A treasure trove of reggae, rocksteady, and blue beat work from the late 60s – all of it originally released under the guidance of producer Dandy – also a reggae artists of his own, with roots in Kingston, and working here with a big impact on the UK scene! The albums here were all originally issued on the Down Town imprint – a small sub label that Trojan Records gave to Dandy for his own projects – which resulted in the two killer compilations Red Red Wine volumes 1 and 2 – a great overview of some of the strongly soul-influenced sounds that were bubbling up in London at the time. Dandy himself is one of the key artists on the collection – and titles include "Move Your Mule", "I'm Your Puppet", "Reggae In Your Jeggae", "Got To Come Back", "Raining In My Heart", and "Can't Get Used To Losing You" by Dandy – plus "Red Red Wine" and "I'm Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got" by Tony Tribe, "Someday We'll Be Together" and "Love Me Tonight" by Audrey, "Lover's Question" and "Spreading Love" by Gene Rondo, "Lead Them" by Desmond Riley, "Games People Play" by The Israelites, and "Song Byrd" by Lyndon Johns. CD2 begins with the Trojan classic Blow Your Horn by Rico & The Rudies – a classic early album from Rico – the legendary Jamaican trombonist who's gotta be one of the few people who can pose with his instrument and still look pretty badass overall! That quality also comes through in Rico's music – a famous lead trombone sound on countless Jamaican recordings from the ska years onwards – really given some great time here in the spotlight on a set of tunes that soar out with lots of rough rocksteady rhythms! Rico blows strongly and soulfully – on titles that include "Rico's Message", "Niyah Man", "Caribbean Serenade", "Jumping The Gun", "Mighty Dan", "Session Begin", "Biafra", and "Quando Quando" – and the album also features some guest appearances on "The Lion" by Dandy, and on "Muma Muma" by The Israelites. Last up is Your Musical Doctor – a full album with Dandy as the lead singer on his own – with titles that include "Touch Of Poison", "Everybody Loves A Winner", "Gumption Feeling", "Meeting Over Yonder", "Here I Go Again", "Come On Home", and "Run Girl". 2CD set features 51 tracks in all – with a few more bonus tracks too! CD

Two classic albums of dub from Erroll Brown – both maybe a bit more obscure than his classics of the time, but which also show the real depths of his talents! Culture Dub is a batch of instrumental dubs of songs from Culture – who were then riding high after their Two Sevens Clash album – taken here by Brown into very moody, very abstract territory – a stretched-out, spacey sound that has all sorts of cool guitar and keyboard elements bubbling amidst the murky basslines and drums. Titles include "Everyday Love Dub", "Skillful Dub", "Iron Sharp Dub", "Freedom Jam", "Deep Root Dub", and "Harder Than The Rest Dub". Medley Dub is a very different record overall – one that reworks older recordings from Sonia Pottinger's catalog of the late 60s and early 70s – rocksteady modes taken into dub territory, with really amazing results! You'll hear momentary echoes of the old amidst the soundclash of the new – and titles include "Revelation Of Dub", "Trinity Of Dub", "Tip Top Affair", "Engineer's Special", "Natty Dutty Dub", and "Swing & Dub". 2CD set features 24 more bonus tracks – Culture-related tracks that include "Work On dub", "Dog A Nyam Dub", "Freedom Rock", "Natty Dub", and "Jah Rastafari (version)" – and 15 other Brown dubs from the late 70s – including "Merry Go Round Version", "In The Park Version", "Lick Version", "Blue Bird Dub", "Revolutionary Version", "Stormy Dub", and "Road Hog". CD

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". CD features 11 more bonus tracks – including "Monkey Spanner", "Doing Your Own Thing", "Lonely Man", "La La La", "Your Love Is A Game", "Heart Of A Man", and "Iron Joe". CD

A killer double-length set of work from Desmond Dekker – one that's put together by Trojan Records to feature all the lesser-known and unreleased tracks that Desmond recorded during the years of his initial hits! As such, the album's a treasure trove of work that goes way past the oft-issued singles that Desmond cut in the late 60s and early 70s – tracks that are wonderful, and some of our favorites – but which are greatly expanded here! Dekker's voice is fantastic – as always – one of the sweetest soul sounds in Jamaican music – and the grooves are a mix of rocksteady and new reggae modes that were bubbling forth at the time. Titles include "Look What They're Doing To Me", "Life Of Opportunity", "Little Darling", "Warlock", "Licking Stick", "Hippopotamus", "The Song We Used To Sing", "Go & Tell My People", "Trample", "What Will You Gain", "My Reward", "Mother Nature", and "Life Hope & Faith". CD features 6 bonus tracks ''Father Noah", "Generosity", and four alternate versions of songs on the album! CD

A pair of early albums from Desmond Dekker & The Aces – both done right before the Jamaican group exploded with global fame – and were completely at the top of their powers! Actually, Dekker never seemed to falter at all – and right from the start, he's tremendous – this sweet-voiced, richly soulful singer who might have been Jamaica's answer to Sam Cooke – save maybe for the sharper edge he achieves working here with his classic group. The mix of Desmond's lead and the group's harmonies are set up in rocksteady rhythms throughout – on titles that include "007", "Sabotage", "Ah It Mek", "Rude Boy Train", "Sweet Music", "Coconut Water", "Wise Man", "Intensified", "You've Got Your Troubles", "Mother Young Girl", and "Keep A Cool Head". Both albums come with loads of bonus tracks – and the 2CD set features 52 tracks in all! CD

Incredible work from the mighty Alton Ellis – one of the first soul singers to emerge in Jamaica during the 60s – presented here on a famous greatest hits album, which is then expanded with the addition of 37 more bonus tracks! Alton Ellis was a key figure in the shift towards more homegrown styles in Jamaica during the 60s – a singer with roots in more American soul modes, but easily tipped towards fresher rocksteady rhythms that really help give his vocals a new focus – often with all these hip little inflections that balance sweetness with bite, at a level that also makes Alton such a huge influence on reggae singers to come in the 70s. Backings on most numbers are by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics – and titles on the greatest hits album include "Breaking Up", "Why Birds Follow Spring", "Chatty Chatty People", "Baby I Love You", "You Made Me So Very Happy", "Ain't That Loving You", "What Does It Take", and "If I Could Rule This World". 2CD set adds in a huge number of bonus tracks – singles produced by Duke Reid from the mid 60s onwards – with titles that include "Duke Of Earl", "Dance Crasher", "Black Man's Word", "Give Me Your Love", "I Love You", "Party Time", "Girl I've Got A Date", "Rock Steady", "Cry Tough", "Don't Trouble People", "Diana", "La La Means I Love You", and "The Same Song". CD

The title track is the big hit by James Taylor – but don't hold that against The Gaylads, as the trio make the tune very much their own – as they do with all the fantastic material in this set! The group work here with superb production from Leslie Kong – slow-burning rocksteady with a subtle groove – which really lets the fantastic harmonies of the trio soar right out front – in that mode that had acts like The Gaylads really giving American soul vocal groups a run for their money at the end of the 60s! The whole thing's got a nicely laidback groove, and a subtle current of righteousness – on titles that include "Tell The Children The Truth", "Fire & Rain", "Something Is Wrong Somewhere", "Peace Love & Understanding", "There's A Fire", and "Someday I Will Be Free". CD also features 13 more bonus tracks – other Leslie Kong singles by the group – with titles that include "My Jamaican Girl", "This Time I Won't Hurt You", "Cold & Lonely Night", "Young Gifted & Black", "ABC Reggae", and "I'll Be Yours". CD

A pair of albums from Marcia Griffiths – the well-titled queen of reggae at the end of the 70s! First up is Naturally, a fantastic album from Marcia Griffiths – very much the kind of material that made her one of the best female singers on the Jamaican scene in the 70s! The set's got a soulful sparkle that's undeniable – music that could have, should have (if things were right) gotten Marcia much bigger fame in the US crossover market of the time – as these songs work equally well as laidback soul numbers, even with strong reggae rhythms – thanks to the warmth and class of the vocals! A number of tracks are originals, and titles include "Dreamland", "Tell Me Now", "Melody Life", "Survival Is The Game", "Feel Like Jumping", "Mark My Word", and "Truly". Steppin features Marcia Griffiths at the height of her powers – singing wonderfully and soulfully, in a style that almost transcends her Jamaican roots! While other reggae singers of the period were maybe polishing things up a bit, to reach larger commercial fame, Griffiths seems to be stepping back more into soul, while still working with familiar Kingston rhythms – crafting this mode that's completely compelling, and which has as much personal feeling as some of the more powerful social themes of the roots era. Errol Brown recorded the tracks at Treasure Isle, and titles include "It's Impossible", "Steppin Out Of Babylon", "Where Were Why", "Why There Is No Love", "Give & You Get", and "I'm Hurting Inside". CD

A stunningly soulful set from Derrick Harriott – who works here as a one-man powerhouse on vocals, arrangements, and production! The set's definitely got some of the psychedelic elements promised on the cover – almost to rocksteady what the late 60s Norman Whitfield productions were to earlier Motown soul. But Derrick Harriott also brings in some great sweet soul elements, too – echoing some of the fragile harmony styles of the east coast scene, while also fitting the mode to hip Kingston grooves – all the while maybe beating Studio One at their own game! The mix of material here is fantastic – a record that has a great sense of depth right from the start, the keeps on giving over the years – and titles include "Hum My Song", "Message From A Black Man", "Psychedelic Train", "Riding For A Fall", "Walk The Streets", "Go Bye Bye", and "The Loser". Reissue also features 13 bonus tracks, many on CD for the first time – including "Been So Long/You Lied To Your Daddy", "Solomon", "The Girl's Alright With Me", "Have Some Mercy", "Tang Tang Festival Song", "Long Time", "Psychedelic Train (chapter 3)", and a great take on Gene Chandler's "Groovy Situation". CD

Four Trojan Records albums, all produced by Linval Thompson – and featuring some bonus tracks too! First up is Poor Man Style – a gem of a record from Barrington Levy – done in that laidback, easy-stepping style that always worked perfectly for the singer's vocals! Linval Thompson produced, and he brings in all these cool touches around the edges – early dancehall modes that are nicely understated, and which still maybe resonate more with the roots generation than later crossover hits – a righteous vibe that makes the whole album simmer beautifully all the way through! Titles include "She Is The Best Girl", "Don't Give Up", "Sensimella", "True Love", "Poorman Style", "This Little Boy", "Rob & Gone", "I Can't Wait Too Long", "Man Give Up", and "I Love I Love You". Next is Scientist & Jammy Strike Back – a record in which Scientist and Prince Jammy look an awful lot like Star Wars characters on the cover – but with grooves that are every bit as deep as their other dub classics from the time – completely amazing from conception to execution! If anything, the stars might be the perfect place for the music – given that the sounds here are very open, spacious, and way-out – full of as much echo as attack, at a level that reminds us that the pair are maybe some of the most minimalist of the dub generation! Rhythms are by the Roots Radics, but are always nice and spare – and there's plenty of splash and electro echo to link together the space between the notes – on titles that include "Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker", "Crushing Of The Stormtroopers", "The Princess Takes Her Revenge", "Buck Rogers In The Black Hole", "Death Of Mr Spock", and "Storming The Death Star". Next is We Must Unite – a tremendous album from The Viceroys – a Jamaican vocal trio that we'd rank right up there with The Paragons and Melodians, and who work in this beautiful message-oriented mode next to wicked production from Linval Thompson! The record's got some slight electro-styled touches at the edge – used gently next to slow-tripping rhythms – while the trio step out with these warm harmonies that really bring a lot to the lyrics of the songs – a righteous batch of tracks that include "We Must Unite", "The Intelligence Of Her Mind", "Come Closer My Love", "They Can't Stop Us Now", and "Rising On The Strength Of Jah". Singer Tristan Palma follows in a very similar mode, but as a solo lead – on the well-crafted Settle Down Girl, also produced by Linval Thompson! Titles include "Settle Down Girl", "Run Around Woman", "Losted My Wife", "Don't Make Me Cry", "Come Turn Me On", and "Rosie Bell". CD also features bonus tracks – "If I Didn't Want Your Loving (12" mix)" and "Loving Version" by The Melodians – and "Settle Down Girl (12" mix)", and "Settle Down Girl Version" by Tristan Palma. CD

Two early classics from Lee Perry & The Upsetters – back to back in a single set, with an insane number of bonus tracks too! Clint Eastwood is a record that furthers the idea of the outlaw in reggae – as Lee Perry takes the Upsetters past the safer territory of ska and rocksteady, and brings in a few great guests who all get the benefit of his studio magic as well! The rhythms are nice and deep, and produced with that monstrous sense of sound that Scratch had right from the start – soulful vocals bursting out where needed, but all unified together with a mad mix of echo, organ lines, and super-heavy bass. Titles include "Return Of The Ugly", "For A Few Dollars More", "Taste Of Killing", "Clint Eastwood", "My Mob", and "I've Caught You" by The Upsetters – plus "Rightful Ruler" by U Roy, "Prisoner Of Love" by Dave Barker, "Ain't No Love" by Winston Holmes, and "Selassie" by The Reggae Boys. Many Moods Of The Upsetters is a record that has the group stepping hard on some great instrumentals – then backing up some guest singers who really help give the record some shape! The instrumentals often have this great organ line in the front – produced with lots of cool sounds by the young Lee Perry, so that the instrument sounds very different than in Jamaican songs from just a few years before – and also used in ways that would disappear during the dub years later, with this really crazy sound that often gets weird and spacey. The vocal cuts are great too – maybe a bit straighter, but a reminder that Scratch really knows what to do with a singer too. Titles include "Exray Vision", "Low Lights", "Soul Stew", "Games People Play", "Serious Joke", "Beware Fade", and "Mean & Dangerous" by The Upsetters – plus "Cloud Nine" by Carl Dawkins, "Can't Take It Anymore" by David Isaacs, and "Goosy" by Pat Satchmo. 2CD set features 24 bonus tracks – more cuts by The Upsetters, Busty Brown, Lennox Brown, The West Indians, Pat Satchmo, The Bleechers, Lloyd Douglas, The Ethiopians, and others. CD

A pair of classic Lee Scratch Perry albums – back to back on a single CD! First up is the legendary Upsetter record – revolutionary at the time, still great today – and done with a spare sound that displays the roots of his unique approach! These early tracks don't have the murky smoked-out grooves of his later years, but they're filled with solid songwriting and really inventive production – the sort that laid the groundwork for the legend of the Black Ark years – and which make thing tight, focused, and not the sort of reverb-heavy mess that you might get with some of Perry's lesser imitators. Tracks are mostly easy skanking Upsetters numbers – with titles that include "Tidal Wave", "Heat Proof", "Night Doctor", "Man From MI5", "Dread Luck", and "Thunderball" by The Upsetters – plus "To Love Somebody" by Buster Brown, and "Kiddy O" by The Muskyteers (aka The Silvertones). The set also features the follow-up – Scratch The Upsetter Again – a similar vintage, with the titles "She Is Gone Again", "Mule Train", "Outer Space", "One Punch", "The Denis", "Bad Tooth", and "Soul Walk". CD

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 compared to some of the Kingston trios of the time – which seems to have the Techniques sounding even more heavenly on their harmonies! The instrumentation is great – sharp, but never overwhelming on the vocal tracks – but in just the right mode when Baba Brooks steps out in the lead on an instrumental – and titles include "Queen Majesty", "I Am In Love", "You Don't Know", "Little Did You Know", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "My Whole Life Depends On You". This CD pitches things a bit differently than the original album – in that it features 7 of the 12 tracks, leaving out the instrumentals – then adds in 21 more selections by the Techniques – which makes the 28 track set a complete document of their work with producer Duke Reid in the 60s! CD

A trio of classic albums produced by Linval Thompson – with lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Linval's I Love Marijuana record – an album with a striking title – and a set that really marked the full promise of Linval Thompson in the 70s – a dubby classic that's every bit as strong on the vocal side of Thompson's skills, as it is the production side! The album was recorded at Tubby's with the Revolutionaries band and an uncredited Junjo Lawes (who would later go on to cut some of the best dub albums ever, with Scientist) – and the vocals have this great style of cresting between sweeter modes and more biting modes – particularly when wrapped around the social themes that always made Thompson stand out. Titles include "I Love Marijuana", "Don't Push Your Brother", "Dread Are the Controller", "The Children of the Ghetto", "Not Follow Fashion", and "Jamaican Colley Version". African Princess is a set that features great DJ vocals from Big Joe – one of the lesser-knowns of the time, but a voice that's perfect for the rich sense of flow that Linval Thompson brings to the production – on titles that include "African Princess", "Big Disgrace", "Tubby At The Controls", "Smoke Marijuana", "Love Can Conquer", and "Pauline Love The Natty". Rock In The Ghetto is classic 70s work from Trinity – a Jamaican deejay singer who gets some excellent help on the set from Linval Thompson! Thompson mixes dubby modes with some sharper, crispier crackles at key moments – working as a nice way of punctuation to the moods delivered by Trinity's vocals – which are almost always in the righteous modes you'd guess from the title. Tracks include "Dangerous Rockers & Ting", "Pope Paul Dead & Gone", "Don't Lose Me", "Life Is Not Easy", "Don't Lose Me", "Every Trick In The Book", "Freedom Style", and "Rock In The Ghetto". 2CD set features 10 bonus tracks – titles that include "Lover's Style" and "Come On Baby Dub Style" by The Roots Radics, "Follow My Heart (12" mix)" and "Pope Paul Dead & Gone (12" mix)" by Trinity, "Mr CID" by Barry Brown, "There's A Song" by Pat Kelly, "King Tubby's Rockers" and "Second Hand Girl" by Scientist & Roots Radics, and "Here With Me" by Linval Thompson. CD

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 – usually topped with a fantastic singer in the lead, and served up with instrumentation that's spare and right on the money – perfect for the sorts of hard-booming sound systems that were springing up to showcase singles like these! The work here was initially issued as 45s on labels that include New Beat and Doctor Bird, and most tracks on the set have been unavailable for decades – making them even more obscure than material on other Clancy Eccles collections. 26 tracks in all – with titles that include "Mother's Reply" by Lyn Taitt & The Jets, "You Were Meant For Me" by Lee Perry, "You Think I'm A Fool" by Hemsley Morris, "Easy Snappin" by Theo Beckford, "Western Organ" by The Clancy Set, "Bye Bye Love" by Alton Ellis, "Promises" by The Silverstars, "Heart Beat" by Ernest Ranglin, "No Good Girl" by The Mellotones, "Mother's Advice" by The Inspirations, "Please Stay" by Larry & Alvin, "I'll Hold You Tight" by Velma Jones, "Love Brother Love" by Hugh Malcolm, "Hey Mama" by Lee Perry, "Terrible Headache" by The Coolers, and "Let Us Be Lovers" by Velma & Clancy. CD

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 Eccles, as the tracks here are all from the hand of the legendary producer – and really show the way that rocksteady was moving towards some of the tighter, sharper rhythms that would mark the early days of reggae! All the singers are as great as Richards – and titles include "Don't Look Back" and "Here Comes The Night" by Busty Brown, "Don't Mind Me" and "Mademoiselle" by Joe Higgs, "Foolish Fool" and "Conversation" by Cynthia Richards, "Feel The Rhythm" and "Africa" by Clancy Eccles, and "Revival" by The Dynamites. Herbsman Reggae is a set that more clearly foregrounds the work of Clancy Eccles in the lead – and one that also gives plenty of credit to the great Dynamites band on most of these tracks – a wicked quintet with Winston Wright on organ, Hucks Brown on guitar, and Gladdy Adams on piano! The rhythms are hard, the production is wonderful – all spacey and weird – and the record has this beautiful unified mix of vocals and instrumentals, a number with some cool pre-dub use of echo. Tracks include "Herbsman Shuffle" by King Stitt & Andy Capp, "Black Beret" and "Phantom" by The Dynamites, "Promise" by Cynthia Richards, "See Me (take 2)" by Earl George, "False Nyah" by Barry & The Affections, "The Ugly One" by King Stitt, and "Senor Judas" by Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites. This fantastic 2CD reissue also includes 34 bonus tracks – more Eccles productions of work by The Westmorlites, Barrington Sadler, The Dingle Brothers, Glen & Roy, Carlton Wedderburn, Carl Dawkins, and many others. 56 tracks in all! CD

A record that's brimming over with pride for the new musical grooves coming out of Kingston – and a rare compilation on the legendary Treasure Isle record from producer Duke Reid! The tunes here are great and gritty – almost as if Reid was finding a way to capture the energy of a sound system in the studio – with lots of booming beats, rumbling basslines, and the kind of standout instrumental and vocal passages that give each tune a special sort of hook! The instrumentals are maybe the most compelling – as they'll use a spare organ line or sax solo to craft surprisingly hypnotic sounds – which are then balanced out strongly by the soulful vocals on the other cuts. Titles include "Boom Shaka Lacka" by Hopeton Lewis & The Chosen Few, "Wake The Town" by U Roy, "Hopeful Village" by The Tennors, "The Ball" by Earl Wire Lindo, "What Does It Take" by Alton Ellis, "Sunday Gravy" by Earl Wire Lindo, "Condition Bad A Yard" by The Ethiopians, "Rule The Nation" by U Roy, "Dynamite" by Tommy McCook, and "White Rum" by Earl Wire Lindo. 2CD set has an insane amount of bonus tracks – 28 more Duke Reid productions, and 17 more produced by Byron Smith – 45 more tracks, including work by King Sporty, Tommy McCook, The Barons, Winston Jarrett, Nora Dean, The Ethiopians, Hopeton Lewis, Alston Barrett, The El Dorados, Dorothy Reid, and many more. CD

One of the most unusual albums on the legendary Treasure Isle label – issued here with 46 bonus tracks too! Independence Jump Up Calypso is one of the most unusual records Duke Reid ever released – a set of mento, not rocksteady or ska – not entirely calypso, but with a similar groove – and issued here in a slightly-late 1966 package to celebrate Jamaica's split from the UK! The tracks are mostly by two key artists, and have a nice raw groove that's similar to other Treasure Isle productions – plenty of currents of jazz in the horns, romping rhythms, and lyrics that are a key precursor to the way that vocals would play out later in reggae. Titles include "Jump Independently", "The Weed", "Bam Bam", "Mulfridite", and "Hooligans" by Count Lasher – and "In The Park", "Hard Times", and "Old Man's Drive" by Count Alert – plus instrumentals "Seven Guns Alive" and "Dog War Jump Up" by Lynn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band. CD also features a huge amount of other Treasure Isle/Duke Reid rarities – ska, rocksteady, and instrumental singles – from The Sensations, Baba Brooks Band, The Miracles, The Upsetters, Tommy McCook, The Silvertones, Lynn Tait, Joey & Butch, Tony & Dennis, Eric Morris, Herman Marquis, and many others. CD

Killer Jamaican grooves from one of the hippest, most unusual producers on the Kingston scene of the 60s – the legendary Sonia Pottinger, one of the few female forces working in ska and rocksteady at the time! Sonia had a great ear that was very close to the ground – able to pick up on the newest, freshest styles of the time – and blending them in with an older roster that also included a bit of nyabinghi and mento – some of which is featured here, in a hugely expanded version of an earlier Trojan Records collection of the same name! This package features a massive 54 tracks in all – as well as a huge booklet of notes on Sonia, her musical career, and her unique role in Jamaica – amidst a stunning selection of tracks that includes "Stop The Violence" by The Valentines, "Pata Pata Rock Steady" by Patsy Todd, "Listen To Me Baby" by The Conquerors, "One Love" by Stranger & Gladdy, "Gay Drums" by Leslie Butler & Count Ossie, "Treat Me Right" by The Conquerors, "Gun Fever" by The Valentines, "Move Up" by Linval Martin & The Vibrators, "Play It Cool" b Monty Morris, "This Is Thunder" by The Dingle Brothers, "Oh Ye Mahee" by Stranger Cole & The Conquerors, "Musical Pressure" by Al & The Vibrators, "Winnie The Whip" by Count Lasher, and "Skilamy" by Aston & Yen. CD

Four albums' worth of vintage ska from the Jamaican scene – presented here with a heck of a lot of bonus tracks too! These tracks are the real deal – some of the earliest tracks to be circulated under the name of the new style – and the sorts of songs that just about everyone tried to copy right off the bat, and kept on trying to match for decades more! The work all comes from the magical fingers of Duke Reid, of the Treasure Island label – and there's a fair bit of jazz in the mix too, as these groups are overflowing with talented musicians who were playing straighter jazz just a few years before. The package features the full albums Birth Of Ska, Latin Goes Ska, The Skatalite, and Don Drummond's Greatest Hits – plus 19 more bonus tracks – with work by Duke Reid's All Stars, Don Drummond, Botty & Bonny, Rico Rodriguez, Justin Hinds & The Dominoes, Owen & Leon Silvera, Eric Morris, Roland Alphonso, Clive & Naomi, The Richards Brothers, Baby Brooks, and many others. 58 tracks in all! CD

Two post-Motown albums from The Miracles – back to back on a single CD! On Love Crazy, The Miracles move to Columbia Records – and pick up a whole new groove in the process – a much richer sound than previous records on Motown, with a soaring style that really works great for the harmonies! Billy Griffin's vocals are really coming into their own – as is his songwriting, too – evidenced by some of the more complicated elements in the mix, and the blend of full arrangements and tight rhythms that almost have a Philly feel overall! The change is a great one for the group – and not only helps them beat some of their best late Motown moments, but also points the way towards a heck of a lot of 80s soul too. Titles include "Too Young", "The Bird Must Fly Away", "Love Crazy", "Spy For Brotherhood", "A Better Way To Life", "Women", and the Isley-like "I Can Touch The Sky". The self-titled Miracles set is an overlooked groover from The Miracles – a late 70s set for Columbia Records, and one that's got a sparkling sound throughout! The album really has the group hitting some great modern soul modes for the set – arrangements by David Foster that push them forward even more, and which work equally well on the uptempo tunes as they do on the few mellower numbers too. The style is lush, but never overdone – just right for the vocal interplay of the group, with a quality that's a bit like late 70s Jacksons – but better. Titles include "Love Doctor", "I Can't Stand It", "Hot Dance", "Mean Machine", "Sad Rain", "Reach For The Sky", and "The Magic Of Your Eyes". CD

A nice French collection – featuring a number of Bluebird and Victor Records 78s by Doctor Clayton with Blind John Davis on piano – plus his "buddy" Albert Luandrew also singing with Davis on piano and Big Bill Broonzy on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little album from the great Matt Berry – quite different than some of his other records, but in a really great way! Berry pays homage to some of the greatest songs from the world of British TV – fab themes from the 60s and 70s, served up here with funky jazz instrumentation that includes a wealth of wonderful sounds from Matt's collection of vintage keyboards – mixed with tight drums, riffing guitar, and other groovy touches! There's occasional chorus vocals on some cuts, but no real lyrics at all – and the set features versions of "Are You Being Served", "The Good Life", "Top Of The Pops", "Picture Box", "The Liver Birds", "Rainbow", "Blankety Blank", "London Weekend Television", "Doctor Who", "Wildtrak", "World In Action", and "Sorry". CD