Fantastic work from Marcia Griffiths – the Jamaican singer who first rose to fame in the duo of Bob & Marcia – but who already sounds very much her own woman on this classic set from the 70s! The groove is as much funky soul as it is reggae – in fact maybe more the former than the latter – and Marcia's got this proud, righteous approach that's very different than her style of just a few years before – set to great grooves that have sharp core instrumentation with Lloyd Charmers on piano and organ, and Willie Lindo on guitar. Almost more of a female funky soul record on most cuts – with tracks that include "Here I Am Baby", "Children At Play", "I'd Rather Be Lonely", "Sweet Bitter Love", "There's No Me Without You", "Everything I Own", "Green Grasshopper", and "Gypsy Man". Also features a full album of rare bonus tracks – including "Play Me", "The First Cut Is The Deepest", "Melody Life", "Don't Let Me Down", "Band Of Gold", "I See You My Love", "It's Too Late", "Baby If You Don't Love Me", "Love Walked In", and "Working To The Top". (Reggae, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare compilations from Trojan Records – back to back in a single set, with an insane number of bonus tracks too! Both records capture that time when the groove was moving from rocksteady to early reggae – still yet to hit global fame, which makes for a really nice mix of music from an array of lesser-knowns who were getting circulation outside of Jamaica by Trojan. The set really digs deep, way past the bigger tracks and hits – and there's a fair bit of artists here who might be new to anyone but the more serious reggae collectors. Plenty of work here resonated strongly with the growing UK reggae market for reggae at the end of the 60s – and alongside soulful vocals, there's a nicely laidback groove on most numbers – never too overproduced, and filled with plenty of surprises along the way! The set features the full tracks from both records in the title, plus 31 bonus tracks – and most cuts are new to CD – a massive lineup of work from The Slickers, GG All Stars, Maytones, Keeling Backford, Lloyd & Robin, Gladstone & The Followers, Charlie Ace, Trevor & Keith, Vernon Buckley & Alvin Ranglin, and Eric Monty Morris. (Reggae, Soul) CD

A huge collection of rare singles from the vaults of the legendary Treasure Isle label – a company who was home to some of the hippest tracks from the early days of ska – and also did a great job of getting the music to the UK scene as well! This package goes past the familiar Treasure Isle hits, as the 7" singles feature previously unreleased tracks and rare alternate versions – all packaged up in a great box set with a mighty sharp look. The whole thing is great – nice and raw, and very different than ska revival material of later years – and this 3CD set features all the material that was on the 7" box set done a few years back, plus 74 more bonus tracks! Core cuts include "You Wish Me Bad (take 6)" by The Spanishtonians, "Love Me Or Leave Me (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "I'm All Alone (take 1)" by Frank Cosmo, "Oh Misery (take 2)" by The Duke Reid Group, "Thinking Of The Future" by Stranger Cole, "Fooling Around" by The Rio Grandes, "Renegade (take 1)" by The Zodiacs, "Smokey Ska (take 1)" by The Baba Brooks Band, "Practice What You Preach" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "My True Confession (take 1)" by The Silvertones, "Til My Dying Day" by Winston & Slim, "Road To Nowhere (orig mix)" by Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band, "What A Bailing (take 1)" by Duke Reid Group, The Army Is Searching (take 2)" by Basil Caral & Group, "Storm Warning (take 1)" by Lyn Taitt & the Boys, "Want Me Cock (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, and "How Know Your Friend (take 1)" by Derrick Morgan – with bonus material by Duke Reid, The Movers, Justin Hinds, Tommy McCook, Froggy, Lynn Tait, Eric Morris, Baba Brooks, Lloyd & Glenn, Derrick & Naomi, The Miracles, The Zodiacs, The Melodies, Sensations, and many many more. (Reggae, Soul) CD

An incredible duo, and one who look more like an American soul team on the front cover – and manage to deliver a similar vibe in the grooves! The style is definitely reggae, but as you'd guess from the Nina Simone cover in the title track, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths are also reaching out for something bigger, too – really bringing a level of sophistication to their music that moves beyond the usual – an evolution past rocksteady, but also not in the same direction as other reggae acts of the time. Harry J produced, and gets an international flavor just right for the music – and titles include "Young Gifted & Black", "Private Number", "It's A Rocking Good Way", "We've Got To Get Ourselves Together", "United We Stand", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", and "Keep The Customer Satisfied". (Reggae, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the team of Dave Baker and Ansel Collins – one a soulful singer from the Jamaican rocksteady scene, the other a hip keyboardist whose organ lines really make the album shimmer! The pair scored a huge international hit with this album – and the whole thing was a key crossover record in the years before Island Records and some of the bigger reggae artists to come! There's a raw, earthy vibe to the whole thing – and a heck of a groove too – and titles include "Double Barrel", "Wild Bunch", "Monkey Spanner Version", "Secret Weapon", "Impossible Mission", and "Ten To One". (Reggae, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Soul power 1968, but Kingston-style too – served up here in a host of gems from the vaults of Jamaican producer Duke Reid! The material is from a perfect moment in Reid's career – a time when he was changing his well-crafted Treasure Isle groove from ska to rocksteady – bringing in a new wave of inspiration from American soul, similar to the work at the start of the 60s that first inspired Jamaican artists to take off in some new directions of their own! The mode here is a blend of styles you might hear on Atlantic or Stax, but set to rhythms that are much more Jamaican – sometimes with soulful vocals in the lead, sometimes working as an answer to American soul instrumental singles of the time. Titles include "Come On Little Girl" by The Melodians, "Funky Beat" by Lloyd Williams, "In The Midnight Hour" by The Silvertones, "Music Is My Occupation" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, "Black Power" by Winston Wright, and "What More Can I Do" by Clive & Doreen. (Reggae, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album