A roots reggae classic from the 70s – a much more obscure set than the giants of the generation by Bob Marley and Black Uhuru, but a set that's got a similar sort of righteous power – maybe even more so, given that Yabby You has the freedom of an indie label setting to get his message across! The set actually took years to put together, which you can hear in the mix of approaches that are used from track to track – material recorded at Black Ark, Dynamic, Channel One, and Harry J – which has creates a sense of variety that you'd not as likely to hear on a record of this nature at the time – although the sound is completely unified, thanks to the spirit of Yabby You's message. King Tubby handled the mixing, and creates a deep sound to match the lyrics – on titles that include "Covetous Men", "Anti Christ", "Carnal Mind", "Love Thy Neighbour", "Run Come Rally", "Jay Vengeance", and "The Man Who Does The Work". CD edition features 12 more bonus tracks – all the dubs from the album! CD

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 implies, these tunes are all instrumentals – work from the pre-dub years, then later work from that generation – a time when the bass was even more crucial than ever, and kind of the glue that could hold together a really great dub! Some tracks were issued on Aston's own Fam's label, and others are from a variety of other obscure 45s from the time – titles that include "Gideons High", "Soul Constitution", "Guided Missile", "Work", "Family Man Skank", "Cobra Style (disco mix)", "Well Pleased (disco mix)", "Tribute To Y Mas Gan", "Rebel Am I", "Distant Drums Version", "Ixes", and "Steppers Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Trombonist Samuel Blaser pays tribute to the legacy of Jamaican music – but in a way that also resonates strongly with some of his more jazz-based releases too! The record's mostly instrumental – but does have vocals from Carroll Thompson on two tracks, and Lee Scratch Perry on two more – yet the main focus is on the horn work, with Blaser echoing earlier greatness of players like Vin Gordon or Don Drummond – but in a more jazz-based setting with work from Alex Wilson on keyboards and Hammond, Soweto Kinch on alto, Michael Blake on tenor, and Alan Weekes on guitar. The set also features guest work from Steve Turre on one track – and titles include "Rainy Days", "Silver Dollar", "End Of The Beginning", "Rainy Days Dub", "Chronicles", "Beautiful Bed Of Lies", and "Green Island Dub". (Jazz, Reggae) CD

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

Two rare instrumental albums from Lloyd Charmers – both from that early moment when he was moving from work as a singer, to a strong role as a producer and keyboardist! Reggae Is Tight is a set that seems to answer both the Tennessee instrumental sounds of Booker T & The MGs in Memphis, and Floyd Cramer in Nashville – as the rhythms have all the soulful romp that might be inspired by late 60s soul, while Lloyd plays both organ and piano, the latter often in a way that has all this cool echo! Titles include "5 to 5", "Summer Face", "Crimson & Clover", "Rat Trap", "Safari", "Reggae Is Tight", "Psychedelic Reggae", and "Golden Moon". Reggae Charm is a really great record from Lloyd Charmers – one of his instrumental sets, and an album that has Byron Lee & The Dragonaires providing some mighty nice rhythms behind his keyboards! The vibe is plenty soulful – almost a Kingston take on Stax Records instrumental modes – with organ vamping alongside piano, in a great mix of cuts that includes "Dr No Go", "Tribute To The Dragon", "Mama Look", "If I Only Had Time"- "Honey", "Last Date", and "Israelite". 2CD set features 31 more bonus tracks – for a total of 55 titles in all, including 23 that appear here on CD for the first time ever! CD