A strong debut effort from one of the finer British roots acts – the mighty Aswad, a group who were big on the UK shores, but never got the same sort of international circulation as their peers Steel Pulse! Like many UK groups of the time, Aswad are nicely self-contained, different than the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A hell of a record from bassist Aston Barrett – best known for his work behind Bob Marley during the classic years, but stepping out here as a powerful force on his own – away from the late Great One, and recording here either under his own name, or with The Wailers! As the title ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The debut album from the second lineup of Black Uhuru, with Duckie Simpson, Michael Rose and Errol Nelson. Produced by Prince Jammy, this is a tremendous slice of rootsy rockers, even if it doesn't quite top the later version of the group with Puma Jones and Sly & Robbie's production. This ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A soaring set from Afro reggae trailblazer Alpha Blondy – and one of his best! The blend of Jamaican influlences and African heritage combine as passionately as ever on a batch of songs that includes "Afriki", "Jah Houphouet", "Apartheid Is Nazism", "Idjidja ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(US pressing on Shanachie. Cover has some edge wear and is bent a bit at the spine.)
A very cool set from the 70s – one that's part reggae, part sweet soul, and part funky jam – all served up with a nicely mixed up vibe that really makes the whole thing shine! The group hail from Barbados, and there's some great Caribbean funk on the record at times – especially ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
You gotta love Ken Boothe – a guy who can take familiar pop tunes like "Impossible Dream" and "Theme From The Godfather", and turn them into surprisingly soulful reggae classics! Yet that kind of magic is exactly what makes a great reggae album so great – the kind ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Pressure Sounds does it again, with another fine collection of mighty, mighty dub! A much needed Blackbeard retrospective collecting 16 hard to get cuts from British dubmeister Dennis Bovell, rare dubs and instrumentals, plus a couple of outstanding vocal tracks from the man at the epicenter of ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Never-issued work from Jamaican singer Al Brown – tapes that were thought to be lost for years, then were recently rediscovered and brought back to life by the talents of Paolo "Dub Files" Baldini! The work has a righteous quality at the core – very soulful vocals from Al, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Barry Brown —
Praises ... LP Pressure Sounds (UK), Late 70s. New Copy 2LP ...
$26.9933.99
An incredible set, and one that will definitely have you heaping praises on Barry Brown – as the singer was one of the most inventive of the late roots reggae years in Jamaica – and maybe gets his best presentation ever on the tracks on the set! There's a splashy brilliance to the way ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Clement Bushay —
Dread In Session ... LP Summertime/Lantern (Italy), 1976. New Copy (reissue)...
$29.9934.99
There was definitely a dread in this session from producer Clement Bushay – but one who also brought in a strong influence from American soul – at a level that creates this mighty nice blend between roots reggae and lovers rock modes! The set trips along in an easygoing mode, and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A classic slice of Jamaican roots – and an essential record from the godlike hands of Lee Perry! The set was produced by Perry at Black Ark – and instantly became the stuff of legend, even though the initial version of the album got very limited exposure – which has led to years ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first album in many years from this legendary studio project from On-U Sound and Adrian Sherwood – and one that makes us feel as if the passage of decades hasn't happened at all! Sherwood's production is still wonderful – and, if anything, maybe less showy, or more soulful, or less ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Surprisingly great later work from the legendary Desmond Dekker – a set that should have been a sloppy cash-in during the ska revival, but material that shows Desmond still very much at the top of his game! The production and backings show a bit of a late 70s British touch, but Dekker's ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Portuguese pressing. Cover has some gloss separation at the spine, partially unglued bottom seam, and yellowing from age in back.)
Dobby Dobson & Dean Fraser —
Words (voc, vers) ... 12-inch Revolutionary Sounds (Jamaica), 1980s. Very Good+ ...
$1.99
Earth & Stone —
Kool Roots ... LP Pressure Sounds (UK), Mid 70s. New Copy 2LP ...
$29.99
Great duo vocals from the team of Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell – recording here with some excellent rhythms from Sly & Robbie and the rest of the Channel One crew! The music is mostly mellow, with a stepping groove that works great for the harmonies of the pair – and there's a ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Eek-A-Mouse's early 80s classic – and the benchmark meeting between the wildly unique deejay and vocalist with producer Henry Junjo Lawes! The Mouse is out front of stellar rootsy backing by The Roots Radics Band. Titles Include "Ganja Smuggling", "Long Time Ago", "O ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of ... (Rock, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A rocksteady classic from The Ethiopians – but a set that also has plenty more going on as well! The duo work here as a Jamaican counterpart to American soul groups – one of the first and best to hit the Kingston scene – but they also open themselves up to lots of other ideas in ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Numbered limited edition of 750 copies – on gold vinyl!)
A sweet set from the digital generation, but one that shows that the best spirit of the roots reggae years were alive and well in the music of a singer like Horace Ferguson! Horace has this gently grooving style that's mighty nice – up in the higher range of the spectrum, which almost seems ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Robert Ffrench —
Wondering ... LP Blue Mountain/333 (UK), 1985. New Copy (reissue)...
$23.9926.99
A sweetly soulful set from Robert Ffrench – a completely self-produced set, which seems to give the whole thing a very down to earth vibe – especially given its release in the middle of the digital dancehall generation! There's certainly elements in the music that link it to that ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A sly little set from the hands of British producer Dennis Bovell – a record that was done to appear as an obscure Jamaican import – from the stripped-down packaging to the stripped-down sound in the grooves! The feel here is a bit looser and more laidback than some of the other UK ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Really heady sounds from Frightnrs – a group who've changed up their sound slightly since their last full length release – at a level that makes them even more interesting than ever before! The group still draw heavily from older rocksteady and soulful reggae modes – but it also ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Limited edition red with blue splatter vinyl pressing – with download!)
Fantastic work from Marcia Griffiths – the Jamaican singer who first rose to fame in the duo of Bob & Marcia – but who already sounds very much her own woman on this classic set from the 70s! The groove is as much funky soul as it is reggae – in fact maybe more the former ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Derrick Harriott may sing Jamaican reggae, but he does so here with plenty of help from American soul – as half the record features songs from the US 60s scene, including some Motown and southern soul gems – all retooled nicely for the sound of young Kingston! Derrick produced the set ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The title certainly gets it right – as Derrick Harriott serves up a wonderful mix of sounds that owes plenty to American funk and soul of the early 70s – some cool Kingston covers of famous US tunes, and some other originals that are equally groovy overall! The set's one of the best ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A soulful classic from The Heptones – easily one of the greatest trios to emerge from the Jamaican scene in the late 60s – and one of the few who were really able to evolve their style as the years went on! The style here is to earlier Heptones material as the early 70s Impressions ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Numbered limited edition of 750 copies – on orange vinyl!)
One of the most unusual entries in this amazing set of releases from the Habibi Funk label – a set that's definitely what's promised in the title – in that Ibrahim Hesnawi delivers a really unique take on the sound of Kingston! The music is certainly in a rhythm that echoes ... (Global Grooves, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Crucial cuts from The Investigators – a UK lovers rock group, but one who borrow plenty from American soul as well – as you might guess from their look on the cover, which almost makes them appear like some east coast indie act from the early 80s! The rhythms are definitely reggae on ... (Soul, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Gregory Isaacs kicks back with a spliff on the front cover – earning himself some well-earned relaxation after turning out this tasty set of tracks from the 70s! The record's not a collection of earlier singles, and instead features new recordings all arranged by Alvin Ranglin – with ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Gregory Isaacs —
Mr Isaacs ... LP Earthquake/17 North Parade, 1977. New Copy (reissue)...
$24.9925.99
Fantastic early material from Gregory Isaacs – captured here early in his career, and working in a deep roots reggae mode – recording at Channel One with great direction from Ossie Hibbert! The set's laidback and righteous, in ways that let all the soulful qualities of Isaac's vocals ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
King Tubby —
Explosive Dub ... LP Clocktower, 1975. New Copy (reissue)...
$15.9918.98
If you're looking for a definition of dub, this album may well be it – and it's clear proof why Tubby could proudly wear the crown of a King! The set's beautifully bassy and muddy all the way through – a heady brew of bottom-level sounds – all layered wonderfully with lots and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
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 moreLP, Vinyl record album
A mighty righteous set of roots material – but maybe that's no surprise, given that Fred Locks titled the album after the shipping line started by Marcus Garvey to help African-Americans get back to the homeland! On vocals, Fred's got an approach that's every bit in spirit with his rasta ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Herman Chin Loy —
Musicism Dub ... LP Musicism/Pressure Sounds (UK), 1983. New Copy 2LP ...
Just Sold Out!
Some of the rarest dub work ever cut by this legendary Jamaican producer – music that originally appeared on two different records that only ever circulated in shabby TK Records 12" sleeves, often with the wrong information printed on the labels! Yet the set is every bit as seminal as ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Hugh Maddo —
Pop Style ... LP Jamaazima/333 (UK), 1987. New Copy (reissue)...
$23.9928.99
There's nothing pop about this record – as the set's an obscure 80s digital date, recorded at Aquarius Studios, issued on a tiny American label, and a great reminder that there were still plenty of homegrown sounds during these years of big reggae success – as long as you knew where to ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An incredible lost slice of music from the young Bob Marley – an unissued set of recordings done at the Capitol Studios in LA, at a time when the Wailers were just beginning to rise in global power! The session came at an unusual moment for the group – they had come to the US to tour ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Pre-Island Records material from Bob Marley and The Wailers – and a set that really focuses on the strong harmony modes that made the group so great! Bob's lead is still wonderful, but the way the voices come together is tremendous – echoing American soul styles, but with a righteous ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first Bob Marley album on Island Records – and the start of a really legendary run that would not only transform reggae in the 70s, but the rest of popular music as well! Chris Blackwell's partially at the helm on production, but the album was mostly recorded in classic Kingston studios ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(50th Anniversary edition, includes 24 page booklet, bonus tracks, and features a cool etching on one of the LPs!)
Bob Marley & The Wailers —
Kaya ... LP Island, 1977. Near Mint- ...
$49.99
Sweet grooves from the great Bob Marley – a set cut at a time when Marley was really riding his international fame – and able to create the kind of music that reached out way more than conventional reggae! The Kingston roots of the sound are still very firmly in place – but there' ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Blue label pressing with Sterling stamp. Includes the heavy inner sleeve. Cover has a cutout notch.)
Bob Marley & The Wailers —
Survival ... LP Island, 1979. Near Mint- ...
$24.99
One of the sharpest, most righteous albums from Bob Marley – in case you couldn't guess from the title, which is his response to a recent assassination attempt! The whole thing's got a very classic vibe – and the lyrics have even more of a political current than some of Marley's other ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Mid 80s black label pressing with Sterling/SRC stamps. Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover is lightly bent at the sides.)
Stunning early work from one of our favorite reggae groups ever – the mighty Toots & The Maytals, a key link between the soul styles of the Jamaican scene of the 60s, and the righteous years to come! There's a groove to the Maytals music that nobody else seems to get this right – ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The first-ever compilation of work by this overlooked 70s roots reggae group – a Dominican act, but one who have a sound that resonates with the best underground Kingston work of the time! The tunes have this quiet sort of urgency that's a bit of a surprise – wavering vocals that serve ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A calypso set, but not the sort that you'd know from big crossover records of the late 50s – as the Mighty Sparrow works here with that jazzy blend of horns and rootsy rhythms that kept a strong edge in his music, and made his sounds as important on the pre-reggae scene in London as they were ... (Global Grooves, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Excellent Japanese pressing – much better vinyl than the original!)
Beautiful sounds from the mighty Jacob Miller – material recorded with Augustus Pablo in the years before Miller went onto greater fame in Inner Circle – and with a rootsy vibe that's still extremely powerful all these many years later! Pablo's at the height of his talents here – ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Killer funky organ – and 100% Dynamite! Jackie Mittoo is one of the all-time great organists – as essential to Jamaica as Booker T was to Memphis, or Jimmy McGriff was to New York. He's legendary these days as the player who completely transformed the Hammond sound with his unique ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
The last train to skaville, and a record that should be the first in line when you're digging for rare instrumental ska – as the collection offers up a mix of the mighty Hammond skills of Jackie Mittoo and the searing rhythms of the Soul Brothers – who also serve up great solos on tenor ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Includes download!)
Derrick Morgan —
Development ... LP Jaguar/Sutro Park, 1972. New Copy (reissue)...
$20.9922.99
Derrick Morgan's a superstar in Jamaican music, but this album's one of his most obscure – also one of his most righteous too, as you might guess from the gritty 70s image on the cover! The set's got a soulful flow that's in the late rocksteady mode, but also bubbles with some of the roots ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Pablo Moses —
Revolutionary Dream ... LP Blue Moon/Onlyroots (France), 1978. New Copy (reissue)...
$25.9929.99
A really sweet roots set from Pablo Moses – one that's got some cool electric moments at points, including very cool use of Arp – but which also retains all the earthy core to make the righteous currents of the lyrics come out right! Geoffrey Chung arranged and produced, and there's a ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Jackie Opel —
Cry Me A River ... LP Studio One, Late 1960s. Near Mint- ...
Just Sold Out!
Soulful gems from one of the early Studio One greats – tracks that include "Try Me", "I Am Free", "Wipe These Tears", "Shelter The Storm", "Forever Forever", and "Eternal Love". LP, Vinyl record album
(White label with blue Studio One logo. Matrix has "KK mastering". Cover has light wear – vinyl is great!)
Augustus Pablo —
Born To Dub You ... LP 17 North Parade, Mid 70s. New Copy ...
$24.9925.98
There's few folks more born to dub you than the great Augustus Pablo – an artist whose laidback work helped introduce dub music to a whole new generation in the 70s, then continued to remain at the top of the stack as the years went on! And although these cuts are rare material, not Pablo's ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Augustus Pablo —
One Step Dub ... LP Rockers/Greensleeves, Mid 80s. New Copy (reissue)...
$24.9928.99
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 ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of the earliest mainstream steel band records issued in the US – by a group sponsored by Pan Am Airlines! (Global Grooves, Reggae)LP, Vinyl record album
(A very cool package – in a die-cut cover, with a booklet inside!)
Lee Scratch Perry's funky reggae party, put together at the Black Ark, with Boris Gardner, Mickey Boo, Sly Dunbar & Winston Wright. A nice batch of crackling Jamaican funk, with the requisite Black Ark smoke blowing throughout. Includes a bunch of classic Perry-isms, with Scratch dropping ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Lee Perry —
Voodooism ... LP Pressure Sounds (UK), 1970s. New Copy ...
$23.99
We never get tired of these Lee Perry reissues! The first of several compilations put together by the fine folks at Pressure Sounds documenting Perry's tremendous output from his Black Ark studio, at the peak of his powers in the mid 70s. Mostly drawn from 45s of cuts that attained legendary ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Rare and unreleased Lee Perry dubplate mixes – brilliant productions from the creatively fruitful, boundary busting 70s years – with the mighty Upsetters and numbers featuring Junior Murvin, Candy Mackenzie, Leo Graham, Jimmy Riley, George Faith, Jack Lord and The Silvertones! This is ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An unusual album, and one that features a host of recordings done by Lee Perry right before his Pipecock Jackson implosion in the late 70s – but presented by former partner Pauline Morrison, who deserves a lot of credit for putting together a host of great dub tracks that might have been lost ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Prince Buster serves up a whole host of classic productions – tracks by Buster himself, plus Monty Morris, Skitta & Bonnie, Derrick Morgan, Count Ossie, Black Head, Bobby Atkin, and others! LP, Vinyl record album
(Red and white Buster label pressing, in an orangeish cover.)
Prince Jammy —
Crucial In Dub ... LP Greensleeves (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy ...
$24.9925.98
Unreleased work from the great Prince Jammy – an assortment of never-heard dubs, all of which bristle with a sharpness that marks the start of the digital generation! There's a spareness here that's wonderful – Jammy's way of making a key element be just enough out front of some slow-st ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
This is sort of a Prince Jammy riff on the format of the popular Junjo Lawes-produced Scientist dub series. Nonetheless, he steps up to bat, and indeed defeats the evil planet munchers, with the able help of the Roots Radics rhytnm section. Recorded at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's – and ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Prince Jammy's Computerized Dub – a quintessential set of beeping, bouncing Casio driven jams from the originator of the Jamaican digital tone! Steely and Cleavie were still under Jammy's tutelage and they are part of the driving force behind these nice mid 80s rhythms. 10 tracks in all, ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
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 moreLP, Vinyl record album
A set that follows nicely on the first Reggae Strings effort on Trojan – and, like the first, a package that features older vocal tracks with the lyrics stripped away, all to provide a focus on the fuller orchestrations of Johnny Archey! The approach is cooler than you'd guess – lots ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has some water damage on one side – some stuck paper and a light stain – plus tape on the top and bottom seams. Vinyl is nice!)
A wonderful double-length set – one that brings together the lost legacy of work from singer Norris Reid on the Kingston scene – tracks that were only issued as rare 7" singles, in the years before Reid packed up and left Jamaica for Pittsburgh, and stopped recording gems like this! ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Seminal quality dub by the mighty Revolutionairies! Raw, fat dubs of Jah Lloyd productions cut at Channel One and mixed at Tubby's by Prince Jammy, featuring the Rhythm Twins on drum & bass, with the rest of the band filled out with an all star cast of top notch shots, so what more do you need ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A lean and spooky little set from the Rockers All Stars – put together with killer production from Augustus Pablo and Everton Da Silva! The vibe here is in the moodiest territory that Pablo might explore on albums under his own name – and although the father is providing help, it's ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(With LH-005 and LH-003 matrix. One label is an ink stamped title, the other is hand-written.)
Roots Radics —
12 Inches Of Dub ... LP VP/17 North Parade, Early 80s. New Copy (reissue)...
$24.9928.99
A massive set of rhythms from the legendary Roots Radics – one that's definitely got the dubby elements you'd expect from the title, but which also showcases the kind of rock-solid instrumentation the group always had at the core! The sound is almost effortless here – the kind of spare ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Early 80s dub at its best – recorded at a time when Sly & Robbie were really making some huge waves in the mainstream, but were still also able to provide plenty of heady rhythms when working in the Roots Radics combo! Of course, the pair aren't the only stars here – as Mikey Dread ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(White label pressing. Labels have some spotty stains.)
Cynthia Schloss —
Ready & Waiting ... LP TSG/P-Vine (Japan), 1976. New Copy ...
$29.9948.99
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 moreLP, Vinyl record album