The soulful sound of Trojan Records, mixed superbly here by Japanese DJ Holiday – who comes across with a killer blend of cuts from the rocksteady and early reggae years! A number of tracks here are Jamaican remakes of American soul tunes, and they're mixed with originals that really echo the spirit of mellow grooves that were especially strong in the early part of the 70s – served up here on a set of 20 tracks that are all pulled from the farther reaches of the Trojan catalog, including a fair bit of under-discovered nuggets! Titles include "Let's Get It On" by Lloyd Charmers, "Lean On Me" by BB Seaton, "Tears On My Pillow" by Derrick Morgan, "It's You I Love" by Merlene Webster, "Somebody's Baby" by Pat Kelly, "Pain In My Heart" by Derrick & Naomi, "Target" by The Gaytones, "Love Letters" by Phyllis Dillon & Alton Ellis, "Sitting In The Park" by Slim Smith, "Keep It Like It Is" by Louisa Marks, "Emergency Call" by Judy Mowatt, and "Our Day Will Come" by The Heptones. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) 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. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) 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. (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at a really magical moment in Jamaican music – one in which the influence of the big UK audience was felt in styles back home – and also in which some shifting modes in American soul also helped create some new modes of expression! Lovers Rock is a mellower, gentler version of reggae than some of the roots rock or headier dub recordings of the 70s – going back to the soul that first inspired Jamaicans to make their own grooves back in the 60s – but with an updated style that has more mature, sophisticated modes coming into play – great vocals that go wonderfully with the slow-stepping and midtempo grooves of the tracks! Make no mistake, this is still reggae, but just with less politics and more interpersonal themes – well-collected here on titles that include "Caught You In A Lie" by Louisa Mark, "Can't Go Through With Life" by Marie Pierre, "I'm Still In Love With You" by Marcia Aitken, "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, "Dim The Light" by Winston Ready, "Someone Loves You Honey" by JC Lodge, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Night Nurse" by Gregory Isaacs, "I'm So Sorry" by Carroll Thompson, "Ghetto Queen" by John Holt, "Key To The World" by Ruddy Thomas, "Love Has Found Its Way" by Dennis Brown, "Getting Crazy" by The In Crowd, and "When Push Comes To Shove" by Freddie McGregor. 3CD set features 60 tracks in all – a huge selection! (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

A massive overview of work from the legendary Front Line label – an imprint started by Virgin Records in the mid 70s, and one that quickly became as important as Island or Trojan in the growing world of reggae! Front Line was heavy on roots, but also released some great dub material as well – all of which is brought together in this huge box of 92 tracks – which includes 11 previously unreleased selections, and 30 that had never been issued on CD! The package is divided up into sections – with a three chapter evolution of the label, plus additional 12" mixes on one CD, and another devoted entirely to material from the vaults – which makes the collection an essential set for collectors, and not just an introduction to the label. Artists include The Mighty Diamonds, U Roy, Twinkle Brothers, Gladiators, Gregory Issacs, Sly Dunbar, Jah Lloyd The Black Lion, Big Youth, Delroy Washington, I Roy, Tapper Zukie, Althea & Donna, Prince Far I, Poet & The Roots, Johnny Clarke, The Revolutionaries, Keith Hudson, and many many more! (Reggae, Funky Compilations) CD

A great collection of soulful rocksteady gems – and one that really hints at its approach with the use of "cover" in the title! Many of the tunes here are reworkings of American soul tracks – most not major hits, which makes them even cooler cover versions – and shows just how deep a love of soul music influenced the Jamaican scene in the 60s! Tracks are from a variety of classic labels – Trojan, Doctor Bird, Treasure Isle, and others – and titles include "Just A Mirage" by The Uniques, "If I Didn't Love You" by Eric Monty Morris, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by The Techniques, "Something You've Got" by Lee Perry, "Trying To Reach My Goal" by Alton Ellis, "Charade" by Roland Alphonso, and even a surprising take on "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" by Harry J All Stars! (Reggae, Funky Compilations) LP, Vinyl record album