Rough Guide's Essential Reggae Albums - http://www.roughguides.com/reggae ---------------------------------------------- MENTO TO SKA : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Coxsone & Duke Reid ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Sir Coxsone & Duke Reid in Concert at Forresters Hall (Studio One, US) . Not the historic live dancehall recording that the title promises (such a clash of the titans never took place) , but a consummate selection of the type of r&b/early ska hits that would have been heard at such a dance in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Shuffle and boogie instrumentals are represented by tributes to key musical locations like Clue J & the Blues Busters' "Milk Lane Hop" and "Five Minutes On Beeston Street", as well as Duke's Group's "Pink Lane Hop";important early vocals include Busty & Cool's "What A World" and Delroy Wilson's "Duke & the Sir" (aka "Spit In the Sky") . The emergence of the developed ska sound can be heard on Tommy McCook & the Supersonics'"Real Cool" and the Skatalites' "Twilight Zone". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don Drummond ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Best Of Don Drummond (Studio One, JA) (Vinyl only) In Memory Of (Studio One, JA) . (Vinyl only) 100 Years After (Studio One, JA) . These three classic albums collect most of his best work for Studio One, with very welcome tracks from both Treasure Isle and Top Deck included on The Best Of (which really does live up to the title) . 100 Years After contains the superb "Freedom Sounds" and "Last Call", which are truly essential Drummond. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- King Stitt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Dance Hall '63 (Studio One, JA) . A set from the legendary deejay,not recorded at the time he was shaking up Downbeat dances, but some thirty years later. Performing in the style of the late 1950s/early 1960s, when the man at the mike didn't totally dominate proceedings,Stitt simply adds to the excitement of tracks such as Owen Gray's"On the Beach", Theophilus Beckford's "Easy Snapping"and Billy Cooke's "Iron Bar" with his introductions and the odd jive-talk interjection. A large part of the set's appeal lies in hearing vintage vocals and instrumentals that are mostly otherwise unavailable on album. The 'Ugly One', as he was known, might not seem to be doing a great deal, but he adds an extra dimension to marvellous music, and the album gives some idea of what a Kingston dance of the time must have been like. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lord Creator ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD) Don't Stay Out Late (VP/Randy's, USA) . Lord Creator was always in a class of his own when it came to handling smooth ballads, and no slouch when it came to either calypso or vocalising over steaming ska tracks. Everything of worth that he recorded for Vincent 'Randy' Chin in the 1960s is gathered for the CD version of this stunning collection (the vinyl version misses out ultra-rare cuts of "Evening news" and "Such Is Life") . These and well-known hits like "Independent Jamaica", "Man To Man"and "Don't Stay Out Late" are among the most moving sides ever to emerge from a Kingston studio, and quite unlike what everyone else was doing then - or has done since. When UB40 honoured the quality of his "Kingston Town" and included it on their "Labour Of Love" cover version album, Creator was able to buy a house in Jamaica from the royalties. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maytals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Never Grow Old (Coxsone, JA; R&B, UK, Studio One, US) . (Vinyl only) Life Could Be A Dream (Coxsone, US) . The first of these sets was originally released in the 1960s, the second in 1992; together they collect most of the Maytals' singles for Clement Dodd ("6 & 7Books Of Moses" and "Marching On" are the most surprising omissions) . The more gospel-drenched tracks have perhaps best weathered the passing years, but Toots Hibbert's hoarse voice is wonderfully effective throughout, and the musicians who became the Skatalites are flawless. (Vinyl only) Prince Buster Record Shack Presents The Original Golden Oldies Vol. 3 (Prince Buster, JA/UK/US) . A twelve-track compilation of the Maytals' singles on Prince Buster's Wild Bells ands Islam labels.If anything the trio's work for Buster has endured marginally better than their output for Studio One, mainly because with the switch of producers they largely abandoned ballads for what they did best - revivalist jump-ups. Begins with the incredible frenzied"Dog War" (aka "Jamaica Ska", aka "Broadway Jungle") , and keeps the pace throughout. This is the group's best album, but it would be good to have a CD reissue with "Looking Down the Street" and "Lovely Walk". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Skatalites ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Ska Authentic (ND/Studio One, JA) . (Vinyl only) Ska Authentic Volume 2 (ND/Studio One, JA) . When originally released in 1964,both volumes of Ska Authentic featured a mixture of instrumentals and vocals. The first title then reappeared a couple of years later in a UK pressing as an instrumental set, with only a couple of tracks in common with the original. To confuse things even further, a Studio One CD appeared in 1994 called Ska Authentic Volume 1 that had the second selection of tracks, minus three,but with the addition of seven extra ones (including a couple of vocals from the 1964 set) . The very rare coloured vinyl original now fetches three-figure sums, but fortunately the all-instrumental set, which is seldom unavailable, is stronger, both in its vinyl and its CD form. Volume 2 has remained unaltered, and is only marginally less impressive than the second variation of its predecessor;it includes only a couple of tracks that have ever appeared on other albums. (Vinyl only) Ska Boo-Da-Ba (WIRL, JA; Doctor Bird, UK) . The 1966 press of this - on TopDeck in Jamaica, Doctor Bird in the UK - remains the definitiveska album: twelve scorching instrumentals, with Don Drummond well to the fore (five of the composing credits are his, including"Confucius", "China Town" and "Marcus Junior") . Producer Phillip Yap paid the participating musicians twice the normal rate; in return the musicians rehearsed the music fully, and it shows. For some reason, the reissue on WIRL, which receives periodic represses, replaced two of the original gems with a couple of relatively weak Studio one vocals from the Wailers.Even in this truncated form, however, there is still no ska album to touch it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Skatalites & friends ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Hog In A Cocoa (Essoldun, France) . The Skatalites in the role of backing band for various vocalists at Treasure Isle. Quite a few acknowledged classics - Justin Hinds' "The Higher The Monkey Climbs",Stranger Cole's "Run Joe", Derrick & Patsy's "Housewives Choice", Eric Morris's "Penny Reel" - plus enough worthwhile obscurities to interest those who already have the well-known tracks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) From the Grass Roots Of Jamaica (Dynamic, JA) . Sleeve notes by Edward Seaga, when he was Minister of Finance and Planning, suggest this album was first released in the late 1960s. A folk research officer at the Jamaica School of Music, Olive Lewin, was responsible for the recordings, but none of the performers - all amateurs presumably- are credited. Nor are the different tracks identified according to the Jamaican folk styles they represent, which would have been useful for anyone not expert on the differences between jonkuno,kumina, mento, ring play, et al. But quibbles like this do not prevent the music from being incredibly enjoyable - and for afar wider public than just serious musicologists. Re-released in 1995, this should still be available at specialist stores. (Vinyl only) All Stars Top Hits [Jamaican Blues] (Coxsone,JA; Blue Beat, UK) . This was Clement Dodd's first album and probably the rarest of the UK Blue Beat releases. The seven vocals and five instrumentals give some idea of the range of different styles that made up Jamaican r&b. The singers tend to display either doo-wop or gospel influences, while the instrumentals have dated far less - mainly because they more obviously presage ska.Aubrey Adams & Rico Rodriguez's "Stew Peas & Cornflakes"and Don Drummond's "Don Cosmic" particularly impress,though singers like Clancy Eccles, Alton & Eddy and the Jiving Juniors possess no shortage of charm. (CD) Ska Bonanza: the Studio One Ska Years- Clement Dodd productions (Heartbeat, US) . An extremely well-packaged two-disc set that brings together all the tracks from the All Star Top Hits LP (which are actually r&b rather than ska) and all except one from This is Jamaica Ska, and adds such as the Skatalites'"Nimble Foot Ska" and "Spread Satin", Ken Boothe & Stranger Coles's "Artibella", Owen Gray's"Jezebel" and the Maytals' "Shining Light".Digital clarity makes this unmissable even if you have almost half of the selection on the original albums. The stunning music is complemented by a booklet containing two excellent essays by Jamaican journalist Julian Jingles and series compiler Chris Wilson,plus a selection of atmospheric photographs from the period. (CD / Vinyl) Man About Ska Town (King Edwards, UK) - King Edwards productions (CD) Club Ska '67 (Mango, UK) - Various Producers (Vinyl only) Club Ska '67 Volume 2 (WIRL, UK/JA) - Various Producers Ska was already over in Jamaica when these were first released on WIRL, but nonetheless they were the most important ska compilations of their time, for they exposed the music to an audience far beyond Jamaica. Some tracks on the first volume - including those by Desmond Dekker, the Gaylads and Delroy Wilson - are in the rocksteady mode that had emerged in the previous year; about half are slightly older, and stand as classics of the ska style proper. Check Sir Lord Comic's "Ska-ing West", the Skatalites' "Guns Of Navarone" and the Maytals' "Broadway Jungle" for an indication of how varied and musically strong the form could be. There is a similar mix of styles on its companion, with Carlos Malcolm's "Bonanza Ska", Don Drummond's "Stampede" and Baba Brooks's"Independence Ska" among those fully living up to the ska title, and titles from the Ethiopians, the Clarendonians and Winston & George representing the shift to ska's cooler successor. (CD / Vinyl) Ska Down Jamaica Way (Top Deck, UK) - Top Deck/ Yap brothers productions The first part of a project to make all of the inspired work on the Top Deck/Tuneico labels available again. The title track is the best from the Yap brothers' vocal mainstay, Ferdie Nelson, while the Deacons' "Hungry Man"and Bibby & the Astronauts' "Sweet Dreams" are the other vocal highlights. The labels' reputation, though, rests mainly on their instrumentals, represented here by alternate takes to the storming classics such as "VC10 (Shake A Lady) ","Red Is Danger" and "Shot In the Dark", as well as relative obscurities such as "Yogi Man" and"Tuff Talk". ---------------------------------------------- ROCKSTEADY : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ken Boothe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) A Man & His Hits (Studio One, JA). The gritty baritone of Ken Boothe, one of the most distinctive voices in Jamaican music, was first heard in the ska era, with the under-rated Stranger Cole, and it's a pity that most of the hits credited to Stranger & Ken still wait to be collected in album form. The earliest track on A Man & His Hits is "Train Is Coming", one of the best rocksteady tunes to use the popular gospel motif. Other notable inclusions are "Moving Away", "When I Fall In Love", "Crying Over You" and his powerful version of Garnet Mimms's "Thinking". Even "Puppet On A String" seems acceptable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carlton & His Shoes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Love Me Forever (Studio One, UK). Covering not just rocksteady but the first years of reggae, this remains the ultimate album for both sweet harmonies and original Jamaican love songs. To complete the story of Carlton Manning at Studio One, any future re-release of the album should add both "Happy Land" and "Let Me Love You", his last glorious record for Coxsone (and one for which he supplied all the voices). (CD / Vinyl) On Top (Studio One, JA) The trio's second album, covering the period when rocksteady was transmuting into reggae, was an even greater triumph, and the CD release offers not just digital clarity but three bonus tracks of the same calibre: "A Change Is Gonna Come" (not the Sam Cooke song), "When You Are Down" and "Oil In My Lamp". The voices are sublime and the songs - covering both love and 'reality' themes - are even more accomplished than before. It is impossible to imagine the course of reggae without the bass lines for tracks like "Heptones Gonna Fight", "I Hold the Handle" and "Pretty Looks Isn't All", or for that matter their horn parts, usually devised by saxophonist 'Deadly' Headley Bennett. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Desmond Dekker & the Aces ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD) Action! (Esoldun, France). Before the international success of Marley, Desmond Dekker was the pop face of reggae, with early hits in both the UK and USA (the latter particularly extraordinary for the time). Not that many outside of the music's target audience understood the lyrics of "007" (rude boys) or "Israelites" (repatriation) -they were just good to move to. A couple of decades later, the welcome CD release of Action!, a scarce late-1960s Beverley's album (with a handful of sought-after 45s added), shows just how under-appreciated both Dekker (his singing here much improved from the ska days) and producer Leslie Kong have been. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alton Ellis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Cry Tough (Heartbeat, US). The CD release of the classic Mr Soul of Jamaica with the addition of another eight tracks. The original collected together most of his greatest rocksteady hits for Treasure Isle, and was always his strongest album - despite the over-dubbing of 'modern' drumming (circa mid-1970s). The track listing is flawless, with titles like "I Can't Stop Now", "All My Tears Come Rolling", "Remember That Sunday" and "Chatty Chatty" standing as part of the bedrock of Jamaican music, always suitable for updating. The original songs are marvellous, and Ellis's interpretations of US soul hits are no less so, with his distinctive vocal approach - along with the Supersonics' rhythms - giving "Ain't That Loving You", "Willow Tree" and "Ooh We Baby" a fresh identity. Despite a few errors in the sleeve notes, first-class presentation from Heartbeat, all in crisp remastered sound. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keith & Tex ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Stop That Train (Crystal, JA). Derrick Harriott remains an under-rated producer, though he was responsible for some of the best rhythms of the rocksteady era and always bought out the best in the artists with whom he worked. Keith & Tex are a case in point. Thanks to the film The Harder They Come they are best known to the general public for "Stop That Train", the vocal toasted by Scotty; but as their only album amply demonstrates, they were far from being one-hit wonders. "Tonight" is the other track familiar to most rocksteady lovers, but the remaining originals and their versions of US soul hits are of a similar calibre. Because Derrick Harriott only possessed eight tracks by the duo, these are complemented with four pieces from Noel 'Bunny' Brown, the wonderful high tenor singer from the Chosen Few. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Melodians ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Swing & Dine (Heartbeat, US). The Melodians rank alongside the Paragons, the Techniques and the Heptones in the upper echelon of rocksteady groups. They had the advantage of possessing two exceptional lead voices in Tony Brevett's warm baritone and Brent Dowe's anguished tenor, plus an excellent harmonies singer in Trevor McNaughton, and a fourth member in a purely songwriting capacity, Ranford Cogle. They were later to have perfectly good records on Beverley's, Jam-Can, Mellos and Lee Perry's Wizzdom label, but their most consistent body of work belongs to the 1960s, when they recorded for both Duke Reid and Sonia Pottinger. This is the body of work represented here, with ten tracks from the former, and six from the latter: sixteen classics, with only "Passion Love" missing (though some would argue this was their finest ever). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Paragons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl)Golden Hits (The Great Treasure Isle Collection Volume 2) (Treasure Isle, France) This French collection duplicates nine of the tracks from the group's classic On the Beach set, but presents them in digital clarity, and adds "The Same Song", "My Best Girl" (possible their finest record) and four more of a similar standard. The best of John Holt's hits after leaving the group might have equalled his wonderfully assured and smooth performances here, but none quite surpassed them. This pretty much sums up what rocksteady was all about. (Vinyl only)On The Beach (Treasure Isle, JA). Their classic Treasure Isle album has been regularly re-released, and is still available in the specialist retailers at the time of writing. Besides the title track, highlights include the original cut of "The Tide Is High" (covered by the rock group Blondie), "Only A Smile", "Happy Go Lucky Girl" and "Village Girl". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slim Smith ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Early Days (Total Sounds, JA). Slim Smith was the greatest vocalist to emerge in the rocksteady era. Whether heard as part of a group (the Techniques, and then the Uniques) or solo, his emotion-racked high tenor was always in a class of its own. This collection should perhaps be credited to "Slim Smith and the Uniques", as the harmonies of Jimmy Riley and Lloyd Charmers are also in evidence throughout. No argument, however, about the near-definitive selection that includes "Give Me Some More", "Let Me Go Girl", "Out Of Love "Love & Affection", "Version Of Love" and "Watch This Sound", all of them exquisitely soulful. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Techniques ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Rock Steady Classics (Rhino, UK). The title is spot-on for a set including two takes of both "You Don't Care" and "Travelling Man", and most of the rest of their best rocksteady material for Treasure Isle, including their two most 'versioned' tracks, "Queen Majesty" and "Love Is Not a Gamble". Exquisitely refined but infectious rocksteady rhythms plus sweet vocal harmonies - it doesn't come much better than this. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Tosh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD The Toughest (Heartbeat, CD). "Rasta Shook Them Up" and "I'm the Toughest" are just the two most stunning tracks of the thirteen from Studio One collected here (the singer's complete work for Dodd but for two tracks), and presented free of crackle and hiss. The other six items are from Scratch, and include the groundbreaking early reggae tracks "Earth's Rightful Ruler", "Downpresser" and "Brand New Secondhand". This is the only truly essential Peter Tosh set ever released, though enough worthwhile Joe Gibbs and self-produced singles exist for another. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Catch This Beat (Island, UK). The packaging was obviously designed to cash in on the 1980s' Two Tone craze, but the selection is pure rocksteady, and far too refined for the boys from Coventry to have tried emulating. One advantage this compilation has over most others is that it draws from a number of producers and labels to give a comprehensive overview of the music, with tracks ranging from Slim Smith's "The New Boss" and Jackie Mittoo's "Got My Bugaloo" for Studio One, through the Melodians' "Train To Expo '67" and Alton Ellis's "Shake It" for Treasure Isle, to Derrick Harriott's self-produced "Do I Worry" and the Defenders' "Set Them Free" for WIRL. CD Duke Reid's Treasure Chest (Heartbeat, US). With some five companies re-releasing Treasure Isle material, there is not surprisingly a problem with duplication of material, so non-fanatics are well advised to compare like with like before making their choice. Having given due warning, there really is not a better start to any Treasure Isle rocksteady selection than the 41 examples of Duke Reid's elegant magic collected on this double CD set. Besides the most comprehensive selection of the best-known classics from Alton Ellis, the Techniques, the Jamaicans, the Paragons, the Melodians, the Silvertones, etc, there are also more obscure gems - as well as previously unreleased alternate takes, for the sake of those collectors suffering under the illusion that they heard it all years ago. (CD / Vinyl)Song Book (Coxsone, JA). Coxsone's first and best collection, with thoughtful 'reality' and love lyrics, as well as beautiful bitter-sweet melodies that are not easily forgotten. The title - chosen by Mr Dodd apparently - is only too fitting, and it is surprising that more non-reggae singers have not covered the material collected here: titles like "My Time", "Unchained" and "Feeling Soul", however rooted in the particular, have a universal application. But the albummakes clear that Andy's might well be the definitive versions. One of the half dozen or so Jamaican albums that belong in the collection of anyone interested in the art of either the singer or songwriter, whatever the genre. CD Mojo Rocksteady (Heartbeat, US). Just to completely confuse everyone, three sets bear this title, with some variation in the track listings. The Heartbeat CD beats the original Jamaican vinyl press for sound quality and has two more tracks than the American vinyl one. A couple of the tracks are not rocksteady at all, but the musical quality couldn't be more consistent - far above the usual hit-and-miss Studio One compilations. CD Joe Gibbs: Amalgamated Label: Explosive Rocksteady 1967-1973 (Heartbeat, US). The continuity of this set is disrupted by a couple of Nicky Thomas tracks from the mid-1970s, but otherwise this album is faultless, with superb presentation and sound, as well as a selection of the some of best rocksteady ever made. Lee Perry was the actual producer of the gems on display here, and his own "I Am the Upsetter" was to set the pattern for many future 'grudge' records of his. Tracks like the teenage Errol Dunkley's heartfelt "Please Stop Your Lying", the Pioneers' true tale of the racetrack, "Long Shot", and Roy Shirley's groundbreaking "Hold Them" are anthems of the genre. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delroy Wilson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Good All Over (Coxsone, JA). Only in his late teens - but already a musical veteran - by the time rocksteady developed, Delroy Wilson really hit his stride with a glorious series of hits for Coxsone that captured the buoyancy and relative sophistication of the new style. As a soul stylist, he was clearly the equal of either Alton Ellis or Ken Boothe, and here he particularly shines on "Run For Your Life", "Rain From the Skies" and "I'm Not A King". (Vinyl only) Original Twelve - The Best Of Delroy Wilson (Coxsone, JA; Heartbeat, US). Essentially, the best of his rocksteady material for Coxsone not included on the above. Every track is a classic, though deserving a special mention are "Run Run", "Riding For A Fall", "Conquer Me" (successfully revived by, among others, the deejay Dr. Alimantado), and "True Believer". ---------------------------------------------- EARLY REGGAE : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Youth ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Screaming Target (Gussie, JA; Trojan, UK) . The first set that Big Youth had to himself had the advantage of being produced by a fellow youthman also out to prove himself - Gussie Clarke, who was then barely twenty. Almost anything would sound acceptable over rhythms such as Leroy Smart's "Pride & Ambition", Gregory Isaacs's "One One Cocoa Fill Basket", K.C. White's "No, No, No" and Lloyd Parks's "Slaving", but Mr Buchanan was breaking new ground with a chant-like style that would set the pace for almost the next decade of toasting. The most important deejay set after U. Roy's debut, and one that few have matched since. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cedric Brooks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Im Flash Forward (Studio One, JA) . This was not released until 1977, but could well have been recorded several years earlier but when was it recorded? - certainly, the rhythms suggest the beginning of the decade. Whether blowing his tenor saxophone (or flute) over an original rhythm or an established classic, Brooks brought a serious, reflective feel to bear that was completely his own. Early roots classics, such as the Abbysinians' "Declaration Of Rights" or Keith Wilson's "God I God I Say", might seem the most appropriate to this approach, but versions of Freddy McKay's "Picture On The Wall" and Horace Andy's "Skylarking" are as every bit as successful. Will Mr Dodd ever draw together the Cedric Brooks 45s not included here - his versions of "Java" ("Ethiopia") , say, or "Satta Massa Gana" ("Sata") - for a second essential album? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Burning Spear ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Presenting (Studio One, JA) . (Vinyl only) Rocking Time (Studio One, JA) . The incomparable Winston Rodney's earliest material, with all the distinguishing characteristics of his music well in evidence. Whatever people might say about Clement Dodd's treatment of his artists, there were not many producers who would have spent time and money on such seemingly uncommercial material as this. The Spear was to re-interpret several of the tracks later, and it says something about his artistry that it is impossible to choose between the raw originals on these two sets and the more 'produced' later versions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Junior Byles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Beat Down Babylon: the Upsetter Years (Trojan, UK) . Byles's first album, which has always been considered a classic, plus some extra tracks from the same inspired period, including the wonderful "King Of Babylon". Perry obviously knew he was dealing with someone as special as the Wailers, and never gave him rhythms of less than equal worth. "A Place Called Africa" is even more memorable than the title track, and makes most of the hundreds of subsequent repatriation tunes seem quite superfluous. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dynamites ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Fire Corner (Clandisc, JA; Trojan, UK) . Possibly the most interesting of the organ-dominated instrumental albums that appeared at the turn of the decade. Winston Wright, the man at the Hammond, particularly impresses on three tracks in the middle of the first side - "I Did It", "This is the Night" and "One Way Ticket" - while horns are also employed effectively on "Eternally", "Sam-Fie" and "Skokiaan (Mr. Midnight) ". To further help maintain interest, there are two hits from the foundation deejay, King Stitt - "Vigorton 2" and "Fire Corner", as well as his even more wonderful "Soul Language", which was perhaps just too strange to be released as a single. CD The Wild Bunch Are the Dynamites (Jamaican Gold, Holland) . A retrospective compilation of the Dynamites' instrumentals for Clancy Eccles, including the best from the above. A set compiled with considerable taste and with the sort of packaging that gives the music the respect that it has always deserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alton Ellis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD The Best Of Alton Ellis (Studio One, JA) . (CD / Vinyl) Sunday Coming (Studio One, JA) . The CD release of the Best Of collection of Studio One classics presents them in digital clarity and with the addition of some strong Treasure Isle tracks. As usual with Jamaica's premier vocal stylist, there is little to choose between the self-penned material and his reworkings of US hits (only Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood" fails to quite come off) . Tracks like "Still Trying" and "Breaking Up Is Hard" have been versioned countless times, but even Coxsone has yet to put out a next cut to "Set A Better Example", which deserves similar status. Sunday Coming, however, still remains his finest album. The title track places romance in a realistic social context, and is the more powerful for it, while the intense "Hurting Me" is the other exceptional original. Ellis's own view that his talent lies primarily as an interpreter seems credible when you hear his readings of Jerry Jackson's "Wide Awake In A Dream" the Royalettes' " (It's) Gonna Take A Miracle", the Guess Who's "These Eyes", Brenda Holloway's "You Make Me So Very Happy" and Harvey Fuqua & Johnny Bristol's "What Does It Take To Win Your Love" (a US hit for Junior Walker) . The only point at which Ellis sounds less than totally convincing is with the too funky "Alton's Groove". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ethiopians ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) The Original Reggae Hit Sound (Trojan, UK) . As near to a definitive Ethiopians compilation as it's possible to have on a single disc. The album begins with examples of their best known ska and rocksteady hits, before moving into the early reggae era, which was palpably their most consistent period. Their work with J.J. Johnson is particularly well represented with a dozen of their best tracks for this often overlooked producer, and then there are the duo's two biggest hits for Derrick Harriott, and a great late Treasure Isle production. Leonard Dillon, who was in effect the Ethiopians, remains one of the unsung heroes of Jamaican music, and this collection should have brought him to a far wider audience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keith Hudson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood (Mamba, UK) . Keith Hudson's enigmatic masterpiece opens with one haunting instrumental, "Hunting", featuring the drums of Count Ossie, and closes with another, "Stabiliser". In between the man himself is totally convincing as he intones in mournful but dignified style on the subject of the Black race's history and destiny (with a couple of the vocals followed by their even moodier dubs) . The only track that was not self-penned - Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" - fits the serious mood surprisingly well. A seriously different album that was a long way from anything that preceded it or has followed since. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Marley & the Wailers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) African Herbsman (Trojan, UK) . To many fans, the Wailers' work with Scratch represents a creative peak that even the best of Marley's subsequent recordings failed to match. Certainly, this two LPs' worth of Upsetter-produced material (plus a smattering of 45s that did not make it onto album) was seminal music. The general quality of the material was slightly more consistent on the African Herbsman set (which adds a couple of self-produced tracks to the Jamaican Soul Revolution LP) : every track is a classic, and the cornerstone for Jamaican music's subsequent development. The US soul influences that Marley had absorbed are sometimes a little too obvious on Soul Rebels, though the best tracks - "Soul Rebel", "Corner Stone" and "400 Years" - show the group's talents fully developed and ready to be exposed to a wider world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Larry Marshall ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Presenting Larry Marshall (Studio One, JA; Heartbeat, US) . CD I Admire You (Java, UK; Heartbeat, US) . Larry Marshall never failed to deliver his best at Studio One, and it can only be regretted that Dodd released just one album by him. However often his rhythms are recycled by others, there is no substitute for hearing the writer of some of the most heatfelt records ever to emerge from Jamaica, including "Nanny Goat", "Thelma", "Mean Girl" and "How Can I Go On" (aka "Can't You Understand") . Most of his best known tunes are on the Presenting album, though it is a pity that the CD could not have added "Press Along Nyah", "Run Babylon" or "Lonely Room". I Admire You, which originally appeared on Carlton Patterson's Black & White label, is the most distinguished record Marshall made after leaving Brentford Road, and almost achieves the impossible task of matching the Studio One set ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Maytals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Do the Reggae: 1966-1970 (Attack, UK) . CD Bla Bla Bla (Esoldun, France) . Two sets covering the Maytals' sojourn at Beverley's. The Attack album begins with "Bam Bam" (for Byron Lee, and the trio's last record before their leader's incarceration) , and then jumps to some of their best Kong-produced material, including "54-46 That's My Number", "Struggle" (another scorcher expressing Toot's unbowed defiance) , "Do the Reggay", and "Night & Day". Sound quality is not all it could be on some tracks (the whole album was dubbed from 45s) , but the music - unrestrained, soulful Baptist vocals over Stax-tight, chugging rhythms - is beyond criticism. The Esoldun set covers the same period, but has better sound quality and manages to include worthwhile tracks not in the Attack collection, such as "Pressure Drop", "Bla Bla Bla" and the skinhead favourite, "Monkey Man". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jackie Mittoo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Tribute To Jackie Mittoo (Heartbeat US) . Superb 31-track compilation that collects various singles and unreleased performances and presents them in a satisfying overview of Mittoo's talents: the organist excels, whether vamping over an already familiar Brentford Road rhythm like "Nany Goat" or "Fattie Fattie", or delivering Memphis/New Orleans influenced funk workouts such as "Hot Tamale" or "Memphis Groove". The crack session bands involved range from the Soul Brotherss through the Soul Vendors to the Sound Dimension. (Vinyl only) Macka Fat (Studio One, JA) . Jackie Mittoo's importance to Jamaican music cannot be overstated - both as a virtuoso keyboards player and the arranger on countless sessions. Of all the Mittoo albums issued at the time, this is the most consistent, employing the same formula found on equally successful sets by hornsmen Roland Alphonso and Cedric Brooks: a selection of classic Studio One rhythms (plus a couple of originals) , over which the featured musician makes his statements. Some of Dodd's strongest early reggae tracks are featured - including several from the Heptones, Burning Spear's "This Population", Alton Ellis's "Live & Learn" and Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me" - and Mittoo's playing is inspired throughout. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- U. Roy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Super Boss (Esoldun, France) . Comprising all of the Originator's known work for Treasure Isle, including both the Version Galore and U. Roy (aka Words Of Wisdom ) LPs, plus the 45s that never made it onto album - such as the much sought after "Merry Go Round" (a cut of Errol Dunkley's "Where Must I Go") . His debut album has always been considered a benchmark, and 25 years later still sounds remarkably fresh - not least because of the rocksteady classics U. Roy was given to work with, as well as his own deftness of touch. No deejay before had 'ridden' a rhythm in quite the way Mr Beckford did - or so totally dominated proceedings. The eponymous second album was its equal in terms of the rhythms and U. Roy's inspired jive talk, but was slightly let down by the remixes given the original singles. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- VARIOUS ARTISTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Monkey Business (Trojan, UK) . Pretty near to a definitive compilation of the sort of reggae that appealed to skinheads of the early 1970s. Everything here has stood the test of time: from Desmond Dekker's rocksteady classic "007", through the more characteristic instrumentals of a couple of years later, such as the Harry J All Stars' "Liquidator", the Upsetters' "Return of Django" and Dave & Ansell Collins's "Double Barrel", to wonderfully vibrant vocals like the Pioneers' "Long Shot (Kick De Bucket) ", and Eric Donaldson's 1971 Festival Song winner, "Cherry Oh Baby". (CD / Vinyl) The Harder They Come (Island, UK) . The soundtrack to the most popular film ever made in Jamaica, and the album that - along with the Wailers' Catch A Fire - turned white middle-class kids on to reggae. Jimmy Cliff was the star of Perry Henzell's movie, and is well represented with the title track, "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "Sitting In Limbo" and the sublime "Many Rivers To Cross". Just as much of a revelation to an audience previously hostile to the music were the Melodians' haunting "Rivers Of Babylon", the Maytals' gospel hot "Pressure Drop" and "Sweet & Dandy", and the deejay Scotty's "Draw Your Brakes". (Vinyl only) Money Maker (Coxsone, JA) . One of the best Studio One album jackets, and one of the few compilations from that quarter that has been put together with some consistency of mood in mind. The emphasis is on serious instrumentals, with five from Im & David (Cedric Brooks & David Madden) , three from Jackie Mittoo and one rather mysteriously credited to the Boss (maybe the gentleman who introduces it. (Vinyl only) Jamaica's Greatest (Melodisc, UK) . Prince Buster is so associated with ska - and to a lesser extent, rocksteady - that his productions from the early 1970s have been ridiculously under-rated by most writers on reggae. It was not his most prolific period, but - as this collection makes clear - he was still responsible for some outstanding records. The accent is on well-crafted love ballads over crisp rhythms, performed by some of the music's all-time great singers: Dennis Brown, the Heptones, John Holt and Alton Ellis. Try Alton Ellis's "Good, Good Loving", which matches any of the singer's Treasure Isle or Studio One classics, or the Heptones' sublime version of Ruby & the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come". (Vinyl only) The Best Of Dennis Brown (Joe Gibbs, JA) . Not a collection of hits as might be expected, but simply his fourth album, and first for Joe Gibbs, with whom he was to have a very long and rewarding relationship. A non-original - Al Wilson's soul hit, "Poor Side Of Town" -stands out, and the influence of US producer Willie Mitchell is all over the rhythm employed for the Niney-produced "Westbound Train". Arguably still his most accomplished set - and one to be checked by all fans of the first African Dub album, several of the rhythm tracks of which originally appeared here. CD Lloyd Daley's Matador Productions, 1968-1972 (Heartbeat, US) . Lloyd 'Matador' Daley productions CD From Matador's Arena: Volume One (1968-1969) ; Lloyd 'Matador' Daley productions CD From Matador's Arena: Volume Two (1969-1970) ; Lloyd 'Matador' Daley productions CD From Matador's Arena: Volume Three (1971-1979) (all Jamaican Gold, Holland) . Lloyd 'Matador' Daley productions Lloyd 'Matador' Daley was ignored by European and US record companies for a couple of decades, but in the 1990s Heartbeat and Jamaican Gold have released well-packaged and annotated sets, with the former concentrating on the Matador's biggest hits, and the latter a larger cross-section of his work. Those with a more casual interest in Daley should go for the Heartbeat set, but they'll be missing what is arguably the Matador's greatest production of them all - the Uniques' "Secretly" (on Volume One) . Curiously, none of the four sets includes "Righteous Man", Little Roy's most sought after tune (recorded with the Heptones and released under his real name, Earl Lowe) . That grouse aside, all four CDs belong on any serious reggae collection, and superbly demonstrate how Jamaica's musical heritage should be presented. (Vinyl only) Fatty Fatty (1967-1970) (Trojan, UK) . Clancy Eccles productions Clancy Eccles has yet to receive the credit that is his due. As demonstrated by this sixteen-track compilation, his productions were the equal of anyone's. Besides the title track from the man himself, there is his very first production (and hit) , Monty Morris's "Say What You're Saying", its inventive deejay version, "CN Express", the glorious instrumental "Mr. Midnight", one of Cynthia Richards's best vocals in "Foolish Fool", King Stitt with an early anthem to Jamaica's most popular natural resource, "Herbsman Shuffle", and the ground-breaking proto-dub version of the latter ie CN Express? - the Dynamites' "Phantom". Wonderful stuff. CD Clancy Eccles Presents His Reggae Revue (Heartbeat, US) . At first glance this might seem to duplicate a couple of tracks from the above selection, but these are alternate takes of Larry Marshall's "Please Stay" and Eric Morris's "My Lonely Days". Then there are killers like Alton Ellis's "Feeling Inside" (aka "True Loving") , arguably the best record with which Eccles was ever associated, and more obscure tracks that deserve to be far better known, such as a previously unreleased 'sound clash' stormer from Eccles himself, "Don't Brag, Don't Boast". Add to those an early taste (circa 1972) of Beres Hammond's phenomenal talent. CD Rocksteadyin' To Reggae - Early Years Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Rocky One, JA) . For those wanting to dig a little deeper into the seminal music that appeared on Joe Gibbs's labels in the late 1960s/early 1970s, the man's son has put together three CDs worth. With sixteen tracks on each, there are plenty of gems - and not just the obvious ones. For instance, Dennis Brown's original cut of "Money In My Pocket" is followed with Big Youth's commentary, "Ah So We Stay". And then there are killers of the order of the Versatiles' "Wareika Hill", Stranger & Gladdy's "Seeing Is Knowing" and "Just Like A River", and Hugh Malcolm's "Good Time Rock". The only grouse is the lack of informative sleeve notes. (Vinyl only) Blockbuster Reggae Instrumentals (Crystal, JA) . This repeats a couple of tracks from the Fistful Of Dollars album, but adds plenty of further instrumentals of note, such as "Bells of Death" from Augustus Pablo, the much sought after melodica versions of Harriott's "The Loser". (Vinyl only) The King Kong Compilation (Island, UK) . Leslie Kong productions (Vinyl only) The Best of Beverley's (Trojan, UK) . Leslie Kong productions Leslie Kong's contribution to ska, rocksteady and reggae from 1968 to his death in 1971 is incalculable, and a multi CD set of his most important recordings is needed. These 1981 compilations, both of which concentrate on the early reggae years, will do in the meantime. Contributions from the Melodians, the Wailers, Desmond Dekker, the Maytals and the Pioneers will be familiar to anyone with even a casual interest in Jamaican music, but just as worthwhile are gems from the Gaylads, Delroy Wilson, Tyrone Evans, the criminally under-rated Bruce Ruffin, Ken Boothe and the organist Ansell Collins. Totally different selections on the two sets make both unmissable. (Vinyl only) Pure Gold (Success, UK) . A marvellous collection of instrumentals from the Rupie Edwards All Stars, who included - at one time or another - Tommy McCook, Winston Wright, Ansell Collins and Vin Gordon. Tracks such as "West Of Parade", "Bubbling Horn", "East of Africa" and "Magnificent Seven" have an incredibly bright, clean sound that never slips into blandness. One of the most delightful instrumental reggae sets ever to surface. (CD / Vinyl) The Return of the Liquidator: 30 Skinhead Classics 1968-1970 (Trojan, UK) . Harry Johnson productions A double CD set that brings together the original Liquidator album of instrumentals and another eighteen Harry J-produced 45s from the same era, including two more cuts of his international hit, Tony Scott's vocal, "What Am I To Do", and Val Bennett's tenor sax version, "Tons Of Gold" (aka "Return of the Liquidator") . Other rhythms from the 1970 set that reappear on the second disc: "The Big Three" ("Marcia Griffiths's "Put A Little Love In Your Heart") , "Jay Moon Walk" (Dave Barker & Glen Brown's "Festive Spirit") and "Reach For the Sky " and "Elcong" (Bob Andy's "Peace Of Mind" and "Weep") . Karl Bryan's alto sax cut of Lloyd Robinson's "Cuss Cuss" is a further highlight, and then there are the Cables' "Equal Rights" and its deejay version, "Cambodia" by the Blake Boy (aka Winston Blake) . (Vinyl only) My Voice Is Insured for Half A Million Dollars (Trojan, UK) . A retrospective collection that appeared as part of Trojan's major reissue programme in the late 1980s. It's probably the best place for the newcomer to Alcapone's work to start, simply because it draws from a number of different producers. "Rocking To Ethiopia" (his cut of the Ethiopians' "Selah" classic) is worth the price of the album, and the same can be said about "Mava" (Augustus Pablo's "Java") , "Jungle Of Crime" (Alton Ellis's "Big Bad Boy") , the title track (the Techniques' "Queen Majesty") , or practically any of the other nine tracks from the deejay's peak in the early 1970s. (CD / Vinyl) The Upsetter Collection (Trojan, UK) . The first side covers the early - and now more dated-sounding - instrumentals, and the second, the slower, 'dreader' records that followed. The Gatherers' "Words Of My Mouth" is to many fans the greatest Scratch production ever, but also brilliantly haunting and ahead of their time are "Cow Thief Skank" by the deejay Charlie Ace, "Better Days" by the Carltons (aka Carton & his Shoes) , and the man's own "Black Ipa". It should have been a multi-disc set, of course, but flawless as far as it goes. (Vinyl only) Blood & Fire (Trojan, UK) . Winston 'Niney' Holness productions An apposite title for a collection of the Jamaican hits that established Mr Holness's appropriately named Observer and Destroyer labels in the early 1970s, and pretty much defined the 'rebel music' phase of reggae. The title track is perhaps his supreme statement on record, and it is understandable why some Jamaicans felt uneasy about the new developments in the music. Besides another three further chapters to "Blood & Fire", there are further voicings from Niney himself, Max Romeo, and even the well-established Delroy Wilson to give appropriate expression to a dread time. (CD / Vinyl) Rebel Music (Trojan, UK) . This double album remains the most comprehensive compilation of singles exemplifying the 'rebel music' phase. Do not be put of by the truly naff cover: this is music that is innovative, daring, quirky and certainly committed to expressing the tribulations and dignity of the Jamaican majority. Gregory Isaacs, Horace Andy, Big Youth, Dennis Brown, I. Roy and many more singers, deejays and musicians demonstrate why to some fans it was all downhill after 1974. (Vinyl only) Studio Kinda Cloudy (Trojan, UK) . Keith Hudson productions The definitive collection of Hudson singles, omitting only the most obscure. Ken Boothe's "Old Fashion Way" must have been one of the most advanced records of 1968 when it launched his Inbidimts label and topped the Jamaican charts. Here it is joined by both the equally exciting Dennis Alcapone and U. Roy versions (the latter with a different bass line and extra sax) . Among the other gems are the instrumental "Riot", the U. Roy cut to the latter eh? what latter?, "The Hudson Affair", Alton Ellis's "Big Bad Boy" (as well as the trombone version, "Evil Spirit") , and Horace Andy's "Don't Think About Me" (with deejay versions from both Dino Perkins and Jah Woosh) . Anyone not convinced of the late Mr Hudson's genius should start here. (Vinyl only) Let Me Tell You Boy (Trojan, UK) . Harry Mudie productions Any single-disc compilation for a producer of Harry Mudie's stature will inevitably omit some favourite tracks; but there can be little complaint about the selection of vocals and instrumentals collected here. John Holt's "It May Sound Silly" should help broaden the mind of anyone who thinks that strings and reggae are incompatible, and major hits like Slim Smith's "Give Me Some More Loving", Winston Shands's "Time is the Master" and Dennis Walk's much versioned "Drifter" similarly combine outstanding material, strong rhythms, and flawless performances. Some of the most unformulaic reggae ever. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wailing Souls ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) The Wailing Souls (Studio One, JA) . (Vinyl only) Soul & Power (Studio One, US) . The Wailing Souls' lead singer, Winston 'Pipe' Mathews, has been compared with Marley (a fellow pupil of Joe Higgs) , but he is no copyist and his songwriting skills are certainly his own, while belonging to the same 'country' school as Justion Hinds and the Gladiators' Albert Griffiths. To complete the package, the group's harmonies have always been immaculate, and among the most heartfelt in reggae. The first eponymous album has the slight edge, but the second - released some eight years later - is much more than a collection of rejects. Particularly interesting are the original cuts of three songs that the group also recorded elsewhere - "You Should Have Known" ("Back Biter") , the title track ("Feel the Spirit") and "Rock But Don't Fall" ("Walk the Chalk Line") . ---------------------------------------------- ROOTS REGGAE : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Abbysinians ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Satta Massagana (Heartbeat, US). This release presents their stunning debut album in digital clarity, and adds another four tracks that equal the original ten in quality. Even the reworkings of the roots anthems "Satta Massa Gana", "Declaration of Rights" and "Yim Mas Gan" are worthwhile, and fit in perfectly with marvellous fresh material like "Good Lord", "I & I" and "African Race". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horace Andy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD/Vinyl In the Light/In the Light Dub (Blood & Fire, UK). Complementary vocal and dub sets originally released on Everton DaSilva's Hungry Town label, and much sought after by collectors before being brought together for this handy double LP/single CD. Even a recut of "Fever" stands comparison with the original, while the title track, "Problems" (not the lyric he recorded for Santic) and "Government Land" are simply awesome. Prince Jammy's deconstruction of the vocal set confirms the heavyweight nature of the original rhythm tracks, as well as bringing out some even 'dreader' textures. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Black Uhuru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Showcase (Taxi, JA; Heartbeat, US). Their promotion to the premier league came when the group replaced Errol Nelson with the visually arresting, American-born Puma Jones, and starting to record and tour with Sly & Robbie. This 1979 'showcase' album (vocals followed by dubs) brought together five of their initial hit 45s - including the mighty "General Penitentiary" - and added a couple of fresh tracks calculated to have a similar impact. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis Brown ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Visions (Joe Gibbs Record Globe, JA). One of the Crown Prince of Reggae's most compelling albums, and the one that helped establish his and producer Joe Gibbs's dominant position in late 1970s reggae. The voice of the still very youthful veteran was amazingly assured, his performances achingly felt. Add a thoughtful selection of material, Jamaica's leading session musicians on top form, and the prowess of Errol Thompson at the controls, and the result was a hit album in a field that was (and still is) run by the humbler 45. Sales were further helped by the fact that some of the best tracks - "Malcolm X", "Deliverance Will Come", "Concrete Castle King" - were never released as singles, though they were played by sound systems as if they were. "Stay At Home", incidentally, is better known as "Ghetto Girl", an incredibly popular 45 that's been a 'revive' favourite ever since. CD Some Like It Hot (Greatest Hits Volume 1) (Heartbeat, US). CD Open The Gate (Greatest Hits Volume 2) (Heartbeat, US). Having established his reputation as a remarkably mature teenager at Studio One, Dennis Brown confirmed that he had the talent to last with a series of brilliant 45s for a wide range of producers. Niney was the one with whom he enjoyed the most consistent run of successes, perhaps because he was only two years the singer's senior. Their first album together, Just Dennis (1975) was essentially a collection of hits - "Cassandra", "Westbound Train", 'No More Will I Roam,' "Conqueror", etc - alongside a few previously unreleased tracks of the same calibre. The most convenient way of acquiring nearly all of the singer's work for Niney, however, is to pick up the two Heartbeat CDs, which include several tracks not previously available on album. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Burning Spear ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Marcus Garvey (Fox, JA; Island, UK). Winston Rodney's first set for Ruby was also one of the first reggae albums after Bob Marley's Catch A Fire and Burnin' to work as a unified creation, and it made an impression on trend-conscious rock fans beginning to suspect that there was more to reggae than the charismatic Marley. Even in the remixed form of its UK release by Island, it was an amazing document, both musically and in the vision expressed. (CD / Vinyl) Social Living [Marcus's Children] (Burning Spear, JA; Blood & Fire, UK). First released in 1978, this remains the most fully accomplished Spear set after Marcus Garvey. From the pain-racked opening, "Marcus Children Suffer", through similarly dread-serious tracks such as "Marcus Say Jah No Dead" and "Institution", there is no doubting the total integrity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Johnnie Clarke ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Don't Trouble Trouble (Attack, UK). Johnnie Clarke cut virtually all his most interesting music for Bunny Lee, so there's no shortage of tracks from that quarter, many of which are still available on LP or CD. This set was compiled retrospectively, and so has certain advantages over those from the time. "Cold I Up" (aka its Jamaican title, "The Ruler") and the title track both exemplify what most roots fans appreciate about his records: a militant rhythm, and Mr Clarke intoning upon a suitably righteous theme. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Congos ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Heart of the Congos (Blood & Fire, UK). The most completely successful of all the albums recorded at the Black Ark, and not simply because Perry had perfected his use of the studio he was soon to destroy. The sound is breathtaking, but of equal importance are the vocal talents with whom he was working. The interplay between Cedric Myton's falsetto and Roydel Johnson's tenor would have been enough under most circumstances, but Scratch also chose to utilise comparable talents for the backing vocals - Barry Llewlyn and Barry Morgan from the Heptones, Watty Burnett, Gregory Isaacs and the Meditations. This is thus one of the prime examples of Jamaican vocal technique, and the CD is even more essential for including another disc's worth of dub and 12" versions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Count Ossie & the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Grounation (MRR, JA; Ashanti, UK). The first triple LP (now a double CD) set to be cut in Jamaica, and a project that must have seemed very uncommercial at the time. Presumably it only happened because of the higher profile given Rastafarianism after Island's signing of the Wailers. The orations from Brother Samuel Clayton might wear a bit thin after a couple of plays, but do place the music in its context; the Rasta chants, drumming, a couple of songs that sound akin to British folk airs, and the jazz-based instrumental workouts bear any number of hearings. Music marked with integrity that should be heard by anyone interested in Jamaican culture, percussion or the roots of roots music. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Culture ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Two Sevens Clash (Joe Gibbs Record Globe, JA; Lightning, UK). The time for Culture would have come anyway - it was always unfair to dismiss Joseph Hill as a mere Burning Spear copyist - but the Mighty Two's production style hurried it on, and ensured the trio was heard by a far wider audience. Hit singles like the title track, the even stronger "I Am Not Ashamed" and "See Them A Come" are included, and the rest of the selection easily competes for attention. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Mighty Diamonds ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) When the Right Time Come/I Need A Roof (Well Charge, JA; Virgin, UK; Channel One, US). The breakthrough for Channel One came with a staggering series of 45s from the Mighty Diamonds. The trio's debut album then more than lived up to expectations, with the previously unreleased tracks matching successful 45s like "Right Time", "Have Mercy" and "Africa". The combination of the Revolutionaries' updates of classic Studio One rhythms and the trio's immaculate harmonies more or less defined the 'rockers' phase that ruled the music for the next couple of years. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doctor Alimantado ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Best Dressed Chicken In Town (Greensleeves, UK; RAS, US). Doctor Alimantado sold to UK punks after being lauded by the likes of Johnny Rotten, and failed to deliver much after that. But for the preceding three-year period (1973-76) , the 'Ital Doctor' could do no wrong. His even earlier 45s had hardly prepared anyone for self-produced classics like "Poison Flour", the completely over-the top "Best Dressed Chicken In Town" (engineered by Scratch) , or the dread defiance of "I Killed the Barber". Sporting a strikingly dread cover photograph taken in downtown Kingston by Dave Hendley, this compilation collects the best examples of this work, and still stands as one of the most original deejay albums ever. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gladiators ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Trenchtown Mix-up (Virgin, UK). It's impossible to recommend too highly the Prince Tony Robinson production that was the Gladiators' debut album (though recorded after most of their Studio One set). The local hits "Know Yourself Mankind" and "Eli Eli", are the equal of anything that had preceded them, and the mixture of originals and new interpretations of their old material (as well as a couple of Marley hits) updated their rural style to marvellous advantage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Higgs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Life Of Contradiction (Micron, JA; Esoldun, FR). When this was released at the height of the 'flying cymbals' phase, in 1975, its jazz-influenced rhythms were far from fashionable. Not that the musicianship from Earl 'Wire' Lindo (piano) , Val Douglas (drums) , Mikey Chung (lead guitar) , and US guest Eric Gayle (rhythm guitar) was not impeccable, or failed the purposes of the very distinctive Joe Higgs. The new versions of "There's A Reward", "I Am the Song" (retitled "Song My Enemy Sings") and "Change of Plan" ("Come On Home") were significantly restyled, and possibly improved on the originals. More than anything, this album was a showcase for the most expressive voices in Jamaican music. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Roy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Don't Check Me With No Lightweight Stuff 1972-1975 (Blood & Fire, UK). As near as it is possible to get to a definitive collection of the prolific I. Roy's mid-1970s work on a single CD. From the opening version of Tommy McCook's "Sidewalk Killer", produced by legendary sound man Ruddy Redwood, this is deejaying of the roots era at its most varied, pertinent and pithy. For prime examples of his sly humour and powers of observation, check Mr Reid's tribute to the movie "Buck & the Preacher" and his thoughts on "Sound Education", or what he has to add to classics like Augustus Pablo's "Java", Marley's "Talking Blues" or Desmond Young's "Warning". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Isaacs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Soon Forward (African Museum, JA; Virgin, UK). Gregory Isaacs' two albums for Virgin failed to bring the crossover success that was deserved, but through no fault of the music. Cool Ruler added new tracks of the highest order - most notably, "Party In the Slum" to the already proven 45s "John Public" and "Let's Dance". Soon Forward, named after the Sly & Robbie-produced hit, was even more accomplished, again bringing together recent hits and new material that was to be just as popular - including the momentous "Universal Tribulation". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel Vibration ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) The Same Song (Top Ranking, JA; Pressure Sounds, UK). The trio's stunning debut album, titled after their second hit, more than fulfilled the promise already shown, and stands as one of the most completely convincing 'cultural' artefacts of all time. The CD version has disappointing packaging, but compensates with the addition of "Crisis", previously only available as a much sought-after 12" single. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Little Roy (with Ian Rock & the Heptones) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Tafari Earth Uprising (Pressure Sounds, UK). This collects everything of consequence that Little Roy recorded for the wonderful Tafari/Earth/Uprising set-up, plus superb tracks produced by Gregory Isaacs and Scratch. Even those who have never investigated this less than high-profile roots singer are bound to be familiar with at least a couple of the rhythms - including the anthemic "Tribal War" and "Prophecy". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fred Locks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Black Star Liner (Vulcan, UK; Jahmikmusik, JA). The handful of singles Stafford Elliot made with the Lyrics in the late 1960s/early 1970s (including the original of "Sing-A-Long", recut here) hardly prepared anyone for the impact of the title track when it appeared as a single in 1975, under his new name. It became an enduring roots anthem, and was soon followed by an album that helped define the period. His voice was totally apposite to the deep roots rhythms that supported it, as well as to the serious themes of iniquity, faith and repatriation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Marley & the Wailers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Legend (Tuff Gong, JA; Island, UK/US) (CD / Vinyl) Natural Mystic (Tuff Gong, JA; Island, UK/US). The two best-selling Bob Marley albums, and deservedly so. Every set he recorded had its share of classics, but these two collections of his most popular records comprise nothing but tracks of that order. (CD / Vinyl) Songs Of Freedom (Tuff Gong, JA; Island, UK/US). A four CD/8 LP set, complete with lavishly illustrated booklet, that is unlikely ever to be superseded by any single reggae artist. Much more than 'greatest hits' compilations, it covers every period from raw ska, through beautiful rocksteady (that was never quite typical of the genre) , to the reggae classics that brought him to the world's attention. The set includes much that has not appeared on album before, as well as previously unreleased material; highlight of the latter must be the revelatory acoustic medley recorded in a Stockholm hotel room that sheds new light on Bob's creative processes. The most essential of all essential reggae sets. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacob Miller ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Who Say Jah No Dread (Greensleeves, UK). The late Jacob Miller flirted with international crossover success fronting the instrumental/vocal group Inner Circle, but few would deny that his most compelling work was under the guidance of Pablo. "Baby I Love You So" became better known through its version side, "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown", and it makes perfect sense for all six vocals (his complete oeuvre for Mr Swaby) to be followed by their King Tubby mixed versions. At the heart of the set are "False Rasta" (with Tubby himself introducing the dub) , "Who Say Jah No Dread" and "Each One Teach One", three of the most convincing expressions of the Rasta doctrine ever released by anyone. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pablo Moses ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Revolutionary Dream (Jigsaw, JA; Tropical Sound Tracs, UK). Pablo Moses is another highly original vocalist who has stuck to his chosen path of social commentary infused with spiritual values. His first album, produced by Geoffrey Chung, followed the 45s "I Man A Grasshopper", "Give I Fe I Name" and "Blood Money" (all included) , and was marked by thoughtful lyrics and Moses' cool style of delivery. In addition there were suitably imaginative horn arrangements by Tommy McCook. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Augustus Pablo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Original Rockers (Rockers International JA; Greensleeves, UK). A superb selection of most of the best early self-produced instrumentals from Pablo. The deejay Dillinger crops up on one track - the brilliant "Brace A Boy" - but other than that, it is the young Mr Swaby following in the footsteps of Jackie Mittoo, drawing a little from Don Drummond and coming up with something that was very much his own. Some of the tracks employ Studio One rhythms ("Real Rock" for the opening track, "Rockers Dub", for instance) , others are originals, and Pablo's musical vision unites everything. Anyone who has yet to join the initiated should check this immaculate album. CD Classic Rockers 2 (Mango Reggae Refreshers, UK). The version excursions are entirely dispersed with here, but that does not stop the set from fully living up to its title, with more of the man's most popular productions, including the Heptones' "Love Won't Come Easy", the Immortals "Can't Keep A Good Man Down", Horace Andy's "Rock To Sleep" and Paul Whiteman's legendary "Say So". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prince Alla ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Heaven Is My Roof (Tappa, JA). This collects all Prince Alla's most significant work for Tappa Zukie, including the glorious title track, "Bosrah", "Funeral" and "Daniel". "Gold Diver" was amazingly never released as a single, though fully the equal of those that were. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Royals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Pick Up the Pieces (Wambesi, JA; Magnum, UK). The Royals debut set collected 45s recorded over a four-year period, when Roy Cousins's job at the post office was paying for the studio time. Perhaps the easing of the usual financial pressures allowed by his regular employment was a major factor in the carefully crafted nature of the material. The title track is arguably stronger than the Studio One original (a more modern rhythm was used) , and gems like "Ghetto Man", "Sufferer Of the Ghetto" and "When You Are Wrong" are equally dignified and moving. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Twinkle Brothers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Countrymen (Virgin Frontline, UK). The cover for their debut set has the Twinkles still wearing the sort of matching costumes that they must have worn on the hotel circuit, and a couple of the tracks have echoes of this stage of their trajectory. The rest, however, are full-blooded rockers excursions, recorded at Channel One and in the strictly 'cultural' mode that was then the fashion, with "Beat Them Jah Jah", "Give Rasta Praise" and "Barabas" the most effective. (Vinyl only) Countrymen (Virgin Frontline, UK). The two Virgin sets that followed the above were even more consistent, particularly the second one, with the group's playing-for-tourists past completely exorcised. Heavyweight steppers tracks - including "Never Get Burned" and "Jah Kingdom Come" - were meant for play on sound systems and make no concessions to crossover tastes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Open the Gate (Trojan, UK). Lee Perry productions (CD / Vinyl) Build the Ark (Trojan, UK). Lee Perry productions The second and third in this series of boxed sets from Trojan in what series?? and how many CDs to each box? brings together singles that were mostly under-appreciated when they first appeared in the late 1970s. A few years later, collectors were willing to bankrupt themselves for rare copies of tracks such as Devon Irons's "Vampire", Carlton Jackson's "History" and "Watty Burnett's "Open the Gate", all included on Open the Gate. Build the Ark is a similar collection of fairly obscure but striking Black Ark productions, including Perry's own "White Belly Rat" (aimed at Max Romeo, apparently) , the Sons of Light's "Land Of Love", Junior Dread's seriously off-the-wall "A Wah Dat" and Danny Hensworth's "Mr Money Man". Scratch did make his share of weak records in this period, but this selection goes for the heady peaks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Observation Station ( Heartbeat, US). Winston 'Niney' Holness productions Covering a five-year span in the producer's career, this set demonstrates how Niney was able consistently to develop his hard-edged approach into a fully developed roots mode. The music here is all from the producer's original tapes, and exceptional tracks like Junior Byles's "Weeping", the monumental discomix cut of Tyrone Taylor's "Sufferation", and Michael Rose's first cut of "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" have never sounded better. Also present are premier-league singers like Delroy Wilson, Slim Smith, Ken Boothe and Gregory Isaacs, as well as the relatively little-known Glassford 'Porti' Manning - lead singer of the similarly obscure harmony trio the Jewels - whose "Prophecy Call" has become something of a cult in the UK. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) If Deejay Was Your Trade (Blood & Fire, UK). Bunny Lee productions Not all the deejay versions of Bunny Lee's rhythms were of the very highest standard - an inevitable result of Striker's rush-them-out policy - but this sixteen-track compilation collects the best. I. Roy's "War & Friction", a version of Vivian Jackson's "Death Trap" instrumental, was the track most sought after by collectors, though Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo, the under-rated Jah Stitch, both Big Joe and Little Joe, Dr Alimantado, Tappa Zukie and Prince Far I are all represented by fine efforts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bunny Wailer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Blackheart Man (Solomonic, JA; Island, UK). The international record companies that became involved with reggae during the 1970s made plenty of mistakes, but were also responsible for a handful of classic albums that otherwise would probably not have taken quite the form they did. Bunny Wailer's debut set, which originally appeared in both the UK and Jamaica with a gatefold sleeve, is a case in point. This was a reggae album on which considerable time and thought had obviously been spent, and was aimed far beyond the dancehall. The effort was more than justified by the strongest songs Bunny was ever to write - including "Fighting Against Conviction" (aka "Battering Down Sentence") , "Bide Up" and "Dreamland" - and the most considered treatments imaginable. Sublime music. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wailing Souls ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Wild Suspense (Massive, JA; Mango Reggae Refreshers, UK). The self-produced second album from the Wailing Souls was not released until seven years after their Studio One debut, some eleven since their first 45. But Wild Suspense was a triumph that easily equalled standards previously set. In fact, both their harmonies and songs sounded unaltered - the difference came from hearing them over what were then state-of-the-art rhythms from the Revolutionaries. Three tracks - "Bredda Gravilicious", "Feel the Spirit" and "Very Well" - had already appeared as 45s (the last on Channel One, where all the recordings took place) and defined the tone of a set that can be compared with the Royals' Pick Up the Pieces, the Abbysinians' Forward On To Zion and the Mighty Diamonds' Right Time. Roots harmonies par excellence, and the CD adds dubs to seven tracks. (Vinyl only) Everyday Skank: the Best of Big Youth (Trojan, UK). Mixing self-produced hits with some of his best for other producers, Everyday Skank stands as a brilliantly compiled collection. The variety of prediction styles covered makes it the place for the newcomer to start ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sylford Walker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Lamb's Bread (Greensleeves, UK). The only album by Sylford Walker that has ever been available, and one released about a decade after the event. "Lambs Bread" itself was one of the last of the producer's 45s to make any sort of impact, and all the tracks depend on the more apocalyptic style of rhythm he favoured in the mid/late 1970s. None was a major hit, but each is a minor masterpiece - and three come complete with their Tubby-mixed dub versions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delroy Wilson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Sarge (LTD, JA; Charmers, UK). Anyone who harbours doubts about reggae's reliance on the version (as opposed to the constant pursuit of 'originality') , should listen to Delroy Wilson's most accomplished post-Studio One set. There might not be one original song here, but with enough of the singer's incomparable vocal style, as well as Lloyd Charmer's under-valued production skills, to make even the much version "My Conversation" seem fresh. Some of the original sources might seem unlikely - Jerry Lee Lewis's "Green Green Grass Of Home", Paul Simon's "My Cecelia", Tom Paxton's "Too Late For the Learning" - but the approach works beautifully (someone knew good songs when they heard them). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yabby You ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Conquering Lion (Vivian Jackson, JA). Essentially the Jamaican press of the UK debut set, Ram A Dam, but with "Defend Thy Enemies" taking the place of the much weaker "Beyond the Hills". If the Old Testament themes of tracks like "Conquering Lion", "Run Come Rally" and "Jah Vengeance" were soon to sound tired in lesser hands, both the musical freshness and Jackson's own palpable sincerity make them still sound some of the most inspired and inspiring cultural tunes. An album that helped define roots music, with every track a classic of the genre. ---------------------------------------------- DUB : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Glen Brown productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Glen Brown & King Tubby - Termination Dub (1973-79) (Blood & Fire, UK). A previously unreleased dub of the "Dirty Harry" horns classic represents 1973, while the rest of the set concentrates on the last half of the decade, when Glen Brown's South East Music label was associated with particular heavy roots material such as "Lambs Bread", "Cleanliness Is Godliness" and "Away With the Bad". The Tubby-mixed dubs to the same are even more amazing versions of the deadly rhythms, and go a long way to explaining why both producer and engineer have become legends. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herman Chin Loy productions and mixes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Aquarius Dub (Aquarius, JA). Another of the initial dub releases and a further link with Pablo as early cuts of both "East Of the River Nile" and "Cassava Piece"/"King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown" are included. Again, the mixing is fairly subdued, but the set makes it on the quality of the Aquarius rhythms collected together and shown to good advantage - another outstanding one is Alton Ellis's "Alton's Official Daughter", possibly Herman Chin Loy's strongest production. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clement Dodd productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Dub Store Special (Studio One, JA). The one essential Studio One dub album. This is partly because of the immaculate selection of rhythms, but also the degree to which the contributions of the musicians - tenorman Cedric 'Im' Brooks and trombonist Vin Gordon, in particular - are allowed space, making this the most musical of the series. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe Gibbs & Errol Thompson productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) African Dub All Mighty Chapters 1, 2 & 3 (Joe Gibbs Record Globe/Rocky One, JA). Three albums that decisively helped to popularize dub, the first two within the existing reggae market, and the third beyond it to disparate groups like punks and experimental rock fans. The formula was the same on all three: mainly Studio One and Treasure Isle rhythms updated by the Professionals in the 'rockers' style, and given imaginative mixes by Errol Thompson. The more obvious gimmicks - telephones ringing, toilets being flushed, the odd siren, dogs barking, etc - became more prominent as the series progressed and reached a wider audience. The perspective of time has treated all three albums well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winston 'Niney' Holness productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Dubbing With the Observer (Observer, JA; Attack, UK). The combination of King Tubby's deft touch at the mixing board and Niney's proven rhythms could hardly have failed. The dub master gets his hands on thirteen of Niney's prime tracks (ranging from Sang Hugh's dread "Rasta No Born Yah", through Dennis Brown's "Cassandra" and "No More Will I Roam" to Ken Boothe's massively popular "Silver Words") , creating a dub set that helped further establish the form when it appeared in 1975. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph 'Joe Joe' Hookim productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Vital Dub Strictly Rockers (Well Charge, JA; Virgin, UK; Well Charge, US). When the Revolutionaries became the premier studio band in Kingston, the Hookim brothers maximized the return from their popular rhythms by releasing a series of fine dub albums. The most successful was Vital Dub , which took nine out of the ten tracks from the Mighty Diamonds' Right Time/Need A Roof LP, and showed why no-one else at the time was touching the Channel One 'rockers' sound. The dub album that more than any other established Sly & Robbie's names. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keith Hudson productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Pick A Dub (Blood & Fire, UK). One of reggae's greatest innovative spirits, Keith Hudson not only produced distinctive and very strong rhythms, employing the Barrett brothers and the Soul Syndicate, but on Pick A Dub mixed what were already fairly sparse tracks down to their bare essentials, without losing any of their musical qualities. Rhythms that are original to Hudson - including Big Youth's "S.90 Skank" and Horace Andy & Earl Flute's "Don't Think About Me" - sit easily alongside his strong interpretations of the Abbysinians' roots anthems, "Satta Massa Gana" and "Declaration Of Rights". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vivian Jackson productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) King Tubby's Prophecy Of Dub (Blood & Fire, UK). The first dub set on which Tubby took apart and reassembled Yabby You's rhythms has the advantage of most of the early classics from the singer/producer, several of which were collected on the pioneering Conquering Lion album. Not unexpectedly, the rhythm for "Conquering Lion" itself crops up, alongside impressive versions of "Run Come Rally" and "Jah Vengeance", as well as the Jackson-produced Michael Rose gem, "Born Free". The CD adds two equally worthwhile dub sides of much sought after instrumentals: "Revenge" and "Death Trap". One of the handful of definitive Tubby sets. (CD / Vinyl) Dub Gone Crazy: The Evolution of Dub at King Tubby's 1975-1978 (Blood & Fire, UK). (CD / Vinyl) Dub Gone 2 Crazy: In Fine Style (1975-79) (Blood & Fire, UK). Two volumes retrospectively compiled of prime Bunny Lee material dubbed almost to oblivion. Both comprise 'version' sides from impossible-to find-45s (Wayne Jarrett's "Satta Dread" and Ronnie Davies's "Power Of Love", to mention just one exceptional track from each) , as well as previously unreleased tracks drawn from Lee's master tapes. They utilise the mixing talents of not only Tubby himself, but also of his disciples 'Prince' Philip Smart, Lloyd 'Prince Jammy' James and Hopeton 'Scientist' Brown, all working at Tubby's Dromilly Avenue studio. The best places for the newcomer to either Tubby or Striker to start. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Harry Mudie productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference Volume 1, 2 & 3 (Moodisc, JA; Moods, US). Harry Mudie combined the sweetness and the heaviness that have always been integral to Jamaican music, even on occasion successfully integrating lush string arrangements. Tubby played with both elements, mostly making obvious the sheer weight of Mudie's rhythms, but wisely maintaining snatches of strings on some tracks. All three volumes of the series rank among the most thoughtfully mixed and original dub albums ever, with the hits most associated with Mudie - Lloyd Jones' "Rome", the Ebony Sisters' "Let Me Tell You Boy", Dennis Walks' "Drifter" and the Heptones' "Love Without Feeling" - emerging all the more awesome. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Augustus Pablo productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (Yard, JA; Clocktower, US). Augustus Pablo was among the first producers to employ Tubby-mixed dub sides on his 45s, and their first album together was an instant classic. The title track, the version to Jacob Miller's "Baby I Love You So" became more popular than the vocal side, and remain many people's choice for the definitive Tubby's side. Versions to other Pablo-produced singles - Paul Whiteman's "Say So", the Heptones' "Love Won't Come Easy" and Bongo Pat's "Young Generation" - prove just as impressive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lee Perry productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Blackboard Jungle Dub (Upsetter, JA). The Blackboard Jungle set was not only one of the first dub albums but, amazingly, is Scratch's strongest to date. It is helped no end, of course, by the choice selection of early 1970s rhythms, including Junior Byles' "Fever" and "Place Called Africa", the Upsetters' "Bucky Skank", and the Wailers' "Kaya", "Dreamland" and "Keep On Moving". Equally inspired is Tubby's mix - or rather mixes, as the original stereo pressing involved one for each channel, and a third for both. Dillinger celebrates Mr. Ruddock's almost alchemical powers on "Dub Organiser", and I. Roy also pops up. A classic of the genre, and one of the half-dozen dub albums that should be in any reggae collection. (CD / Vinyl) Super Ape (Upsetter, JA; Island, UK). Before the Congos set was released, this seemed the ultimate album-length expression of Scratch's vision and technical wizardry. Fortunately the eccentricities with which Perry was to be increasingly associated were kept in check, and the result is a very disciplined, multi-textured exploration of sound. Those who dismissed it for being over-produced missed the point entirely. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winston Rodney productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Living Dub Volume One (Burning Spear, JA). (Vinyl only) Living Dub Volume Two (Burning Spear, JA). The Burning Spear vocal albums Social Living/Marcus Children and Hail H.I.M. are essential to any roots collection, and their dub versions no less so. In keeping with Mr Rodney's taste for country living, Morris allows plenty of space around instruments and voice as they fade in and out of the mix. Quite eerie, at times, particularly when Winston Rodney's disembodied voice floats across the mix. Note that the CD versions of these two albums (released by Heartbeat) are later remixes courtesy of Barry O'Hare. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various producers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Rodigan's Dub Classics - Serious Selections Volume One - Mixed by King Tubby, Prince Jammy & Scientist (Selecta, UK). A selection that is beyond reproach. No Sylvan Morris or Errol Thompson, but some of the best from the other three masters of the genre, including one of the first of Tubby's to make an impression on a significant number of record buyers, "Watergate Rock" (the version to Larry Marshall's "I Admire You") and two examples of the form at its most developed - Jammy's "Pablo In Moonlight City" (Earl Zero's second cut of "Please Officer") and Scientist's "Fall Dub" (Johnny Osbourne's "Nightfall"). ---------------------------------------------- DANCEHALL : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis Brown ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Brown Sugar (Taxi, JA). Essentially a collection of his hit 45s on the Taxi and Power House labels, as well as the singer's own Yvonne's Special (named after his wife). Dennis Brown was at the peak of his popularity, emanating total confidence, and the rhythms were the brightest and most dynamic around. Seven tracks might not appear particularly good value, but three of these have extended mixes that confirm the juggernaut power of the Taxi Gang. Includes "Revolution", "Sitting & Watching" and "Hold On To What You've Got". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Half Pint ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Money Man Skank (Jammy's, JA). Half Pint might have always relied on very similar melodies, but Prince Jammy's no-prisoners-taken approach to building rhythms ensured that interest was maintained throughout his debut set. "Mr Landlord" is perhaps the finest version of "Hypocrites" after the Wailers' original. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gregory Isaacs ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Lonely Lover (African Museum, JA; Pre, UK). The first of three albums with the Roots Radics that appeared on Gregory Isaacs's own label, two at least of which can be considered classics. The major hits included are "Tune In", "Poor & Clean" and "Happy Anniversary", and though the title suggests an entire set in a lovers' vein, half of the tracks have cultural/reality themes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barrington Levy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Collection (Greensleeves/Time One, UK). Far from the definitive overview of his prolific career, but an excellent selection of many of his most popular singles, largely for Henry 'Junjo' Lawes and Jah Screw. The selection ranges from the tunes that established him in the late 1970s, through the hits that confirmed his talent in the 1980s, on to his great triumph of the 1990s, "Too Experienced". Not a weak track, though there are many more Lawes-produced classics that still need to appear on album, including "Robber Man" and the mighty "Hammer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Freddie McGregor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Bobby Babylon (Studio One, JA; Heartbeat, US). Dodd didn't exactly rush Freddie McGregor's first set for Studio One. This most gifted of singers had recorded for the label since the mid-1960s (if his work with the Clarendonians is included) , yet this exceptional album was not released until 1980. Five of his 45s were reworked to even greater effect, and there was even a successful version of the Ethiopians' first hit, "I'm Gonna Take Over Now", while the other tracks follow the example of Sugar Minott's debut LP, with well-crafted new songs placed over classic Studio One rhythms. (CD / Vinyl) Big Ship (Thompson Sound, JA; Greensleeves, UK). The dancehall era showed that Linval Thompson was a producer of consequence, and his work with the Roots Radics is comparable with that of Henry 'Junjo' Lawes. The title track was later to be the name of McGregor's own label, which reflects how popular it was at the time. No weak tracks at all, and a good mixture of quality love songs and 'cultural' material. A pity that "Sinking Sand", his most impressive 45 for Thompson, is missing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Mighty Diamonds ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Changes (Music Works, JA). "Pass the Kouchie" was the most exciting record from the Mighty Diamonds since their mid-1970s heyday at Channel One - an inspired combination of the right rhythm (a new cut of the Studio One instrumental "Full Up") , the group's peerless harmonies and a good lyrical idea. The album opened by the hit showed that it was more than a lucky one-off, and how the trio could glitter away from Maxfield Avenue, with both original material and reworkings of rocksteady classics. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sugar Minott ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Live Loving (Studio One, JA; Heartbeat, US). Few debut albums have made such an impact as Sugar Minott's. Besides the sweetly expressive voice, which inspired the name change from the more prosaic Lincoln Minott, there was also the ability to write quality new songs over vintage rhythms. This fusion of the new and old was to become the norm of the dancehall era, but few were to accomplish it in quite such an accomplished manner. Arguably the first dancehall album, released in 1978, and certainly one of the best from any era of Jamaican music. (CD / Vinyl) Black Roots (Black Roots, JA; Mango, US). The first set from the granulated one to appear on his own label, and something of a masterpiece. Perhaps it says something about his status at the end of the 1970s, that Don Carlos, Lacksley Castell and Ashanti Waugh contribute harmonies, while the roster of musicians includes Horsemouth Wallace and Albert Malawi on drums, Bingy Bunny on guitar, Junior Dan on bass, Ansel Collins and Steely on organ, Gladstone Anderson on piano, and Zoot 'Scully' Simms on percussion. "Hard Time Pressure" and "River Jordan" were the hit singles, but the quality is consistent throughout. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Osbourne ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Truth & Rights (Studio One, JA; Heartbeat, US). Released a couple of years after Sugar Minott's Live Loving, Johnny Osbourne's only Studio One album follows much the same formula with comparable success. He was never to leave vintage Studio One rhythms completely behind, but he obviously spent a little longer on the lyrics when he was recording this, and that makes the difference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Forward (A Selection of Greensleeves Top Singles 1977-82) (Greensleeves, UK). Covering the years when roots reggae became dancehall, and Greensleeves went from being a minor player in the UK reggae marketplace to the undisputed major. It should come as no surprise that production credits for over half of the tracks are to Henry 'Junjo' Lawes, while Winston Riley and Channel One receive one apiece, and the deejays Ranking Dread and Doctor Alimantado are represented by self-productions. Not a weak track and an excellent introduction to the period and the label. CD A Dee-Jay Explosion Inna Dancehall Style (Heartbeat, US). A live dancehall session recorded in Clinton 'Jingles' Davey's renowned Skateland, featuring Gemini Disco as the sound, and the cream of 1982's chatting talent - Michigan & Smiley, Welton Irie, Sister Nancy, Eek-A-Mouse and others. Kicking off with four cuts of Gussie's "Pass the Kouchie" rhythm, before some serious Studio One dubplates, the recording captures the feel of the period where it mattered the most. (CD / Vinyl) King Jammy: A Man & His Music Volume 3 - Hits Style (RAS, US). The fifteen hits collected here cover roots (Black Uhuru's "I Love Selassie" and Hugh Mundell's "Jah Fire") and computerized ragga (Cocoa Tea's "Come Again" and Frankie Paul's "Sarah") , as well as early 1980s dancehall (Johnny Osbourne's "Water Pumping", Junior Reid's "Higgler Move" and Half Pint's "Landlord"). The spirit of dancehall is dominant (just about) , and there is not yet a better selection on CD of Mr James's early 1980s dancehall hits. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wailing Souls ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD / Vinyl) Fire House Rock (Volcano, JA; Greensleeves, UK). (CD / Vinyl) Inchpinchers (Greensleeves, UK). The veteran vocal harmony group adapted easily to the new era and recording with the Roots Radics - or perhaps the Lawes approach did not represent such a sharp break with the past as it seemed at the time. Whichever view you take, there can be no argument that the first album made by the Wailing Souls with Junjo is as flawless as either their Studio One debut or the self-produced Wild Suspense. The apocalyptic "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall" might make the greatest initial impact, but everything eventually reveals classic qualities. Winston Mathews and the boy's second album for Lawes, Inchpinchers, is very worthwhile, without quite reaching the heights of its predecessor. ---------------------------------------------- RAGGA : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buju Banton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) 'Til Shiloh (Penthouse, JA; Loose Cannon, UK). This brilliantly conceived set would rank as essential if only for two of the tracks in a reflective cultural mood: "Till I'm Laid To Rest" and the wonderous "Untold Stories" (the latter bringing to mind Marley's "Redemption Song"). As it is, nothing else falls very far short of their standard. The former single "Murderer" and a version of Garnett Silk's "Complaint" continue the 'conscious' feel, and it is obvious that great deal of time and thought was put into every aspect of the album's production. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bounty Killer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) My Xperience (VP, US). A double album by a hard-core ragga deejay might seem a daunting prospect. It is a tribute to Bounty Killer's imagination, total self assurance and ability to stay in touch with his dancehall followers' concerns (while reaching out to a wider world) that ensures the set's success. The guest appearance from compatible hip-hoppers - including Erick Sermon, Blahzay Blahzay and the Fugees - work, as do those with more predictable sparring partners like Junior Reid snd Barrington Levy A generous portion of major reggae hits is placed alongside fresh material of the same scintillating standard: deejay effulgence from start to finish. . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capleton ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Prophecy (Defjam/Ral/African Star, US). This continues the story of Capleton at African Star, with both hits and strong new tracks, along with further best sellers that appeared on Mixing Lab, Fat Eyes and Star Trail. Included are "Obstacle", "No Competition", "Don't Diss the Trinity" and two mixes each of "Wings of the Morning", "Heathen Reign" and the phenomenal "Tour". The 'nyahbingi' drumming on several of these tracks preceded its serious return with the various "Kette Drum" versions; Mr. Bailey is no mere fashion follower. Comparable with Buju Banton's 'Til Shiloh set, all 15 tracks demonstrate just how serious ragga DJs can be. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chaka Demus & Pliers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Tease Me (Mango, US / UK). Sly & Robbie (as well as guitarist Lloyd 'Gitsy' Willis) , with the innovative rhythms that took ragga another step forward, while providing the deejay and singer team with several international hits. "Murder She Wrote", "Tease Me" and the UK chart-topper "Twist & Shout" are all included, as is Pliers' solo "Bam Bam". Rock critics who hadn't heard of the pair before receiving Mango's press releases liked to snidely dismiss them as the "acceptable face of ragga", ignoring the degree to which the admittedly cheerful sound of their hits sounds as exciting at a ragga dance as pop radio. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cobra ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Merciless Bad Boy (Sinbad Production, JA; Sinbad Production, UK). The title of this Captain Sinbad produced set is only too appropriate, with the first side both warning West Kingston's gun-crazy youth and celebrating their culture. Even his response to the Gulf War takes the form of addressing Bush and Hussein as a couple of ghetto rudeboys. The second side deals just as successfully with the other ragga preoccupation, girl business. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cocoa Tea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Come Love Me (VP, US). The improvement in Cocoa Tea's lyrics was witnessed by the hits for Bobby Digital collected here: "We Do the Killing", the much versioned "Lonesome Side", "Too Much Gun Lyrics" and "Love Me Truly". There is also strong material that did not appear on singles, while things are roughed-up by two generations of rockstone deejay voices in the shape of Josie Wales and Shabba Ranks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Frazer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Big Bad Sax (Jammy's, JA; Super Power, UK). Dean Frazer's musicianship can never be faulted, and all his sets are very listenable, but here he is heard at his most exciting over Jammy's rhythms. This is the 1980s equivalent of the classic Brentford Road albums by Roland Alphonso and Cedric Brooks: a first-class sax player let loose over a selection of proven rhythms - including "Agony", "Punaany" and "Tune In". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leroy Gibbons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Four Season Lover (Jammy's, JA; Super Power, UK). All his major hits for Jammy are here, along with tracks that could have been just as successful as 45s - including a wonderful interpretation of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover's Question" and the infectious "Build Up the Vibes".. His one album for Jammy is a tour-de-force, employing some of the producer's strongest rhythms of the late 1980s, and with the new tracks bearing out the promise of the hits. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Marcia Griffiths ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Indomitable (Penthouse JA; Penthouse, US). The 1993 album that displays a talent that can accomodate the best of the old and new with assurance. While the set begins and ends with her biggest Penthouse hits - wonderful readings of Bob Andy's "Fire Burning" and Miriam Makeba's "I Shall Sing" - the tracks in between delight just as much. Several are versions of Jamaican classics, and point to her (or is it Germain's?) excellent taste. No faulting the new material, either; and Cutty Ranks joins her on the LP, while the CD adds Buju Banton, Tony Rebel and Bunny Rugs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nitty Gritty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CD) Trials & Crosses - Tribute to Nitty Gritty (VP, US). An excellent retrospective set that gives the best overview of the late Nitty Gritty's sojourn at Jammy's, with (nearly) all his hit 45s, from "Hog ina Me Minty", through "Agony" and "Good Morning Teacher", to "So Them Come, So Them Go". Curiously, his final hit with Jammy, "Letting Off Steam", is omitted, but there is no better introduction to what dancehall fever, circa 1985/6, was all about. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beres Hammond ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) A Love Affair (Penthouse JA; Penthouse, US). The set that established Beres Hammond's status as the major vocalist of the digital age. The tracks already released on 45 - including the sublime "Tempted To Touch" - had validated Donovan Germain's move in placing Jamaica's top soul stylist over dancehall rhythms. Rather than hurriedly adding a few fillers to the hits, each track obviously had time and care taken over it, with talented musicians like Mafia & Fluxy, Steely & Clevie, and the Firehouse Crew providing the rhythms, while the cream of the island's singers made guest appearances. The CD's bonus tracks then let top deejays Cobra, Cutty Ranks and Tony Rebel have their say. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lieutenant Stitchie ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Wear Yu Size [Great Ambition] (Jammy's, JA; Super Poser, UK). Surprisingly no-one has ever titled a Lieutenant Stitchie album after his early 45, "Story Time"; for it sums up what his records are all about. He is nothing if not a story teller, usually a very amusing one, with some perceptive insights into ghetto living. The humorous "Wear Yu Size" and "Broad Hips" were the major hits, but tracks like "The Wedding", "Great Ambition" and "The Visit" are just as accomplished pieces of reportage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luciano ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Where There Is Life (Island Jamaica, UK; Xterminator, JA). This Fatis Burrell produced album was obviously designed to set Luciano apart from the other new Jamaican singers similarly concentrating on real songs (as opposed to stringing together dancehall catchphrases). "It's Me Again Jah", included on the album, topped the Jamaican charts, and its relaxed, dignified feel carries over to the rest of this exceptionally well-crafted set. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Freddie McGregor ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Now (Steely & Clevie, JA). A set from 1991 that in part anticipated his Sings Jamaican Classics best sellers, with Little Roy's "Prophecy", Dobby Dobson's "Loving Pauper", the Heptones' "I Hold the Handle" and his own "Africa Here I Come" receiving excellent reworkings. Best of the new material is the bitter-sweet "Bad Boys". An indispensable Steely & Clevie album, as well as the singer's best for almost a decade. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morgan's Heritage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Protect Us Jah ( VP US). On the evidence of this cd and numerous singles over the last couple of years this five member group has what it takes to go all the way. Produced by Bobby Digital. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ninjaman ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Bounty Hunter (Blue Mountain, UK; Digital B, JA). Ninjaman's freelancing activities mean that his best work is dispersed over several albums, as well as many obscure 45s. This set, though, brings together most of his essential work for Bobby Digital, and with no weak moments. Sufficient variety is ensured by the appearances of Gregory Isaacs on three tracks ("Last of the Warning", "Cowboy Town", "Set Me Free") , and Admiral Tibet and Shabba Ranks on another ("Serious Time"). The LP that captures both producer and DJ at their peak. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frankie Paul ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Sara (Jammy's, JA; Live & :Love, UK). It was impossible to walk around certain areas of London in the summer of 1987 without repeatedly hearing Frankie Paul "Sara". In the reggae world a great single does not always mean an album of anything like the same calibre; but Paul and Jammy - with the help of Steely & Clevie - managed precisely that. The other hit, "I Know the Score", is at least as memorable and the emotive love songs, sound boy boasts and cultural commentaries that make up the rest of the album more than hold their own. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shabba Ranks ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Golden Touch (Two Friends, JA; Greensleeves, UK). Released immediately prior to his signing with Epic and stepping onto the world stage, this remains Shabba's most consistent set. Producers Mikey Bennett and Patrick Lindsay ensured variety by using top studios in London and New York, as well as Kingston; and the world's most successful ragga dropped the easy option of slackness, to show just how inventive - and good humoured - he could be. He made plenty of great records both before and after this, but something very special was captured here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Rose ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Sly & Robbie Present the Taxi Sessions (Taxi, UK). The combination of Michael Rose's gloomy warnings to the less than righteous and Sly & Robbie's rhythms (not to mention their imaginative sampling) has meant some of the most adventurous and serious music of the digital age. Their album together collects the innovative hits "Bad Boys", "One A We, Two A We", "Visit Them" and "Monkey Business", and adds six new tracks in the same ragga-dread vein. Music that simultaneously looks back and forward, and does so with consummate grace. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Garnett Silk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Gold (Charm, UK). A collection of Garnett Silk's initial hits brought together by Jet Star (the UK's main reggae distributor) that goes a long way to explaining what all the excitement was about: Jammy's "Fill Us With Your Mercy", Star Trail's "Hello Africa" (his biggest UK hit) , Germain's "Lion Heart", Bobby Digital's "The Rod", Jack Scorpio's Jamaican chart topper, "Zion in a Vision", and another five of the same calibre. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Augustus 'Gussie' Clarke productions (compilations) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Hardcore Ragga (Greensleeves, UK). A selection could not be better - Gregory's "Rumours", the J.C. Lodge and Lady G cuts, Home T, Cocoa T & Shabba Ranks' "Pirate's Anthem", Papa San & Lady G's "Twice My Age" and practically every important Gussie hit of the late 1980s. Anyone who bought them at the time will welcome hearing them in digital clarity; those who did not can look forward to discovering some of the most adventurous music ever to emerge from Jamaica. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Bobby Digital productions (compilation) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Digital B Presents Kette Drum (Digital B, JA). One of the pleasant surprises of 1995, was the return of nyahbingi drumming, a trend helped by the success of the ten or so cuts Bobby Digital put out on the "Kette Drum" rhythm. The album collects together the 45s - which include Garnett Silk's "Silk Chant" and Bounty Killer's "Seek God" - and adds fresh cuts from Prezident Brown, the dub poet Mutabaruka and Morgan's Heritage (the first on the LP, the other two on CD only). Every track works in its own right, and few rhythms of the year were more suited to the one rhythm album treatment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Dave 'Rude Boy' Kelly productions (one rhythm albums) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Pepper Seed Jam! (Mad House, UK) The 'jam' concept, initiated on record by Dave 'Rude Roy' Kelly, takes the version album to its logical conclusion. Rather than ten or twelve separate cuts placed alongside each other, the jam presents them segued together in a seamless piece of extended music - or 'megamix.' The cuts are also edited down so that 26 of the most infectious rhythm of 1994, "Pepper Seed", appear here. (Vinyl / CD) Arabian Jam (Mad House, JA; Mad House, UK). The second, equally impressive, megamix album released on Mad House brings together the label's next couple of dancehall throbbers, "Hearbeat" and "Arab Attack", with more than 30 tracks. The cast is much the same as before - Terror Fabulous, Beenie Man, Spragga Benz, Louie Culture, etc. - though with Buju Banton's "The Only Man" inexplicably missing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - King Jammy productions (compilations). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) King Jammy: A Man and His Music Volume 2 - Computer Style (RAS, US). Several boxed sets would be necessary to give anything like a full picture of Lloyd James's role in ragga, but this - part of a three-volume series - at least gives some idea. Seminal hits such as Wayne Smith's "Under Me Sleng Teng", Chuck Turner's "Tears", Lieutenant Stitchie's "Wear Yu Size" and Leroy Gibbons's "This Magic Moment" are the equal of reggae classics of any period. An invaluable introduction to the work of a master. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - King Tubby productions (compilations) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) King Tubby Presents Soundclash Dubplate Style (Taurus, JA/UK). King Tubby was responsible for hundreds of 'dub plates' - that is, tracks pressed as 10" acetates for exclusive play by sound systems. It is this ammunition for 'sound clashes' that is celebrated here, with all the tracks featuring an amusing intros by Alty 'Fuzzy Jones' Salmon (who found fame doing just this) and then the singer extolling his sound. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Sky High productions (compilations). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Sky High & Mau Mau Present Marcus Garvey Chant (Sky High, JA). The cover was obviously a rush job, but the music contained therein is far more interesting: modern cultural singers Yammie Bolo, Half Pint and the late Garnett Silk, along with the conscious deejays Tony Rebel and Ricky Chaplin. What makes the set particularly essential is the first side, taken up by three versions of Jackie Mittoo's "Drum Song" classic, and including the voice of Marcus Garvey from half a century before: one of the most atmospheric twenty minutes in reggae. . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Steely & Clevie productions (compilations) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Steely & Clevie Play Studio One Vintage (Steely & Clevie, JA; Heartbeat, US). Rather than have performers voice new lyrics over modern reworkings of Studio One rhythms, Steely & Clevie bought in the original artists to again sing the original songs. The result is exemplary, mainly because of the degree of enthusiasm that the process obviously involved. Dawn Penn's "You Don't Love Me" was the crossover hit, but everyone - including Alton Ellis, Leroy Sibbles and the Cables- deserved similar success. ---------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL REGGAE : Essential recordings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horace Andy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Dance Hall Style (Wackie's, US). The Wackie's approach proved particularly suited to Horace Andy's very individual vocal style. Given that he played a major role in the building of the rhythms - playing bass, and both rhythm and lead guitar - it is perhaps not too surprising that his fragile but moving voice has few better contexts in which to express itself. Even the re-recordings of old favourites - his own "Money Money" and "Lonely Woman", as well as Lloyd Robinson's "Cuss Cuss" - manage to sound inspired, and the fresh material is their equal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aswad ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) New Chapter (CBS, UK). Their first album for CBS, which appeared in 1982, not only confirmed their solid roots credentials, but displayed the ease with which they could tackle virtually any facet of reggae, with the rhythms ranging from steppers knees-ups to lovers rock, and touching most of the points in between. Full of some of their most memorable melodies, inspired horn arrangements and melliferous vocals. "Love Fire" had the rhythm that Jamaican producers were to seize upon a few years later, but no one track dominates their most consistent set. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barry Boom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) The Living Boom (Fine Style, UK). Three massively popular singles in the reggae market - "Number One Girl", "Making Love" and "Hurry Over" - demonstrated that Barry Boom belonged to the same class of effortless serenador as the man he helped to international stardom, Maxi Priest. His debut album is built around the three best selling 45s, but with other tracks of the same immaculate, soulful standard. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janet-Lee Davis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Missing You (Fashion, UK). One of those debut sets that just radiate freshness, marvellous vocal technique and feeling, ensuring the singer's reputation in the unlikely event of her never making another record. A wonderful chance to catch up on all her major reggae hits, including the sublime title track and "Do You Remember". It seems incredible that such truly beautiful, superbly crafted music should still be so underground. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Levy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Wickedness Increase (Ffrr, UK). General Levy's 1993 debut set for Fashion, The Wickeder General , was a landmark in the development of post Shabba/Buju deejaying in the UK. The ground-breaking hits, "Heat", "Breeze" and "The Wig" were all included, alongside previously unreleased tracks that confirmed the arrival of a major talent. Wickedness Increase was essentially the same set, but with a new sleeve, and the addition of further gems. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Hunningale ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CD Reggae Max (Jet Star, UK). For those just discovering the talent of Mr. Hunningale, the Jet Star collection presents the easiest way of catching up with no less that 20 of his most successful singles, all of which sold incredibly well in the UK reggae market, while being ignored by music journalists who like to feel they have their finger on the pulse. It is hard not to suspect that he would be held in higher critical esteem if only possessing the exotic appeal of having his records pressed in incredibly small quantities in Kingston. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Janet Kay ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) The Ultimate Collection (Arawak, UK). An album that fully deserves its name, bringing together the queen of lovers rock's most memorable hits for not only Arawak itself, but D-Roy, Lloyd Charmers, Black Roots, Fergus Jones and Clem Bushay. The crossover hit, "Silly Games", sublime as it is, remains only part of the story. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Macka B ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Sign Of the Times (Ariwa, UK). Released in 1986, this was the impressive debut set from Macka B, and several tracks - including "Invasion" - remain among the strongest of his always interesting career. His lyrics (as well as delivery) alerted the world to a talent who stood out as a little special in any company. The Mad Professor's rootsy rhythms and mixing have been the perfect complement to his intelligent, pertinent chat,. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leroy Mafia ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Finders Keepers (Mafia & Fluxy, UK). The bass-playing half of the UK's top rhythm section steps forward to show he can handle the vocal department with just as much assurance. In accordance with his background in the Instigators, the approach is UK lovers rock of the type (and standard) with which the North London band were synonymous. The title track, "You Are the One For Me", "Can't Get Enough" and "There She Goes Again" were enormous hits in the reggae market, and the rest easily come up to their polished standard. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maxi Priest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Bonafide (Ten, UK; RAS, US). This appeared at about the same time as his first entry into the UK pop charts, 1990, and with world-wide acceptance just around the corner (the soul track, "How Can We Ease the Pain", was his initial US hit). Again he covered all aspects of contemporary reggae, from roots to the most romantic of ballads, and recording sessions took place in London and Kingston, using both reggae capitals' most distinguished musicians. Includes the popular "Close To You".. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shinehead ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl only) Rough & Rugged (African Love, US). (Vinyl / CD) Troddin' (Elektra, US). Shinehead's inspired debut album has strong claims for marking the point where Brooklyn reggae came of age. It had been preceded by a remarkable 12" 45, "Billy Jean"/"Mama Used To Say", which welded the Michael Jackson/Junior Giscombe songs onto an update of an obscure Studio One rhythm. The other rhythms on the album came from a variety of sources, and were incredibly well selected (from "The Lecture" to "Under Me Sleng Teng"); even more attention grabbing were Shinehead's own (very varied) performances, ranging from the latest deejay styles to tender soul balladeering. His output afterwards was variable, but Troddin' came nearest to recapturing the first set's excitement, even if having to revisit the "Billy Jean" rhythm (twice) to do so. A cracking version of Dave Kelly's then hot "Pepper Seed" showed that he was still in touch with the latest dancehall developments,. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steel Pulse ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Handsworth Revolution (Island, UK). The devastating debut album that presented was both a forceful social and musical vision, expressed with thoughtful material, exceptional heartfelt vocals and stunning musicianship. It surely said something about their confidence that three of their most exceptional tracks -"Prodigal Son". "Klu Klux Klan". and "Prediction" - were placed on the second side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top Cat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) 9 Lives Of the Cat (9 Lives, UK). (Vinyl / CD) Cat O'Nine Tales (9 Lives, UK). Top Cat's debut set, drew together his initial hits from several labels, including Fashion, Gussie P, his own Nine Lives and Saxon. Hard to find deejay records from anywhere that match tracks like "Over Yu Body" or "Request the Style" for sheer panache and sense of style. The one that showed he could out-chat even his cartoon namesake. The title of the follow-up album had an even wittier play on his name, and hits that were just as accomplished, including "Wine Up Your Body" and the anthemic "Smoke the Sensi". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - assorted productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Lovers Rock- Serious Selections Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Rewind Selecta, UK). Not just UK lovers rock in these thoughtfully compiled selections, but many of the most popular romantic offerings from both Kingston and London, in the mood principally set by the latter city. All three volumes are chock-a-block with the most enduring examples of the genre, mostly in their 12" mixes, ranging from Louisa Marks's "Caught You In A Lie" to Barry Biggs's "Wide Awake in A Dream" (Volume 1), from the Heptics' "Natural Woman", through to Sugar Minott's "Lovers Rock" (Volume 2), and from the African Brothers' "Torturing", to Winston Reedy's "African Daughter" (Volume 3).. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Fashion productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Lovers Fashion Volumes 1&2 (Fashion, UK). The first of these two exemplary sets begins with the initial hit on Fashion, Dee Sharp's "Let's Dub It Up", the benchmark by which future releases were judged. Then there are equally impressive best-sellers - like Winsome's "Am I the Same Girl", Carlton Lewis's "Sweet Soul Rocking", Michael Gordon's "Magic Feeling" and Keith Douglas's "Try Love Again". The second volume keeps up the standard with such as Barry Boom's sublime "Making Love" and Winsome's "Homebreaker". Hear these, and ponder on why lovers rock remains the most misunderstood of reggae forms. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Various artists - Saxon productions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Vinyl / CD) Saxon Studio Presents Dance Hall Specials Volume One (Saxon, UK). Released not long after Saxon Studio International had won the World Cup Sound Clash against rivals from both Jamaica and New York, and featuring the kind of 'specials' necessary for flopping the competition at such events. Top names suitably adapt their most popular records in praise of the sound in question, including Michael Rose with "Stalk Of Sensemilla" , Dawn Penn with "No No No"and, the Abbysinians with "Declaration of Rights" (worth the price of the set by itself).