Fantastic sounds from the rocksteady years in Jamaica – tracks that are a fair bit more rare and obscure than some of the bigger singles that circulated at the time – even though they feature a fair bit of the same artists and musicians! The work here all came from the studios of Federal Records – one of the first indies in Kingston, headed by the visionary Ken Khouri – who put things together and learned the process as he went – which often made for a very organic approach to the music! Khouri handled a lot of other Jamaican styles in the years before these sides – but he really seems to have hit his stride with rocksteady – coming up with a perfect balance between the new rhythms, the sharp instrumentation, and the soulful styles of the singers. Titles on this second volume include "Real Gone Sweet" by The Tartans, "Walk On By" by The Zodiacs, "We Gonna Make It" by The Termites, "Fountain Bliss" by The Dynamites, "This Music Got Soul" by Hopeton Lewis, "Batman (early take rehearsal)" by Lynn Taitt & The Jets, "I Don't Want Trouble" by Hopeton Lewis, "Rolling Rolling" by The Tartans, "Lester Sterling Special" by Lester Sterling, "Take Me Back" by Henry Buckley, and "Sounds Of Silence" by Roland Alphonso. LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from the great John Holt – a Jamaican singer who managed to find a real way to weave connections between reggae and the sweeter side of soul music in the 70s – often at a level that had John taking on songs from the American scene and making them sound even better with a reggae groove! Yet the work of Holt also goes way past that formula used on some of his hits – as you'll hear on this massive collection that offers up some of the greatest cuts he recorded for Trojan Records, plus some nice surprises along the way. Most of the tracks have a loping midtempo groove that's perfect for Holt's vocal approach – and the 2LP set features 28 tracks in all, with titles that include "Stealing Stealing", "I Wanna Dance", "Help Me Make It Through The Night", "Sister Big Stuff", "Stick By Me", "Ali Baba", "You Baby", "The Tide Is High", "Let's Build Our Dreams", "Sweetie Come Brush Me", "Wild Fire", "I'll Be Lonely", "My Heart Is Gone", "Strange Things", "My desire", "I'll Take A Melody", and "Time & The River". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooves from the great Bob Marley – a set cut at a time when Marley was really riding his international fame – and able to create the kind of music that reached out way more than conventional reggae! The Kingston roots of the sound are still very firmly in place – but there's also a more globally-expansive vision here too – partly the tight production on the music, partly the warm feelings that ebb and flow throughout the entire set – a vibe that's very different than American soul, and which has turned out to be surprisingly encompassing over the years. Titles include "Is This Love", "Running Away", "Kaya", "Satisfy My Soul", "Easy Skanking", "Sun Is Shining", "She's Gone", "Misty Morning", "Crisis", and "Time Will Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

A second set of crucial solo work from Bunny Wailer – material that comes from the time when Bob Marley was hitting huge global success on his own, then passed away too early, and left Bunny as one of the key forces to carry on the original ideas of the Wailers trio! And actually, by that time, Bunny had already gone much deeper – stepping out with material like this, from his own Solomonic Productions imprint, which was about as deeply indie as Bob Marley was commercial – keeping things really raw, spare, and laidback on the production tip – as Bunny continued to push a very righteous agenda with some wonderful tunes of his own! There's only a bit of a hint at some of the changes in larger reggae on these tracks – maybe some longer songs that showcase the move towards 12" singles and album tracks, which actually allows for more interesting production and dubbier moments amidst the roots reggae message of the cuts. Titles include "Anti Apartheid", "Solidarity", "Arab Oil Weapon", "Solomonic Dub", "Galang So", "Riding", "Trouble Is On The Road Ahead", "Cease Fire", "Rule Dancehall", and "Love Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-selling albums ever from Bob Marley – a classic collection of work from his all-too-short career – and one that's gone onto become as famous as Marley's individual records themselves! The collection really allows all the classics to resonate strongly, in a track order that opens them up even more – and the package also features a live track, and a production with Lee Perry too. Titles include "Get Up Stand Up", "Exodus", "Stir It Up", "Easy Skanking", "No Woman No Cry (live)", "Punky Reggae Party", "Satisfy My Soul", and "Redemption Song". LP, Vinyl record album