earl Palmer on drums – working with arrangements from HB Barnum and Arthur Wright! LP, Vinyl record album

Milt's vibes with sweet strings from Jimmy Jones, Ray Brown on bass, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Hubert Laws on flute, Jerome Richardson on flute and alto flute, Paulinho Da Costa on brazilian percussion, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Jimmie Smith on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Illinois Jacquet on tenor saxophone, John Brown and Ray Perry on alto saxophone, Arthur Dennis and Leo Parker on baritone saxophone, Trummy Young on trombone, Joe Newman on trumpet, Russell Jacquet on trumpet and vocals, Wynonie Harris on vocals, Freddie Green and Ulysses Livingston on guitar, Bill Doggett and Sir Charles Thompson on piano, Al Lucas, Charles Mingus, and John Simmons on bass, and Al Wichard, Denzil Best, and Shadow Wilson on drums. CD

Hypnotic organ funk from Lyman Woodard – an old bandmate of Dennis Coffey, and one of the shining lights of the 70s Detroit scene! This is amazing, amazing stuff – Woodard's electric piano, organ and occasional mellotron and Norma Bell's alto saxophone lend a cosmic funk aspect throughout, very much like Death Wish-era Herbie Hancock – with a laidback, tripped-out groove that's really mindblowing! Ron English accents the thing perfectly with his languid guitar and bass groove, while Leonard King and Lorenzo Brown's drumming and percussion can keep the groove adrift, or tear it up in a funky maelstrom depending on the mission of the cut. It's totally essential Strata jazz funk – and a record we've rarely seen in the original pressing. Tracks include "Saturday Night Special", "Joy Road", "Belle Isle Daze", "Creative Musicians", "Cheeba", "On Your Mind", "Allen Barnes", and "Help Me Get Away". Features bonus tracks "Saturday Night Special (lost alt mix)" and "Bell Isle Daze (lost alt mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Righteous roots reggae from the digital generation – a whole host of tracks produced by the legendary King Jammy – a force who was really able to keep the spiritual fires of the 70s burning well into the following decade! The selection of cuts here is great – and if anything, the crispness of the production seems to bring out the message in the music even more – really emphasizing the power of the lyrics, in a mix of work by 70s artists still working at a very relevant level, alongside some of the up-and-comers that Jammy was so good at searching out! Titles include "Storm Is Coming" by Junior Delgado, "Why Should I" by Admiral Tibet, "Got To Be Strong" by Pad Anthony, "Up Full One" by Dennis Brown, "Only The Poor Man Feel It" by Kentucky, "World Inflation" by Junior Murvin, "Victim Of Babylon" by Admiral Tibet, "Cry For The Youths" by Wackad, "Stop The Violence" by Junior Delgado, and "Chain Grabber" by Johnny Osbourne. LP, Vinyl record album

With cuts by Alyson Williams, Bobby Brown, Cathy Dennis, The Chimes, Doug Lazy, Glen Goldsmith, Jody Watley, Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens, Marathon, Ruth Joy, Seduction, Skipworth & Turner, Stevie V, Tyree, Urban High, and Wang Chung. LP, Vinyl record album

Classic productions from the legendary Augustus "Gussie" Clarke – all work recorded at Channel One and King Tubby's – and done in this laidback, soulful groove that's completely sublime! The music here never goes too far over the top – just sweet and subtle rhythms that have this gentle-stepping quality that works perfect with the vocals – which are delivered by some of the most soulful singers on the scene at the time. All horn arrangements are by Tommy McCook and Bobby Ellis, but also have this mellow vibe too – very different than some of the earlier material, often with snakey elements that really work great with the vocals. Album features 11 killers – including "The Right Track" by Tommy McCook", "Guiding Star" by Leroy Sibbles, "How Can I Love Someone" by Delroy Wilson, "Born To Dub You" by Augustus Pablo, "Their Own Way" by Dennis Brown, "Girl Don't Come" by Jacob Miller, and "Love You To Want Me" by Horace Andy. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of work from King Jammy's studios – all cuts recorded at the end of the 80s, with a definite digital feel – but a sound that's still a lot warmer and more soulful than bigger mainstream work of the time! As the title promises, there's plenty of dancehall in the mix – but many of the grooves are more laidback and mellow – bridging the space between the bigger global hits in the style, and a dubbier, rootsier generation of reggae too – which seems to bubble forth here on most tracks, and just get a slight digital reworking by Jammy. The 2LP set features a very well-selected batch of material from these years – titles that appeared on labels like Greensleeves, Superpower, and Unity Sounds, with titles that include "Icky All Over" by Wayne Smith, "In The Area" by Johnny Osborne, "The Exit" by Dennis Brown, "Don't Touch The Crack" by Little Kirk, "Dancehall Vibes" by Anthony Johnson, and "Jack Slick" by Junior Murvin. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Bob Andy, Derrick Harriott, Freddie McKay, Val Bennett, Keith & Tex, U Roy, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Big Youth, I Roy and more. CD

A huge collection of work handled by producer Alvin GG Ranglin – initially a member of The Maytones, but an artist who gave a much stronger contribution to Jamaican music through his work in the studio! GG may not be as legendary a name as some of the other producers from the time, but as this set shows, his top-shelf work was a key part of the sound of early reggae – served up here in a massive amount of cuts issued by Trojan at the start of the 70s, 16 of which appear here on CD for the first time ever! As usual with Doctor Bird, not only is the track selection great, the whole thing is supported with really detailed notes that offer up the full story behind the music and the man who created it – in a package of 48 tracks in all, with work from The Slickers, Maytones, Ethiopians, Invaders, Cynthia & Irving, Maxie & Glen, Jah Huntley, Dennis Alcapone, Trevor Brown, Charlie Ace, Cynthia Richards, and others. CD

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2CD set features 50 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. CD

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. LP, Vinyl record album

A massively expanded version of a legendary album – presented here as a 2CD set, with 22 tracks that appear on CD for the first time ever! At the core is the original Dubbing With The Observer album, the first-ever dub album from Niney The Observer – based around rhythms he'd cooked up for Dennis Brown, Max Romeo, and Delroy Wilson – all transformed completely in the studio by King Tubby! The sounds here are often very abstract – light years away from the originals – and given these spacey, repetitive cycles that seem to trip out even more than conventional dub! A landmark little record, and one that sounds even darker all these many years later – with cuts that include "Casanova Dub", "Rebel Dance", "Jam Down", "Parade Dub", "Turntable Dub", "Corn Man", "Mister D Brown Skank", and "Youth Man". The set then goes way way deep, with 37 more bonus tracks, that really take off as a magnificent demonstration of Niney's skills in the studio – all presented here with very detailed notes that really get at this important moment of genius in the history of dub! CD

Includes tracks by Al Campbell, Dennis Brown, Admiral Tibett, King Kong, Don Angilo, and Junior Delgado, Johnny Osbourne, Pad Anthony, and Eccleton Jarrett. LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal Dee Jay LP from Jah Youth. Mad, bad riddims – courtesy Gussie Clarke, Big Youth's prowess on the microphone and a smattering of nice dub like effects blend to create a landmark early 70s reggae LP, forever raising the bar for DeeJays. Includes the original LP with 10 tracks: "The Killer", "Screaming Target", "Tipper Tone Rock", "Pride & Joy Rock", "Lee A Low", "Honesty", "I Am Alright", "These Fine Days", "Be Careful" and "Solomon A Gundy", plus 14 bonus tracks on this CD edition, with a number of the original versions of the tracks, including "Origan Style" by Augustus Pablo, "Pride & Ambition" by Leroy Smart, "Their Own Way" by Dennis Brown, "Rhythm Style" by Simplicity People, "Skylarking Version" by the Society Squad, "Slaving (Every Day)" by Lloyd Parks,"No More Slavery" by Glen Brown, and "I Am Alright (aka Loving Pauper)" by Gregory Isaacs. CD

Milt Jackson sings, in addition to his familiar vibes on this set – an unusual date done during his Pablo Records run of the late 70s – and a surprisingly great little album overall! As you might guess, Jackson's not the greatest singer in jazz – but it's this quality that also makes the record really great – kind of an honest approach to the tunes that reminds us of the sort of singers we used to catch at south side jam sessions here in Chicago – vocalists whose love of a tune was so great, they were willing to get out and take whatever chances they may – showing a care for the lyrics that's almost greater than a more proficient singer. Electric piano backs up Jackson on most of the vocal numbers – creating a cool, soulful glow – and other players on the record include Cedar Walton on keyboards, Dennis Budimir and John Collins on guitar, Billy Higgins on drums, and Ray Brown on bass – who also produced the session. Titles include "Heartstrings", "Don't Worry Bout Me", "Yes Sir That's My Baby", "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", "Someone I Love", and "Parking Lot Blues". CD

A mindblowing album from James Moody – of the sort that opens up a whole new facet of his career! The record takes off from Moody's early 60s work for Chess – his post-bop recordings that started displaying a deeper side of his musical consciousness – and which occasionally featured work by composer/arranger Tom McIntosh. McIntosh's presence is felt very strongly here – as he produced the whole session, and contributed a few tracks – working in the Nola Penthouse studios at a level of hipness we never would have expected! Moody plays tenor, alto, and flute – working with a really great group that includes Patti brown on piano, Albert Heath on drums, Reggie Workman on bass, and Thad Jones on trumpet – and the scope of the work is far beyond anything you'd expect! The record's got a stunning early funk track by Edward Bland – "If You Grin You're In", which features a tripped-out organ line mostly just holding one note – while drums pound hard, and Moody blows it over the top – all set to this flattened production that makes the whole thing sound really eerie! Other great tracks include the loping groover "Capers", the wonderfully moody flute number "Wayward Plaint" (written by Dennis Sandole, of the oft-overlooked Sandole Brothers), and the tracks "Em Prean Shore" and "Buster's Last Stand". Tremendous throughout – and completely essential, whether you already like Moody or not! LP, Vinyl record album

All tracks produced by Sly & Robbie, who also provide backings – and the set features work from Black Uhuru, Junior Delgado, Jimmy Riley, Dennis Brown, & The Tamlins. LP, Vinyl record album

Hypnotic organ funk from Lyman Woodard – an old bandmate of Dennis Coffey, and one of the shining lights of the 70s Detroit scene! This is amazing, amazing stuff – Woodard's electric piano, organ and occasional mellotron and Norma Bell's alto saxophone lend a cosmic funk aspect throughout, very much like Death Wish-era Herbie Hancock – with a laidback, tripped-out groove that's really mindblowing! Ron English accents the thing perfectly with his languid guitar and bass groove, while Leonard King and Lorenzo Brown's drumming and percussion can keep the groove adrift, or tear it up in a funky maelstrom depending on the mission of the cut. It's totally essential Strata jazz funk – and a record we've rarely seen in the original pressing. Tracks include "Saturday Night Special", "Joy Road", "Belle Isle Daze", "Creative Musicians", "Cheeba", "On Your Mind", "Allen Barnes", and "Help Me Get Away". CD features bonus tracks – "Bell Isle Daze (lost alt mix)" and "Saturday Night Special (lost alternate mix)". CD

Excellent! You're probably familiar with the Aquarius Dub set, an early, early dub LP, featuring some great rockers from Herman Chin Loy and Augustus Pablo – this groovy set from Pressure Sounds collects many of the vocal, dee jay and instrumental tracks that those rhythms laid the base for! 2 dozen bouncing numbers from the Scorpio and Aquarius imprints, with Chin Loy's rippling offbeat approach to production and top flight chats, scats and voicing from some of Kingston's finest, including Augustus Pablo & Herman "Aquarius Rock" and "Iggy Iggy", 2 versions of Alton Ellis' "Alton's Official Daughter", The Aquarians "Funky Aquarius", Sounds Unlimited "Roadrunner" and "Middle East Skank", Archie McKay "Pick Up The Pieces", Leroy Parker "Groove With It", Beres Hammond "No More War" plus its version by Herman, Dennis Alcapone "Return Of Sabata", James Eastwood "Darkest Night", Charlie Boy "Funky Strip", The Teacher "Soul Vibration", Dennis Brown "Song My Mother Used To Sing", Herman "Aquarius Dub", "River Nile Version", "Sabata" and "I Man" and Augustus Pablo "The Red Sea", "Snowball & Pudding", "Song Of The East" and "East Of The River Nile". LP, Vinyl record album