Derrick Harriott may sing Jamaican reggae, but he does so here with plenty of help from American soul – as half the record features songs from the US 60s scene, including some Motown and southern soul gems – all retooled nicely for the sound of young Kingston! Derrick produced the set himself, and gets the groove just right for that warmly crackling vocal style of his – getting help from Bobby Ellis and Boris Gardinier on the arrangements – in a lineup that features Earl Chinna Smith on guitar, Winston Wright on organ, and Val Bennett on tenor sax. Titles include "It's Alright", "I'm Not Begging", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "Have Some Mercy", "Sitting ON Top", "Close To Me", "Standing In", and "Long Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic double live album from Bob Marley & The Wailers – presented and packaged at a level that's really a cut above the usual set of that nature from the time! The group's in excellent form in a concert setting – and there's more than enough magic here to warrant the extended length of the set – as Marley and the group really open up on some classics, as well as some other gems that maybe even sparkle more on this album. Titles include "Exodus", "Stir It Up", "Rat Race", "Concrete Jungle", "Lively Up Yourself", "Is This Love", "Punky Reggae Party", "Heathen", "Jamming", and "Kinky Reggae". LP, Vinyl record album

Three dub classics, two of them impossible to get for years, except for the occasional "unofficial" LP repressing. On the first LP of the set, Scratch teams up with the great Tommy McCook for one of his hardest to find gems, recorded in the late 70s, when his wigged out follies at the Black Ark had reached their peak, and though there's a bit of debate over whether these tracks were actually recorded at the Black Ark, this was originally one of the first LPs issued after the studio burned to the ground. In any case, you can't argue with the tracks on this one: spare instrumentals with jaunty guitar, loping syncopated drums and bouncing bass, a baker's dozen tracks, including "Cloak & Dagger", "Musical Transplant", "Liquid Serenade", "Iron Claw", "Rude Walking", "Caveman Skank" and "Pee-Wee Special". Blackboard Jungle Dub, the second album of the triptych, is widely cited as the first full length dub LP, though we'd rather not get too academic about it. Besides, this is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era, with a dozen of the Upsetter's finest rhythms rendered in dub versions here, and with King Tubby reportedly responsible for the wonderful reverb and mixing console action taking these tracks to the next level. An essential dub masterpiece, with 14 tracks on this version of the LP, including "Black Panta", "Khasha Macka", "African Skank", "Dreamland Skank", "Jungle Jim", "Dub Organizer", "Apeman Skank" and "Jungle Fever". The third album included is another tough one to get, originally issued in a tiny, tiny batch, though it's been bootlegged more than a few times over the years. 10 tracks in all, a tasty stew with that Black Ark groove running through it pretty heavily, with some nice guitar and a really spare approach to the often murky Perry tone poetry. Includes "Dub Revelations", "Womans Dub", "Kojak", "Doctor On The Go", "Bush Weed", "Dreadlock Talking", "Own Man", "Dub The Rhythm", "Black Hand" and "Rain Drops". CD

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Lvoe" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The UPsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator, and "Oh Me Oh My" by Bree Daniels. CD

A host of rare gems from the early years of Lee Perry's legendary Black Ark studios – material recorded by Scratch himself, on some cuts featuring The Upsetters, others some close contemporaries – but all nicely unified here by contributions from Lee at just about every level! As with other Pressure Sounds collections, the approach here is wonderful – way past the entry-level reggae collections you might get elswhere, but also not overwhelmed with trainspotter attention to rareness over quality – as the cuts here are all pretty darn great, and feature many gems from the early reggae years that really show Perry's diversity past his own recordings. The set includes a number of Upsetters version recordings of vocal tunes – and titles include "Set Yourself Up" by The Upsetters, "Brotherly Love" by Henrick Nicholson, "Roots Train (previously unreleased dub plate mix)" by Junior Murvin, "Woman Gotta Have Love (previously unreleased dub plate mix)", "Say A Little Prayer (12" mix)" by Eric Donaldson, "Mr Cravin" by Junior Murvin, "Such Is Life (version)" by The Upsetters, "Nu Fi Run It Down" by Danny Clarke, "Ska Baby" by Bobby Ellis, and "Such Is Life" by Lord Creator. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful double-length set – one that brings together the lost legacy of work from singer Norris Reid on the Kingston scene – tracks that were only issued as rare 7" singles, in the years before Reid packed up and left Jamaica for Pittsburgh, and stopped recording gems like this! The work here is wonderful – with Norris continuing a classic roots style well into the 80s, with work from a variety of key producers and hip backings throughout – including some great work from Augustus Pablo, who really took Norris under his wing and helped give him the righteous setting he deserved! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Poverty", "When You A Knotts", "Rise In The Strength Of Jah", "Those Tears", "Knowledge Of Now", "Feel No Pain", "Shaddai Children", "Give Jah The Praises", and "Black Forces". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady batch of classics from Toots & The Maytals – work from the rocksteady years that really helped set the tone for countless reggae work in years to come – and which also helped Jamaican music really reach out at a more global level – especially on the London scene, where the group really found great fame! The set's full of seminal cuts from this wonderful group – and the package even includes a few dubs of vocal numbers, and some lesser-known gems mixed in with the hits. Titles include "54 46 That's My Number", "Alidina", "Bim Today Bam Tomorrow", "Do The Reggay", "Johnny Cool Man", "Just Tell Me", "Monkey Man", "Night & Day", "Oh Yeah", "Don't Trouble", "I Need Your Love", "Image Get A Kick", and "I Shall Be Free". CD

Delroy Witter's the producer, a key underground talent on the London scene during those big years of homecrafted reggae records – and he gets help here from a range of wonderful singers who really bring out the most soulful currents of the lovers rock promised in the title! The set's a well-done selection of obscure singles that were all initially done by Witter with his Success Sound System – and tunes include some great later lovers rock remakes of American soul tracks, plus a few original numbers too. The set's overflowing with mellow stepping gems – including "Ooh Baby Baby" and "Just For Your Love" by Sonia Ferguson, "Mind Blowing Decisions" and "Tell Me Why" by Tyrone David, "Happiness Togetherness" by Cassandra, "I Do Love You" by Janet Kay, "Little Girl" and "Natural Woman" by Heptics, "Loving Time" by Jackie, and "Don't Cry" by Sugar Minott. CD

Delroy Witter's the producer, a key underground talent on the London scene during those big years of homecrafted reggae records – and he gets help here from a range of wonderful singers who really bring out the most soulful currents of the lovers rock promised in the title! The set's a well-done selection of obscure singles that were all initially done by Witter with his Success Sound System – and tunes include some great later lovers rock remakes of American soul tracks, plus a few original numbers too. The set's overflowing with mellow stepping gems – including "Ooh Baby Baby" and "Just For Your Love" by Sonia Ferguson, "Mind Blowing Decisions" and "Tell Me Why" by Tyrone David, "Happiness Togetherness" by Cassandra, "I Do Love You" by Janet Kay, "Little Girl" and "Natural Woman" by Heptics, "Loving Time" by Jackie, and "Don't Cry" by Sugar Minott. LP, Vinyl record album

Pure dynamite throughout – a really killer batch of cuts that easily steps between 60s and 70s styles in Jamaican music – shaking things up with soulful late 60s numbers, funky 70s gems, and some dubbier tracks from a time when production styles really opened up! As with other volumes in this excellent series, the choice of cuts is wonderful – really well-chosen tracks that go past the hits, but also feature some numbers that have become underground classics over the years – but all at a level that's got a lot more bite than some of the oft-played reggae that's been keeping dorm rooms running for decades. There's a total of 14 tracks in all – and titles include "Rocker's Rock" by Augustus Pablo, "No No No" by KC White, "Ring The Alarm" by Tenor Saw, "One Two" by Sister Nancy, "Woman Of The Ghetto" by Kim Harriott, "Heatwave" by Johnny Organ, "King Tubby Dub" by Tommy McCook & The Agrovators, "Earthquake" by Jackie Mittoo, and "Ready Or Not" by Johnny Osborne. CD

Pure dynamite throughout – a really killer batch of cuts that easily steps between 60s and 70s styles in Jamaican music – shaking things up with soulful late 60s numbers, funky 70s gems, and some dubbier tracks from a time when production styles really opened up! As with other volumes in this excellent series, the choice of cuts is wonderful – really well-chosen tracks that go past the hits, but also feature some numbers that have become underground classics over the years – but all at a level that's got a lot more bite than some of the oft-played reggae that's been keeping dorm rooms running for decades. There's a total of 14 tracks in all – and titles include "Rocker's Rock" by Augustus Pablo, "No No No" by KC White, "Ring The Alarm" by Tenor Saw, "One Two" by Sister Nancy, "Woman Of The Ghetto" by Kim Harriott, "Heatwave" by Johnny Organ, "King Tubby Dub" by Tommy McCook & The Agrovators, "Earthquake" by Jackie Mittoo, and "Ready Or Not" by Johnny Osborne. LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the cheapo look of the cover, as the set's a classic batch of gems from the Trojan Records catalog – 2CDs worth of material, with 55 titles that go way past the obvious hits – served up in a great mix of rocksteady and early reggae modes, and filled with the kind of tunes that instantly bridged the space between Kingston and London at the end of the 60s! The package takes off from a mainstream Trojan set from back in the day, and offers the much deeper dig that we love from the Doctor Bird label – tunes that make the whole thing more of a journey of discovery than you might guess from the simple statement of the title. Tracks include "Build It Up" by Tito Simon, "Sweet Sensation" by The Melodians, "This Is Reggae Music" by Zap Pow, "Floating" by Greyhound, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "Liquidator" by Harry J Allstars, "Elizabethan Reggae" by Boris Gardiner & The Love People, "I Need Your Sweet Inspiration" by The Pioneers, "Red Red Wine" by Tony Tribe, "Think About That" by Dandy Livingston, "Down In The Boondocks" by Delroy Williams, "Reggae From The Ghetto" by John Holt, "Yesterday Man" by Nicky Thomas, "Who's That Lady" by Paris Connection, and lots lots more! CD

A stunning look at the early years of the Jamaican music scene – tracks from the years before ska, rocksteady, and reggae really took over – but which really helped set the scene for years to come! All the work here is from the hands of Duke Reid – soon to be known for his famous mid 60s productions on the Treasure Isle label – already here with his ear to the ground, capturing the unique shifts in the island's culture – some in mento and calypso, some in jazz, and others in modes that are very similar to the sounds to come! You'll recognize more than a few names here from important later work – and the huge 84 track package features dozens of titles that appear here on CD for the first time ever – countless great gems from artists who include Derrick Morgan, Roland Alphonso, Cosmo & Dennis, The Prodigals, Derrick & Patsy, Laurel Aitken, Chuck & Dobby, Basil Gabbidon, Hortense Ellis, The Moonlighters, Eric Morris, Frank Cosmo, Monty & Roy, Rico Rodriguez, Jiving Juniors, Alvin & Cecil, Lord Power, Laurel Aitken, and even Duke Reid himself. CD

A killer collection of early work from producer Joe Gibbs – the kind of all-burning material that made Joe such a fresh new voice on the rocksteady scene in Kingston, and a studio whiz who helped set the tone for countless others to come! There's a quality to this work that's wonderful – groups that are tight, but never uptight – and singers that are very much part of the groove, almost urged on by the instrumentation by the well-chosen studio players that Gibbs chose for these early gems on his Amalgamated record label. Titles include "Long Shot" by The Pioneers, "I'm Moving On" by Keith Blake, "Miss Tourist" by Errol Dunkley, "Hold Them" by Roy Shirley, "Train To Soulville" by Cool Sticky, "Push It In" by The Versatiles, and "Come Brothers" by Hugh Malcolm. LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of soulful rocksteady gems – and one that really hints at its approach with the use of "cover" in the title! Many of the tunes here are reworkings of American soul tracks – most not major hits, which makes them even cooler cover versions – and shows just how deep a love of soul music influenced the Jamaican scene in the 60s! Tracks are from a variety of classic labels – Trojan, Doctor Bird, Treasure Isle, and others – and titles include "Just A Mirage" by The Uniques, "If I Didn't Love You" by Eric Monty Morris, "Whatcha Gonna Do" by The Techniques, "Something You've Got" by Lee Perry, "Trying To Reach My Goal" by Alton Ellis, "Charade" by Roland Alphonso, and even a surprising take on "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" by Harry J All Stars! LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of rare gems from the Studio One label – one that's filled with unusual material that we've not seen elsewhere! Some of the tracks are alternate mixes, some are unissued recordings – and there's also a nice range of material that goes past the more familiar early period of the label, which is normally the most reissued. Titles include "Hush Up (unreleased stereo mix)" by Larry & Alvin, "I Need You Girl (stereo mix)" by Larry Marshall, "Mr Moses (stereo mix)" by Lloyd Charmers, "I'm In Love With You (original JA mix)" by Lloyd Williams, "Freedom Justice Equality" by Alf & Teep, "Torture & Flames" by Jackie Bernard, "Mark I Word" by Winston Prince, "Give Me True Love (stereo mix)" by The Meditators, "Down In The Bone Yard" by The Three Tops, "Down By The Sore (7" version)" by The Silvertones, and "Jay Dip (stereo mix)" by Prince Jazzbo. CD

An excellent dip into the rootsier material from the Studio One catalog – the kind of reggae classics that have forever made the label one of the best Jamaican companies! The package is every bit as sublime as Soul Jazz's other reggae compilations – and it features a selection of tunes that far outshines most other reissues of Studio One material, and which includes some great rare gems that have a heavy soulful feeling. Titles include "Meditation" by The Cyclones with Count Ossie, "Set Me Free" by L Crosdale, "More Creation" by Lennie Hibbert, "Fear Not" by Winston Jarrett, "Blackish White" by Alton Ellis, "Far Beyond" by Leroy Wallace, "Addis A Baba" by Willie Williams, "Lumumbo" by Bunny & Skitter, "Africa Here I Come" by Freddie McGregor, and "Congo Rock" by Sound Dimension. LP, Vinyl record album