... LP, Vinyl record album

A massive amount of radical records from the great Joe Gibbs – a producer who forever changed the face of Jamaican music with a legendary run of dub albums in the 70s! Joe was no stranger to the scene by the time of these tracks – but the sessions had him really burrowing in to very experimental territory, coming up with sounds that were years ahead of their time, and which set the tone for so many other dub productions in years to come – all very far from some of the chart-topping reggae hits of the decade! The work features plenty of hypnotic rhythms from Sly & Robbie, and great guitar work from Earl Chinna Smith – plus nice horn parts and keyboard lines too – all elements that are whipped up into a sonic souffle by the maestro. This 4CD set features this legendary run of records – Dub Serial, State Of Emergency, Majestic Dub, More Majestic Dub, and the African Dub albums, chapters 1 to 4 – with 12 tracks that have never been on CD before, and the usual deep detail and top-shelf presentation of the Doctor Bird label. CD

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. CD