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 – which built new tracks on older rhythms – Pottinger works here with new grooves, mostly by The Revolutionaries – mostly slow-tripping, at a level that takes off from the roots years – topped with a mix of singers and DJs that get some really great dubby production touches! This isn't the digital work of a few years to come, but warm, well-crafted material that caps off the last moment before reggae took on some more electronic styles in the following decade – all served up with the usual great notes and attention to detail we love from the Doctor Bird label. The package features 34 tracks in all – some unreleased – and titles include "Tan Turdy" by Errol Scorcher, "Stormy Weather (12" mix)" by Bobby Ellis, "Different Fashion" by Lee Van Cleef, "A Little Bit Of Love" by Jah Thomas, "Whole Lot Of Loving" by The Enchanters, "Oppressor" by Tony Tuff, "Financial Problem" by Zara, "Annie Palmer (12" mix)" by Papa Ritchie, "Mr Landlord (12" mix)" by Michael Palmer, "Road Block" by Carl & Gibby, "General" by Ranking Joe, and "It's My Home (12" mix)" by Lorna Bennett. CD

Major labels didn't always get soul music as well as the indies back in the 60s – but there's one exception to that myth, the mighty Loma Records label from Warner Brothers! The company had a near-perfect run during its few years in business – killer soul singles that are every bit as prized by collectors as some of the more obscure records on tiny labels from the time – and which are handled with a quality level that's never too commercial, never as slick as you'd expect from a bigger company that was also handling easy listening and pop during the same period. Instead, the Loma legacy is a mighty deep run of greatness – as you'll hear on this stunning third volume in the series – with titles that include "The Shadow Of Your Love" by Bobby Freeman, "I Paid For The Party" by The Enchanters, "Can't Win" by The Invicibles, "Better Think Of What You're Losing" by Tommy Starr, "If This Ain't Love" by The Realistics, "Don't Come A Knockin" by Mary Lee Whitney, "Sad Sad Feeling (part 1)" by The Autographs, and "I Wanna Love You So Bad" by Bobby Reed. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet cuts for the Christmas season – a great batch of jazz, vocal, and R&B numbers pulled from the postwar years – excellent songs and singles from a time when the best sort of Holiday music was coming out on record, year after year! The set's a great addition to the ever-growing Bear Family Christmas collections – and like the rest, it really shows a strong understanding of what makes a great Christmas tune so great – not just a hit, or a familiar chart number from the past – but new takes on old tunes, or fresh songs that really show just how much Holiday music was flooding the record business back in the day! The package is great, with notes on each track – and titles include "Ole Santa" by Dinah Washington, "Mambo Santa Mambo" by The Enchanters, "I've Had A Very Merry Christmas" by Jerry Lewis, "Happy New Year Baby" by Johnny Otis, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Ramsey Lewis, "Christmas Ball" by Georgie Auld with Bill Darnel, "Jingle Bells" by Knuckles O'Toole, "Jing A Ling Jing A Ling" by The Andrews Sisters, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball" by Kay Martin & Her Body Guards, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet cuts for the Christmas season – a great batch of jazz, vocal, and R&B numbers pulled from the postwar years – excellent songs and singles from a time when the best sort of Holiday music was coming out on record, year after year! The set's a great addition to the ever-growing Bear Family Christmas collections – and like the rest, it really shows a strong understanding of what makes a great Christmas tune so great – not just a hit, or a familiar chart number from the past – but new takes on old tunes, or fresh songs that really show just how much Holiday music was flooding the record business back in the day! The package is great, with notes on each track – and titles include "Ole Santa" by Dinah Washington, "Mambo Santa Mambo" by The Enchanters, "I've Had A Very Merry Christmas" by Jerry Lewis, "Happy New Year Baby" by Johnny Otis, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Ramsey Lewis, "Christmas Ball" by Georgie Auld with Bill Darnel, "Jingle Bells" by Knuckles O'Toole, "Jing A Ling Jing A Ling" by The Andrews Sisters, "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson, "Come On Santa Let's Have A Ball" by Kay Martin & Her Body Guards, and "Mister Santa" by Dorothy Collins. CD