One of best ever albums by The English Beat – one that cemented their status as one of the most creative groups to come out of the ska revival scene! Wha'ppen has lots of fresh instrumentation and experimentation – but that's in service of some tight, insistent songcraft – and they never ever bury their their Caribbean influences. There's a bit more Afro Beat-inspired rhythms and some atmospheric underground pop touches, but it's still get plenty of the Jamaican style we loved about their earlier work, too – on a record that didn't get the acclaim it deserved at the time! Titles include "Monkey Murders", "I Am Your Flag", "Walk Away", "Get A Job", "The Limits We Set", "Dream Home In NZ", and "Drowning". (Rock, Reggae) CD

A pair of charmers from legendary producer Lloyd Charmers – served up here with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is the classic Sweet Bitter Love from Marcia Griffiths – a set that helped cement her reputation as one of the most soulful female singers in Jamaican music at the time – and one that really helps bridge worlds by serving up some great reggae-styled takes on American soul music! Marcia serves up sublime takes on tunes by Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Roberta Flack, and others – completely reworked by Charmers' instrumentation – which also includes some wonderful keyboards! Titles include "Play Me", "Gypsy Man", "Sweet Bitter Love", "Green Grasshopper", "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely", and "Everything I Own". Far & Distant features wicked guitar work from Willie Lindo – spun out here over an all-instrumental set that almost feels more like Jamaican records of the late 60s than you'd guess from the mid 70s date of the album! The grooves are definitely more 70s – certainly with a strong reggae current – but the spare, stripped-down manner of presentation takes us back more to some of the instrumental rocksteady records – especially in the way the production allows for lots of focus on the core musician – which means you really get to hear all the wicked, trippy currents of Lindo's instrument – used in a heady style that almost makes him come across like the Phil Upchurch of the Jamaican scene! Lloyd Charmers produced, and also plays piano and organ – and titles include "Drum Song", "Darker Shade Of Black", "Midnight train To Georgia", "Samba Pati", "Chopper", "Hear I Am Baby", "Charmers Mood", "Mystic Mood", "Breezing", and "Holly Holy". 2CD edition features 20 more bonus tracks – 17 of which are new to CD – a full alternate mix of the Marcia Griffiths album, the tune "Midnight & You" by Willie Lindo, and more Lloyd Charmer productions from rare 7" singles – work by Big Youth, Drifting Blenders, Bob Andy, BB Seaton, Errol Thomas, and others. CD

A breakthrough album from Bob Marley – a set that was recorded equally in Kingston and London, and which has a globe-spanning vibe to match! Marley's star had already been rising by the time of this set – but this album helped cement both his lasting power, and the worldwide influence of the music that Jamaica was bringing forth – served up by a sharp lineup that includes Aston "Family Man" Barrett on bass, Carlton Barrett on drums and percussion, Touter on piano and organ, and Al Anderson on lead guitar – as well as soulful backing from the I-Threes. A good chunk of the record was recorded at Harry J's – not as tightly as some of the later Island Records material – and titles include the classics "Lively Up Yourself", "No Woman No Cry", "Rebel Music", "Natty Dread" and "Talkin' Blues". CD