An unusual collection of mento material from Jamaica – a later document of sounds that were initially the first on the path towards rocksteady and reggae! Back in the late 50s, Bermuda had calypso and Jamaica had mento – a style that was similar, but which had a slightly different rhythmic pattern – one that was fused with influences from American soul as the decade moved on, as the blueprint for ska, rocksteady, and later styles too! These recordings are all from the 70s – handled by producer Sonia Pottinger for her High Note label – and show that even in the era of dub and roots, mento was still going strong in Jamaica – although definitely with more contemporary touches that show the growing influence of reggae back on the older form of music. The set's a great look at this moment in the style – done with the usual huge booklet of notes we love from Doctor Bird, filled with rare images and label scans too – and the 2CD set features 46 tracks in all – full albums by King Vupp, The Jolly Boys, and The Prince Brothers – plus more by Sugar Belly, Count Lasher, Baba Brooks, The Dingle Brothers, Marva Moore, and others. CD

Bob Andy's come a long way here from his earlier work with Marcia Griffiths – taking on some new righteous rasta energy, as you might guess from the title – and singing in an even headier style than before – in a way that makes this record as important to the roots generation as his earlier sides were to early reggae! The set was recorded at Treasure Isle, with bad-stepping rhythms from Sly & Robbie, and a nice current of dub on the production – all of which really sets the stage for Bob's richly soulful vocals on tunes that include "Troubled Woman", "Lots Of Love & I", "Unchain Me", "Stepping Free", "Revelation", "The Ghetto Stays In My Mind", and "You Lied". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A stunning double-length collection of work from dub producer Errol Brown – a massive 42 tracks in all, each of which definitely live up to the "tip top" promised in the title! The work here is from the years 1977 and 1978 – all originally issued on the High Note or Sky Note labels, at a time when Brown's talents in the studio were able to completely transform elements from contemporary tunes, and take them into all sorts of wonderful new directions with instrumentation help from The Revolutionaries! There's plenty of echo throughout, but most tunes also have a very straightforward vibe too – lean and forward-moving, without getting too bogged down in the production – just using the right elements to make everything sound super-cool throughout. The set features 25 tracks that have never been on CD amidst the total of 42 – and tracks include "Phase One Special", "Roots Man Dub", "Dancing Dub", "Wooga Man", "King Ruler", "Ital Dub", "Dub Walla", "Chapter 15", "Know Your Friend Version", "Strictly Roots"- "Lizard Version", and "Dub In Dreamland". CD

A heady helping of rare singles from the farther reaches of the indie scene in early reggae – labels that include Duke, Grape, Splash, High Note, Explosion, and JJ – all tiny companies that are now part of the larger Trojan Records empire! The work here is nicely varied – as many styles as promised in the title, but with maybe the soulful edge of rocksteady at the core – a strong focus on the kind of late 60s singles that had more than enough depth to cross the Atlantic and get plenty of play on the London scene too! Titles include "Old Time (dub)" by GG All-stars, "Black Power" by Dave Barker, "Wondering" by The Hippy Boys, "Let My People Go" by The Rulers & The Carib Beats, "It's Too Late" by Chosen Few, "Going In Circles" by Charmers All Stars, "Love Brother" by Herman, "Rim Bim Bam" by The Ethiopians, "Fire Fire (take 3)" by Tony & His Group, "Night Of Love" by Ansel Collins, "Pony Ride" by Winston Groovy & Pat Rhoden, "Dee's Special" by Lynn Taitt & The Jets, and "Going In Circles" by Charmers All Stars. LP, 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 the British reggae scene. Focusing on Bovell's early work, this collection brings some of his heaviest productions out for the first time since their original release in the mid-seventies, all propelled by his chubby bass playing and rounded out by his deft touch on the console. 16 tracks in all: "The Grunwick Affair", "Harmoniser Dub", "Dominion Dub", "Rowing (12" version)", "Zombie Zones", "Zion Dub", "Higher Ranking", "Ranking High", "Scientific", "Shi-cago", "None Jah Jah Children (Melodica version)", "Uganda Crisis", "Ah Fi Wi Dis", "Entebbe", "Blood Ah Go Run" and "Dub'er". As always, a wonderful package, with new liner notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

Really cool work from the UK reggae scene of the early 70s – a set of obscure early albums from the hands of British producer Dennis Bovell – issued in a series of unassuming packages that were done to appear as obscure Jamaican imports – 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 productions of the time – roots work that has some occasional dub-style production at points, or a more straightforward groove at others – on many instrumental cuts that are perfect for blasting over a larger soundsystem! These records were a slight mystery at the time, and haven't been reissued much over the years – and together here in a single set, with fantastic notes from the Doctor Bird label, they are finally brought together as a whole! The set features four full albums – Ah Who Se Go Deh, Leggo A Fe We Dis, Scientific Higher Ranking Dubb, and Yuh Learn – plus 8 related bonus tracks too. CD

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 – Randy's, Dynamic, and Harry J's – and retains the same vibe as some of Marley's earlier work, but with more of the forward-thinking vision he brought to his time at Island. Bunny Livingston lays down some excellent percussion on the set – and rhythm is from the team of Aston and Carlton Barrett on bass and drums. Titles include the classic "Stir It Up" – plus "Slave Driver", "Kinky Reggae", "High Tide Or Low Tide", and "Concrete Jungle". Very cool 3CD edition – comes in a hardback book-styled cover, with new notes and rare photos. CD2 features a rare live set recorded in London at the Paris Theater in 1973. CD3 features more unreleased tracks – eight from the sessions, including Jamaican alternative and extended versions of "Slave Driver", "Stop That Train", "No More Trouble", "Stir It Up", "400 Years", and "High Tide Or Low Tide" – plus three more unreleased live tracks from 1973! CD

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 – Randy's, Dynamic, and Harry J's – and retains the same vibe as some of Marley's earlier work, but with more of the forward-thinking vision he brought to his time at Island. Bunny Livingston lays down some excellent percussion on the set – and rhythm is from the team of Aston and Carlton Barrett on bass and drums. Titles include the classic "Stir It Up" – plus "Slave Driver", "Kinky Reggae", "High Tide Or Low Tide", and "Concrete Jungle". Very cool 3LP/12" edition – comes in a box, with new notes and rare photos! LP2 features a rare live set recorded in London at the Paris Theater in 1973. LP3 features more unreleased tracks – eight from the sessions, including Jamaican alternative and extended versions of "Slave Driver", "Stop That Train", "No More Trouble", "Stir It Up", "400 Years", and "High Tide Or Low Tide" – and the bonus 12" single features three more unreleased live tracks from 1973! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure Trojan Records collections of the 70s – maybe in part because it looks more like an airline promotional album than it does a collection of rare reggae nuggets! Yet the set is definitely the latter – a Trojan LP that brings together earlier singles recorded by Alvin GG Ranglin at a time when he was a key tastemaker on the Kingston scene – work that's right in the cusp of rocksteady/early reggae work, from a time when Ranglin was really at the top of his game! Tracks include a mix of vocal and instrumentals, solo singers and groups – with titles that include "Joan" by The Tidals, "Marie Song" by Fitz Major, "Sitting On The Sidewalk" by Ansil Linkers, "I Need Your Love" by Gregory Isaacs, "The Same Folks" by Rainy Davis, "Atlantic One" by Ansel Collins, "Hurricane Fifi" by GG Allstars, "Musical Coma" by Ranking Magnum, "Sensuous Woman" by The Maytones, and "Open Up Your Door" by Freddie McKay. This great 2CD set adds in 32 bonus tracks, most on CD for the first time ever – with work from The Starlites, GG Allstars, Keith & Dennis, Meditations, U Roy, Maytones, Vince Powell, Glen Washington, Elpedo & The Marveltones, Austin Campbell, and others – all served up with the usual high quality Doctor Bird notes and production! CD