... 12-inch, Vinyl record

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 than the latter – and Marcia's got this proud, righteous approach that's very different than her style of just a few years before – set to great grooves that have sharp core instrumentation with Lloyd Charmers on piano and organ, and Willie Lindo on guitar. Almost more of a female funky soul record on most cuts – with tracks that include "Here I Am Baby", "Children At Play", "I'd Rather Be Lonely", "Sweet Bitter Love", "There's No Me Without You", "Everything I Own", "Green Grasshopper", and "Gypsy Man". Also features a full album of rare bonus tracks – including "Play Me", "The First Cut Is The Deepest", "Melody Life", "Don't Let Me Down", "Band Of Gold", "I See You My Love", "It's Too Late", "Baby If You Don't Love Me", "Love Walked In", and "Working To The Top". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Really early work from the legendary Derrick Morgan, and a set that was one of the earliest full length sets in the Island Records catalog – the start of a legendary run of Jamaican music, with proof that Morgan was one of the originators who was there at the start! As you might guess from his look on the cover, Derrick is working in a ska-based mode on the set – but he's also drawing plenty from American soul for inspiration too – wonderful vocals that float in a dreamy way over the tight-stepping rhythms in the tunes! There's a few cuts that feature duets with Patsy Todd – and titles include "The Hop", "Look Before You Leap", "Last Chance", "Don't You Worry", "Blazing Fire", "Housewife's Choice", "Don't Be A Fool", and "It's True My Darling". CD features a massive amount of bonus tracks – 46 titles added to the original record, some from The Best Of Derrick Morgan, many of which are new to CD too. Titles include "Real Ring Ding", "Revenge", "Try Me", "Greedy Gal", "Don't Say", "Horse Dead Cow Fat", "Sunday Morning", "Gypsy Woman", "Be Still", "Corner Stone", "Sail On", "Tell It To Me", "Loving Baby", and lots lots more! CD

An overlooked gem from the glory days of Virgin's Frontline series – a homegrown effort from UK singer Vivian Weathers – a really unique talent with a style that's very much his own! At some level, Vivian's got the warmth of the lover's rock generation, but mixes it with some of the deeper currents of contemporaries on the hipper side of the UK reggae spectrum – creating a record here that's stunningly soulful and deep, and very much at the highest level of British reggae for the period! This isn't crossover pop, but instead the kind of special, deeper current that only a rare few were crafting on the London scene – as you'll hear on cuts that include "Move Ghetto Children", "Hip Hug", "Gypsy Love", "Song Of Sufferation", "A Fool & His Baby", "The Way You Walk", and "Street Talk". Features a bonus track – "Hip Hug (12" mix)". LP, Vinyl record album