Tony Aiken & Future —
Liberation ... CD Boom Shot, 2016. New Copy ...
$9.99
You might remember Tony Aiken for his classic funk album Unity, from the 70s – and here, he's back again – after nearly 40 years away from the studio! The album's got a style that's a lot more reggae-influenced than before – maybe not totally a reggae record, given the other ... (Soul, Reggae)read moreCD
Roland Alphonso —
ABC Rocksteady ... CD Gay Feet/Dub Store (Japan), 1968. New Copy ...
$10.9919.99
A great showcase for the instrumental talents of Jamaican saxophonist Roland Alphonso – one of the key players who helped transform the sound of the scene in the 60s! But despite Roland's name on the front, the album's more of a group affair overall – directed by Boris Gardinier, and ... read moreCD
A classic compilation – and we can't get enough of Horace Andy's sweet falsetto keening over these chugging, fat rhythms! A tremendous set of sides Andy cut in the mid-70s, packaged together with a few of the cuts in dub versions – all from a period when Horace was really hitting new ... read moreCD
Horace Andy's holding an acoustic guitar on the cover, but the record's got some searing electric lines in the mix – really bringing this sharp edge to the already-great rhythms behind Andy's famous vocals! Horace is one of the few cats who can sing in the higher end of the vocal register, ... read moreCD
Heavy dub from the enigmatic Aquarius Studios on the Kingston scene of the late 70s – the creative center of Herman Chin-Loy – whose work on the scene not only helped shape the sound of dub music for the future, but also launched the career of Augustus Pablo! The work here is mostly ... read moreCD
Raw grooves from the Jamaican scene of the pre-reggae years – served up here in a blend of early ska, jump up soul, and other jazzy styles of the time – all handled by Sonia Pottinger, who was the first female producer on the Kingston scene! There's a nice mix of modes going on here, ... read moreCD
Errol Brown —
Orthodox Dub ... CD Dub Store (Japan), 1978. New Copy ...
$18.9919.99
There's nothing orthodox about this 70s dub gem from Erroll Brown – as the album's an unusual set from start to finish – even in an era when so many dub records were being produced! There's an extra-raw sound to the whole thing – which might be hinted at by its cover image – ... read moreCD
Errol Brown & The Revolutionaries —
Dub Expression ... CD High Note/Dub Store (Japan), 1978. New Copy ...
$18.9919.99
The mighty Errol Brown is at the controls in Treasure Isle – reworking some wicked rhythms played by The Revolutionaries – all with the stripped-down vibe of the best underground dub from Kingston in the 70s! Echo is heavy on the bottom-end of the sound – which makes the grooves ... read moreCD
Count Ossie & Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari —
Grounation ... CD Dub Store (Japan), 1972. New Copy 2 CDs ...
$21.9924.98
An amazing record, and one of the most spiritual, righteous sets to ever come from Jamaica in the 70s – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given that scene at the time! The vibe here is really rootsy, and almost more spiritual jazz than reggae – with lots of spare percussion from Count ... read moreCD
Essential! The mighty debut album from African disciples Culture pairing up with the Mighty Two, Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson is one of the landmark sets of roots reggae, a defining moment of the genre dropped during the year when two sevens clashed. And though the apocalypse didn't rain down ... read moreCD
Blistering rocksteady from the man largely responsible for bringing Jamaican soul to the rest of the world with his huge hit "Israelites"! 31 outstanding jams from Dekker, produced by Leslie Kong for his seminal Beverley's label, non stop easy rockers all culled from Dekker's crucial late ... read moreCD
Two classic albums by The Ethiopians – plus bonus tracks too! Reggae Power may have the name of the growing Jamaican genre in its title, but the set's still heavy on the rocksteady and ska rhythms that first provided fire for the sharp vocals of The Ethiopians – the trio's great way of ... read moreCD
Gladiators —
Full Time ... CD Nighthawk/Omnivore, 1980. New Copy ...
$15.9916.98
Overlooked indie work by The Gladiators – the legendary Jamaican group who rose to huge prominence in the 70s, but who were back working on smaller labels by the time of this release! The set still has the trio at the top of their game – working in a laidback roots reggae mode that ... read moreCD
Marcia Griffiths —
Naturally/Steppin ... CD Sky Note/Doctor Bird (UK), Late 70s. New Copy ...
$11.99
A pair of albums from Marcia Griffiths – the well-titled queen of reggae at the end of the 70s! First up is Naturally, a fantastic album from Marcia Griffiths – very much the kind of material that made her one of the best female singers on the Jamaican scene in the 70s! The set's got ... read moreCD
A stunningly soulful set from Derrick Harriott – who works here as a one-man powerhouse on vocals, arrangements, and production! The set's definitely got some of the psychedelic elements promised on the cover – almost to rocksteady what the late 60s Norman Whitfield productions were to ... read moreCD
Lennie Hibbert —
Moonlight Party ... CD Beach/Dub Store (Japan), Early 60s. New Copy ...
$9.9915.98
Sweet jazzy instrumentals from Jamaica – mellow, moonlight numbers by vibes player Lennie Hibbert and an amazing group of Carribbean players – coming together beautifully on one of his earliest records as a leader! Coming in the early 60s, there's a wonderful Afro-Carribbean jazzy soul ... read moreCD
Justin Hinds —
Know Jah Better ... CD Nighthawk/Omnivore, 1992. New Copy ...
$15.9916.98
The legendary Justin Hinds – still going strong in the digital generation, and getting some nice classic touches here in the Nighthawk Records mode! When the label first got going, they were maybe the new kids on the block – but by the time of this set, they were more champions of an ... read moreCD
From Jamaica with reggae – and a lot of ska and rocksteady too – given that this album goes back to include some of the earliest tracks from singer Justin Hinds and the legendary Dominoes! The music here comes from singles originally issued on Treasure Isle, Pama, Island, and other ... read moreCD
A later classic from the legendary Justin Hinds – reunited here with his Dominoes group, in a musical legacy that stretches back to the early 60s! Despite the date of the set, the production is very classic and nicely understated – no attempt to make Hinds a contemporary superstar, but ... read moreCD
Great lost work from the UK scene of the early 80s – self-produced, self-released work from I Benjahman – an artist who was strongly inspired by the more righteous side of the Kingston scene of the decade before! Most of these tracks have a groove that's mighty lean, and beautifully ... read moreCD
A classic album of dubplate "specials" – all put together by King Tubby, the man who claims to have invented the style at the start of the 70s! As you might know, dubplates were special acetate versions of tunes that were coveted by DJs in Kingston – tracks that were pressed ... read moreCD
A mindblowing moment from the legendary King Tubby – a set that takes his original Soundclash album, and strips it to the core – served up in an assortment of very heavy digital dubs that are maybe even more bass-heavy that work from the analogue generation! Despite the late date of ... read moreCD
A stunning example of the way that the harmony trio had developed in late 60s Jamaica – a short but fantastic evolution of a mode that began in American soul, yet quickly expanded into something else entirely during the rocksteady years – to the point where it became the global calling ... read moreCD
Don't think "disco" as in the New York scene at Studio 54 – as these cuts are much deeper and dubbier – served up under the supervision of Bunny Lee by studio maestros Barnabas and Pat Kelly! Instrumentation is by the Aggrovators, but the magic comes equally from the ... read moreCD
A key moment in the career of the legendary Freddie McGregor – easily one of the best-known voices in reggae in the post-Marley years! The set captures Freddie at his youthful best – coming off of time doing vocal group work, but really shining strongly as a lead singer on his own ... read moreCD
A legendary meeting of talents in the Studio One studios – the wickedly-grooving Soul Defenders and the heartbreakingly soulful Freddie McKay – both coming together here on an album that was an instant Studio One classic! The Soul Defenders have a slow-stepping groove with a nice ... read moreCD
Enos McLeod —
Tel Aviv ... CD Orbit (UK), 2013. Used ...
$6.99
A nice retrospective of one of the rocksteady era's finest harmony groups, who recorded for Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and Sonia Poitinger. 25 tracks in all, including "Sweet Sensation", "No Nola", "Love Makes The World Go Round", "Too Young To Fall In love", ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Jackie Mittoo —
Striker Showcase ... CD 17 North Parade, Mid 70s. New Copy 2CD ...
$18.9921.98
Massive music from Hammond legend Jackie Mittoo – working here over a host of dubby rhythms recorded by Bunny Striker Lee – in a set that's overflowing with great instrumentals! Jackie plays plenty of Hammond – as you've heard on his contributions to countless other Jamaican ... read moreCD
Late 70s material from Derrick Morgan – a singer who first rose to fame during the early ska years of the 60s – but who continued to add his talents to plenty of fine records in the following decade! This set has Morgan working with Bunny Lee – in a mode that's a bit of an update ... read moreCD
Lee Perry & Others —
Mr Perry I Presume ... CD Pressure Sounds (UK), Mid 70s. New Copy ...
$14.9915.98
A wealth of unreleased tracks and unreleased mixes from the studios of the mighty Lee Scratch Perry – material that was mostly recorded during a very fruitful time in the mid 70s, when Lee was turning out a fair bit of tracks that were only issued on one-off dub plates, to be spun by only the ... read moreCD
A new set from the legendary Lee Scratch Perry – but one that does a really great job of getting his classic Black Ark sound completely right! The tunes are spare, stark, and never too overproduced – at least not in a slick or commercial way – as there's lots of dark corners, ... read moreCD
A brilliant slice of work from the legendary Lee Scratch Perry – four crucial early 70s albums, brought together in a single 2CD set! All the work here really shows Perry at the cusp – stepping strongly from the soul-influenced sounds of his early years, and working with The Upsetters ... read moreCD
Ernest Ranglin —
Mod Mod Ranglin ... CD Federal/Dub Store (Japan), 1966. New Copy ...
$14.9915.98
One of those key 60s records that reminds us why Ernest Ranglin's always been one of the most unique talents on the electric guitar – partly a jazzman, and partly a formative force in the early sound of rocksteady and reggae on the Jamaican scene – as you'll hear on this sweet ... read moreCD
Righteous sounds from Ras Michael and The Sons Of Negus – easily one of the most powerful groups of the rastafari years in reggae! The album's got a very deep feel right from the start – not just because the lyrics and vocals are very powerful, but also because the group features a ... read moreCD
Some of the earliest recordings you'll ever hear from the legendary trombonist Rico Rodriguez – sides recorded long before his famous 60s work in ska, and his bit 70s records under his own name – done with a much rootsier groove overall! The setting here is that mode that has the early ... read moreCD
The debut album from Cynthia Schloss – a reggae singer who'd go on to bring a whole new level of soul to Jamaican music! In fact, the album's maybe half reggae, and half soul – delivered by Cynthia with a range that would have been right at home in American soul in the early 70s, ... read moreCD
Original ska sounds from the originators themselves – 20 incredible numbers by the Skatalites & friends – with many of their most essential recordings, and rare stunners, to boot! The period in focus here is the initial few years of The Skatalites as a bonafide band, but the ... read moreCD
Funky keyboards and dubby grooves – a great little record that's as much inspired by Jamaican music as it is the longer legacy of American funky jazz! Soul Sugar first started giving us 45s about a decade ago, but their sound has really matured over the years – as leader/keyboard ... (Deep Funk, Reggae)read moreCD
A big big crossover album from the UK ska scene of the early 80s – built upon the ashes of the older Specials group, but still with plenty of the dark edges we'd come to expect in Jerry Dammers work! There's a bit more electric instrumentation at the bottom of the tracks, but the sound is ... read moreCD
A big big crossover album from the UK ska scene of the early 80s – built upon the ashes of the older Specials group, but still with plenty of the dark edges we'd come to expect in Jerry Dammers work! There's a bit more electric instrumentation at the bottom of the tracks, but the sound is ... read moreCD
Specials —
Singles ... CD 2 Tone/Chrysalis, Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy ...
$7.99
Killer singles from The Specials – the groundbreaking group who not only re-introduced a side of Jamaican music to the British scene, but also helped a whole new generation fall in love with the funky 45! The tunes here are all ones that were originally issued on those very cool checkerboard ... (Rock, Reggae)read moreCD
An underground classic from the digital generation – produced by Herman Wright and Percy Chin with a laidback groove – and some strong backings from Jah Malla & Instigators, A Team, and the I Life Players! Scion Sashay is the real star, though – a young singer, but one with ... read moreCD
Harmony soul from the Jamaican scene of the 60s – served up here in a host of hardcore production from the great Winston Riley! The grooves definitely show the style of Kingston, but the vocals almost echo the best of the indie soul scene in the US – that sophisticated harmony approach ... read moreCD
One of the better late solo efforts from the former Wailer, with him toning down the politics a bit and falling back into a mellow groove. There's some nice backing vocals courtesy the Tamlins, and some nice rhythms courtesy Santa Davis, Gibby Morrison and Sly and Robbie. Includes "Mama ... read moreCD
Bad-stepping sounds from The Uniques – a really hip Jamaican vocal group, and one who sing with an edge that's maybe even sharper than some of their contemporaries! At first listen, the warmth of their harmonies is as sweet as you might expect – but as the music moves on, they open up ... read moreCD
A much-needed look at the mighty talents of one of the key forces of the dancehall explosion at the end of the 80s – producer Bobby Digital, whose work in the studio helped Jamaican music find a whole new audience in the decade to come! Bobby's ear for rhythms and basslines is fantastic ... read moreCD
A much-needed look at the mighty talents of one of the key forces of the dancehall explosion at the end of the 80s – producer Bobby Digital, whose work in the studio helped Jamaican music find a whole new audience in the decade to come! Bobby's ear for rhythms and basslines is fantastic ... read moreCD
The term "copasetic" was first coined by Bill Bojangles Robinson in the 30s – but the word is a perfect one to describe the vibe here – an easygoing groove, served up in dozens of killer cuts from the early ska and rocksteady years of Trojan Records! Given the image of a ... read moreCD
An astounding set of heavy vibrations from Soul Jazz – in their ongoing series of collections focusing on great Jamaican music! This bouncing set takes a long, deep look at Dancehall culture, and accompanies a great book by Beth Lesser – sold separately, but a much-needed look at this ... read moreCD
(Check out the companion book by Beth Lesser Soul Jazz released in conjunction with this disc on our book pages!)
A classic early reggae collection on Trojan Records – so early, the back cover notes refer to the sounds as "West Indian popular music" – instead of by any sort of specific genre or style! There's a strongly unified vibe to the set – as all tracks are late 60s ... read moreCD
A mighty collection of gems from the Studio One vaults – with really rare material that goes way past the obvious! Titles include "Love" by Bop & The Beltones, "Stand For I" by Roy Tomlinson, "Guess What" by Im & The Sound Dimension, "Dub ... read moreCD
A fantastic collection that looks at the relationship between American soul and reggae in a very unique way – not the early crossovers of soul and rocksteady in the 60s, but a big wave of disco-inspired sounds in the 70s! The set brings together some great Jamaican and British versions of ... read moreCD
(New expanded edition – with more material than the previous version!)
Fantastic sounds from the rocksteady years in Jamaica – tracks that are a fair bit more rare and obscure than some of the bigger singles that circulated at the time – even though they feature a fair bit of the same artists and musicians! The work here all came from the studios of ... read moreCD
Fantastic sounds from the rocksteady years in Jamaica – tracks that are a fair bit more rare and obscure than some of the bigger singles that circulated at the time – even though they feature a fair bit of the same artists and musicians! The work here all came from the studios of ... read moreCD
35 years!! This massive 4 CD collection just begins to scratch the surface of the insane quantity of quality Jamaican jammies released over the last 3 and a half decades by the Trojan label, and even the most nascent reggae fan knows that's still a heavy, heavy collection. 100 tunes!! Get ready ... read moreCD
A pair of Trojan Records compilations – back to back on a single CD! Both of these sets are way more than just collections of early rocksteady and reggae – as the set list of both records was surprisingly special – and often included some obscurities from Trojan, and well as ... read moreCD
Way way more than just the usual roots reggae collection – a stunning set that documents the growth of Rastafari ideals in Jamaican music – with examples that range from years before the birth of reggae, through that style's bit growth in the 70s! The set includes this very large ... read moreCD
Sweet digital dancehall – served up here in a collection that does a great job of looking at the deeper side of the scene in the late 80s! All tracks here appeared on the Redman International label, and there's definitely a number of versions handled by the Redman himself – but only ... read moreCD
A great set of classic rude boy numbers from the early years of the ska and rocksteady scene! "Rude Boy" is a term that's been really watered down over the years – especially through its overuse in American ska, and all the posers that adopted it – but back at the roots, the ... read moreCD
Music from Tupi Nago, Ze Paulo, Leci Brandao, Jimmy Cliff, Luizinho Vieira, Margareth Menezes, Olodum, Daniela Mercury, Ara Ketu, Banda Mel & more. (Latin, Reggae)CD
Some of the most righteous music ever recorded at Studio One – tracks that rival the most progressive American soul music of the 70s in terms of political message and cultural empowerment! Studio One always worked at levels that drew strongly from American soul – but here, the sounds ... read moreCD
To say this one's been a long time coming would be an understatement! This awesome set features a 4 hour (!) DVD, loaded with rare footage of the Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin, plus in-depth interviews with Dodd and a whole host of artists that had worked their way through the ... read moreCD
An album that definitely earns its title – as it marks the renewed strength of the Studio One label in the late 70s – an era when much of the reggae mainstream had moved to the major labels, but the tiny Jamaican indie was well-poised to stand supreme in the new wave of dancehall sides ... read moreCD
An album that definitely earns its title – as it marks the renewed strength of the Studio One label in the late 70s – an era when much of the reggae mainstream had moved to the major labels, but the tiny Jamaican indie was well-poised to stand supreme in the new wave of dancehall sides ... read moreCD
A quaret records by reggae vocals heroes produced by King Jammy from the late 70s and early 80s – Dennis Brown's The Exit, Gregory Isaacs's Come Along, Sugar Minnott's Bitter Sweet and Horace Andy's Haul And Jack Up – in a killer box set! This was the period in which Jammy was ... read moreCD