Ernest Ranglin —
Jazz Jamaica ... LP Federal/Dub Store (Japan), 1964. New Copy (reissue)...
$19.9924.98
One of the best jazz albums we've ever heard from legendary guitarist Ernest Ranglin – recorded quite early in his career for the tiny Federal label, and done with a fire that's missing from some of his other later records! The album's way more than just another instrumental outing with ... (Jazz, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A wonderful later album from legendary Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin – a lean, funky little set that marks a tremendous return to form for his talents! The album's dedicated to a famous saxophonist, mentioned in the title – but the spare setting has Ranglin's guitar fully in the ... (Jazz, Reggae)read moreCD
(Out of print, punch through barcode & promotional stamp on booklet cover.)
Ernie Ranglin —
True Blue ... LP Rooney, 1970s. Near Mint- ...
$11.99
Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin is playing in a straight jazz mode here, with very little reggae or ska influence creeping in. We can't complain about that, as he's a fine jazz artist in his own right, but we're more fond of the more Caribbean flavored sessions. He's joined here by a small ... (Jazz, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Titles include "Bathroom Sex", "Lift Up Your Dress Fat Girl", "Stretch To Fit", "Adam & Eve", and "Give Me One Of Your Gal Friends". LP, Vinyl record album
(Very unusual pressing of this one – in a Donny Osmond album cover which has been turned inside out, with handwritten text. No text on Techniques label either!)
A great pair of records – plus a huge amount of bonus tracks too! First up is the debut Reggae Strings album – one of the most unique albums on the Trojan label during the 70s – and a surprising hit for the company too! The approach here is very unusual – as the cuts here ... read moreCD
An augmented reissue of the classic Revelation Time LP, by this roots singer who got his start singing lover's tunes and novelty cuts for the sound systems. By the time he'd begun recording the tracks that were to make up this recording though, he had become fully ensconced in Socialist ideology ... read moreCD
A pair of classic dub and vocal albums – tied together beautifully in this set! First up is the instrumental 12 Inches Of Dub – a massive set of rhythms from the legendary Roots Radics – one that's definitely got the dubby elements you'd expect from the title, but which also ... read moreCD
Produced by Willie Lindo and Cleve Calderon. 12-inch, Vinyl record
Bunny Scott —
To Love Somebody ... LP Klik/Freestyle (UK), 1975. New Copy (reissue)...
$24.99
Warmly wonderful early work from William Bunny Clarke – billed here under a different name, but the same singer who'd rise to great fame a few years later as Bunny Rugs in Third World! The vibe here is different than his hits with that group – more laidback and mellow, with great ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
An unusual album from the West African scene of the 70s – a set that brings together that area's styles with touches of reggae and maybe a slight current of soul – all of which makes for a very distinct approach to rhythm, which is also echoed in the vocals and instrumentation! There's ... (Global Grooves, Reggae)read moreCD
An unusual album from the West African scene of the 70s – a set that brings together that area's styles with touches of reggae and maybe a slight current of soul – all of which makes for a very distinct approach to rhythm, which is also echoed in the vocals and instrumentation! There's ... (Global Grooves, Reggae)read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A contemporary cut from the London scene, but one that's got a classic roots reggae vibe – with a very righteous message on "Got To Live", served up by vocalist Earl 16! Earl steps aside on the flip, which has an instrumental take on the tune – a slight bit of dub in the ... (Funky 45's, Reggae)read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Special AKA —
In The Studio ... LP 2 Tone/Chrysalis, 1984. Near Mint- ...
$14.99
A big big crossover album from the UK ska scene of the early 80s – built upon the ashes of the older Specials group, but still with plenty of the dark edges we'd come to expect in Jerry Dammers work! There's a bit more electric instrumentation at the bottom of the tracks, but the sound is ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(UK pressing. Includes inner sleeve. Cover has a sticker in the top right.)
One of the most important albums on the mighty 2 Tone label – and part of a huge ska revival on the British scene that would send ripples through modern music for years to come! And sure, the words "ska" and "revival" in the same sentence can often make most folks wince ... (Rock, Reggae)read moreCD
Jah Stitch takes a page from Big Youth's book, and chants some lyrically conscious knowledge over some bottom heavy rhythms cut by Tubby and produced by Striker Lee. 14 massive DJ numbers, that prove Stitch's claim as the original raggamufifn wasn't unfounded: "African People", "Ragg ... read moreCD
A seminal album in Jamaican music from Lord Tanamo – a singer with roots in calypso, but a sound that really paves the way for ska and rocksteady to come! The record's a full length set from the Gaydisc label of important early producer Sonia Pottinger – and like some of Pottinger's ... read moreCD
A fantastic debut from The Techniques – and a set that also features a fair bit of work from Jamaican trumpet legend Baba Brooks! The vocal quartet have a great sound that's even more soulful and sharp than some of their contemporaries – maybe the difference that four voices make ... read moreCD
Tennors & Friends —
Reggae Girl ... CD Trojan/Grover (UK), Late 60s. New Copy ...
$12.9918.99
A smoking slice of work from The Tennors – plus some great cuts by other "friends" on the Jamaican scene of the late 60s! The group really shine on their own singles, then step aside to let some other artists come in too – almost all with a similar mix of soul and rocksteady ... read moreCD
It's the early 80s, but Toots Hibbert still has lots of older rocksteady modes in his music – maybe warmed up a bit by some of the wider reach that was allowed by the Island Records placement of albums like this! Yet despite any temptation to make things sound a bit more crossover, the ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A classic moment from Frederick "Toots" Hibbert – a set that's maybe his equivalent to some of the key Island Records albums of the 70s from Bob Marley & The Wailers! Like those, the production here is top-shelf – handled partly by Joe Boyd, who brings a very respectful ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Toots & The Maytals —
Toots Live ... CD Island (UK), 1980. Used ...
$14.99
A triumphant live performance from Toots Hibbert and The Maytals – recorded in London at a time when the group was really riding high – able to serve up their music with a sense of majesty that really fit the spirit of the larger arena! The tunes are mostly classics, but they've got a ... read moreCD
A triumphant live performance from Toots Hibbert and The Maytals – recorded in London at a time when the group was really riding high – able to serve up their music with a sense of majesty that really fit the spirit of the larger arena! The tunes are mostly classics, but they've got a ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
One of the most righteous albums ever recorded by Peter Tosh – as you might guess from the title and cover! Tosh could be great on other themes – but this set has him picking up even more politics than usual – maybe a bit late in the roots game, but able to find a way to bring ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(Individually numbered limited edition of 1500 – on heavyweight translucent green vinyl!)
Really great early work from UB40 – different than their later hits – with titles that include "Tyler", "Burden Of Shame", "Food For Thought", "25%", "Little By Little", "Signing Off", and a cover of the Randy Newman tune " ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
(UK pressing, including the printed inner sleeve – a great copy!)
Bad-stepping sounds from The Uniques – a really hip Jamaican vocal group, and one who sing with an edge that's maybe even sharper than some of their contemporaries! At first listen, the warmth of their harmonies is as sweet as you might expect – but as the music moves on, they open up ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
You could go 'round and 'round with music historians arguing whether or not this album, or Java Java Java or Aquarius Dub was the first full length dub LP, but it makes no difference to us, this is one mighty set of Perryisms, wrought in the pre-Black Ark era. There's a dozen of the Upsetter's ... read moreCD
(Front insert has a small tear from one of the plastic tabs – very minor.)
Delroy Wilson —
Go Away Dream ... LP Pressure Sounds, 1982. New Copy (reissue)...
$18.9919.99
A fantastic record from the great Delroy Wilson – a set that's dubby at the core, but also has a righteous sense of soul too – almost a Jamaican extension of the hippest styles of early 70s American soul! Delroy's vocals are wonderful – very powerful, even without trying too much ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Killer early work from producer Clancy Eccles – a special set that focuses on rocksteady and early reggae productions – most compiled here for the first time ever! The work here is great – raw, soulful, and grooving in ways that move from midtempo to a slightly quicker pace ... read moreCD
A huge run of music from the legendary Blue Beat label – a crucial British label that brought the sounds of Kingston to the shores of London – forever helping transform the musical culture in that city! Blue Beat got its start in the 60s, and much of this work is in the earliest ... read moreCD
Deep Jamaican sounds from the 70s – all work produced by the legendary Sonia Pottinger, and which shows that her talents for roots music were every bit as great as her work with earlier styles too! With Pottinger, the key is almost less what she does in the studio than what she does with her ... read moreCD
Includes selections by Don Drummond, Big Youth, Wailing Souls, Junior Byles, Augustus Pablo, Niney The Observer, Cornel Campbell, and others. LP, Vinyl record album
(Light blue label pressing. Label on Side B has an X in marker. Cover has some edge wear, clear tape at the bottom seam, and a small sticker on front.)
Pivotal early dancehall work from the Kingston scene – all of it produced by the legendary Sonia Pottinger, almost all of it issued on her short-lived Dance Hall label! The music here shares some of the qualities of the emerging mode at other labels – but unlike, say, Studio one – ... read moreCD
Sufferer's choice! 2 discs worth of heavy roots, not just heavy in terms of the dark, militant rhythms, but also heavy in the message, giving the Kingston-centered take on life in the ghetto. During the height of the roots era nearly all culturally minded artists approached the subject of yard ... read moreCD
Later work from legendary Jamaican producer Duke Reid – best known for the rocksteady classics on his Treasure Isle label in the late 60s, but still going strong here well into the 70s! The tracks here represent nearly every single 12" release issued by Reid on the many branches of ... read moreCD
An overdue look at London's Fashion Records label – an important reggae imprint that was to the British scene of the late 20th Century what Trojan was in the 70s! But Fashion also had a quality that did them one better – they recorded and issued work that originated in the UK – ... read moreCD
A pair of classic Clancy Eccles-produced compilations from the start of the 70s – issued here with plenty of bonus tracks too! Foolish Fool was initially billed to Cynthia Richards, the great singer who delivers the leadoff title tune – but the real start of the set is maybe Clancy ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreCD
The hits of 77 here aren't the big American chart hits of 1977 – but instead are some key cuts from the Jamaican scene in Kingston – served up here in versions produced by the legendary Sonia Pottinger! And in fact, it might be a stretch to call all these cuts hits – but that's ... read moreCD
A heady helping of rare singles from the farther reaches of the indie scene in early reggae – labels that include Duke, Grape, Black Swan, Blue Cat, and Attack – all tiny companies that are now part of the larger Trojan Records empire! The work here is nicely varied – as many ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
A searing set of early reggae tracks from the Randy's label in Kingston – all produced by the mighty Vincent Chin, and featuring 15 cuts that appear here on CD for the first time ever! Chin worked out of his legendary store – Randy's Record Mart, located at 17 North Parade (an address ... read moreCD
Includes "No Cause For Alarm" and "Madness Unlimited" by Fela Anikalupo Kuti, "Obaro" by Evi-Edna Ogholi, "Mother Afrika" by Jambos Express, "Rat Race" by Mandators, "Hey Girl" by Charly Boy, and "Ganja" by Geraldo Pino. (Global Grooves, Reggae)LP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl plays with some surface noise, a bit louder on Side 2. Cover has surface wear and brown packing tape holding the seams.)
Music from Lord Composer & The Silver Seas Hotel Orchestra, Hubert Porter, Harold Richardson & The Ticklers, Monty Reynolds & The Shaw Park Calypso Quintet, Lord Fly, Baba Motta & His Jamaicans, Boysie Grant, Monty Reynolds & The Shaw Park Calypso Band & more. CD
The first-ever full collection of work based around the production efforts of Karl JJ Johnson – maybe not the biggest name in Jamaican studio talent, but a producer with a great ear for the most soulful sounds bubbling up at the time! Johnson was known as Sir JJ – and worked most ... read moreCD
A mighty mighty tribute to the great Bob Marley – served up here by a host of former associates, family members, and Jamaican contemporaries – all in some lively concert performances that really open things up! The double-length set was a great seller at the time, and continues to be a ... read moreCD
A fantastic collection of roots reggae from a lesser-known source – material issued on the Big Phil label of Phil Mathias – brought together to make a superb album as a whole! There's a nice mix of artists here, and the production styles are also nicely varied – with some numbers ... read moreCD
A treasure trove of pre-reggae work from the Kingston scene – all of it from the hands of music entrepreneur JJ Johnson – figure with a well-trained ear for a special sort of single, given his years of experience in record retailing and the jukebox business! Johnson's not as well-known ... read moreCD
Music from Skankin' Pickle, Agent 99, the Skandalous All-Stars, the Skatalites, Agent 99, the Checkered Cabs, Mobtown, Hurtin' Buckaroos, Skahumbug, the Miggedys, Mealticket, the Jinkies, and more. CD
We'll resist any temptation to make an obvious pun on "ska" and just let the tracks state the facts on this fab fifth volume in the long running Ska Down Jamaica Way reissue compilation series: the Deacons "Man Alone", Baba Brooks & The Trenton Spence Orchestra "Distant ... read moreCD
The long-overdue release of a killer collection of underground ska from the Jamaican scene of the 60s – a package put together by a small London label to feature the best production work of Kingston producer Lindon Pottinger! These cuts lie in the Trojan Records vaults for decades – ... read moreCD
A deep dive into the big wave of new ska music that exploded in the UK after the early years of punk – music that had clearly been an inspiration to many of the young artists who were coming out of London with a more political vibe, created anew by British groups who helped to give ska and ... (Rock, Reggae)read moreCD
Rocksteady's got plenty of soul – so much so that the Jamaican style of the late 60s was also a huge influence on the sound of London as well! The music here is from a fantastic moment when Studio One was able to capture some of the best changing sounds in Kingston – older modes ... read moreCD
A set that offers up a slightly different look at the Studio One label – and at the lovers rock style of reggae that broke big at the end of the 70s! Studio One is often known for its rough-edged early classics – but right from the start, the label had a great ear for soul – ... read moreCD
Various —
Studio One Rockers ... LP Soul Jazz/Studio One (UK), Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy 2LP ...
$32.9936.99
An excellent compilation that's very much in the spirit of the 100% Dynamite sets on Soul Jazz! This time, Soul Jazz dig through the vaults of the legendary Studio One catalog – some of the most important reggae and rocksteady ever recorded, virtually all of it produced under the tutelage of ... read moreLP, Vinyl record album
Jamaican Ska, and a whole lot more – a key batch of early Studio One recordings that show just how many styles were criss-crossing in Kingston at the time! There's definitely lots of rhythms here that would make a rude boy happy, but there's also some richly soulful vocals that point the way ... read moreCD
An amazing collection of 50 tracks spread out over 3 CDs from the label's vast catalogue of reggae classics. There isn't nearly enough room to list all the crucial tracks included on the set here, but some of our favorites include "Miss Know It All" by Scientist, "Rebel Dance" ... read moreCD
(Out of print. Box has some wear and a hype sticker on the inside.)
Righteous & crucial! We can't think of a better collection of roots rock in one place, and certainly not for near this great price. This excellent budget collection brings together 50 mighty tracks of sufferer's songs, including "Cool Rasta" by the Heptones, "Africa Is The ... read moreCD
(Out of print. Box has some wear and a hype sticker on the back that covers a bit of the track list.)