VA - Coxsone's Music

"Coxsone's Music is a stunning new 3-CD/two separate double LP (+ free download) collection featuring over two and half hours of early Jamaican proto-ska, rhythm and blues, jazz, rastafari and gospel music, charting the earliest recordings produced by Clement Dodd, in the years before he launched the mighty Studio One Records, brought together here for the first time ever. Featuring Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Harriott, Owen Gray, Clancy Eccles, Count Ossie, Monty Alexander, The Blues Busters, Ernest Ranglin, Rico Rodriguez and many, many more all captured here in their formative early years." - Soul Jazz Records

VA - Rastafari: The Dreads Enter Babylon 1955-83

"Emerging in Jamaica in the 1930s from a period of political and social upheaval, Rastafarianism was not always as synonymous with reggae music as it would go on to become. With reference to Ethiopia—the seat of Emperor Haile Selassie I since 1930—first appearing in Jamaican music on Lord Lebby and the Jamaican Calpysonians' 1955 recording 'Etheopia,' it wouldn’t be until the mid '60s and '70s that the Rastafarian faith would dovetail so heavily with the island's emerging reggae sound.

Telling this story from calypso through to ska and roots reggae, Soul Jazz have pulled together a double compilation charting the music of the Rastafari like never before. Pivoting on figurehead master drummer Count Ossie who was the first to bring the deeply spiritual nyabinghi and burro rhythms to popular music (influencing everyone from The Skatalites to Clement Dodd), the compilation also includes music from Johnny Clarke, The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Ras Michael and The Sons of Negus, Bongo Herman and Roy Ashanti of The Congos, alongside many more." - The Vinyl Factory

THEN & NOW: Toronto Nightlife History - The Stories Of 48 Influential Clubs From 1975-2015

"From award-winning veteran music journalist and DJ Denise Benson comes Then & Now: Toronto Nightlife History, a fascinating, intimate look at four decades of social spaces, dance clubs, and live music venues. Through interviews, research, and enthusiastic feedback from the party people who were there, Benson delves deep behind the scenes to reveal the histories of 48 influential nightlife spaces, and the story of a city that has grown alongside its sounds." - Then And Now Toronto

VA - Sherwood At The Controls, Vol. 1: 1979-1984

"Sherwood At The Controls, Vol. 1 captures the producer very early in his career, applying dub techniques to an eclectic variety of rhythms, including a surprising amount of punk-funk grooves.

Sherwood takes an aggressively experimental approach to remixing, even when working with more traditional reggae artists. When you apply that attitude to songs by post-punk bands like The Fall, the results sometimes walk the line between mind-blowing and irritating, but at least they're always interesting. He was far from the first to combine dub reggae and punk, but he took the results farther into outer space than anyone else." - NOW

VA - Studio One Jump-Up - The Birth Of A Sound: Jump-Up Jamaican R&B

"Here you will find the roots of Studio One's unique sound, from the first jump-up, boogie-woogie and shuffle recordings made in Jamaica in the late 1950s, as the artists emulated their American rhythm and blues idols—Louis Jordan, Roscoe Gordon, Fats Domino—through to the early Rastafari rhythms of Count Ossie, the righteous Baptist beat of Toots and the Maytals up to the joyous excitement of Ska with tracks by Studio One's young protégés Bob Marley and The Wailers and the all-mighty Skatalites." - Soul Jazz Records

BUNNY LION - Red

"Recently unearthed and available for the first time in decades, Bunny Lion's Red is the perfect gateway record for anyone curious about dub, roots reggae, or dancehall. A mysterious deejay LP, Red was originally released on London’s Starlight records in 1979. Little was written about the album at the time; however, we have uncovered that Bunny Lion is in fact the legendary Puddy Roots of Killamanjaro Soundsystem fame. The album is pressed on red vinyl and both versions include liners with unreleased photos and interviews with Puddy Lion and Linval Thompson." - Captured Tracks

VA - Studio One Rocksteady: Rocksteady, Soul and Early Reggae at Studio One

Another solidly uplifting set from Soul Jazz—with conditions refusing to fully thaw and springtime continuing to tease us, yet more great early reggae such as that featured here certainly helps keep us out of the winter dumps whenever we throw it on here in the shop!

"If you want to get a sense of why rocksteady is spectacular, there's an easy way to experience it. Each Sunday, some time after midnight on Rae Street, between the aptly named Paradise Street and less perfectly named Walter Street, heaps of people of all ages will congregate in front of Brother Bunny and Sister Norma's Capricorn Inn for an oldies session, one that's been happening in Kingston since 1982...Sure, it may not be possible to jump on an airplane and get yourself to Rae Town in time for this Sunday’s dance, but you could do much worse than Soul Jazz’s excellent collection of Rocksteady, Soul and Early Reggae from Studio One. This is music from the mid-'60s—an in-between era for Jamaican music that is often characterized by Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. But where Reid’s rocksteady really took its cue from US soul and R&B, Studio One was, as reggae historian and liner note writer Lloyd Bradley suggests, more experimental. And, perhaps, as can be heard from the often love-laden tunes showcased on Rocksteady, from Alton Ellis's 'Hurting Me' to 'Me and You' by Carlton and the Shoes, more soulful." - Pitchfork

NATIONAL WAKE - Walk In Africa 1979-81

An understandably politicized Joburg blend of punk, new wave, reggae and hard rock (check "It's All Right"'s surprisingly downright Rush-like ascending riff!), National Wake are a must-hear for any fans of The Clash, The Police and The English Beat, as well as such pre-punk acts as Detroit's Death and Zambia's WITCH and Amanaz (as especially heard on "Time And Place").

"The South Africa of the late 1970s was neither the right place nor time to launch a mixed-race punk band. Yet, following the student-inspired Soweto Uprising of 1976, it was also exactly the right conditions to foster a band like National Wake, one formed in an underground commune and one whose very name exists in protest at the divisive, racist apartheid regime. Never before collected together, Light In The Attic has now released National Wake’s full body of work as Walk In Africa 1979-81.

Featured heavily in the recent documentary Punk In Africa, National Wake played punk, reggae and tropical funk, equally at home in the city’s rock underground and the township nightclub circuit. Ivan Kadey started the band with two brothers, Gary and Punka Khoza. [...] Later joined by guitarist Steve Moni, the whole band grew up against a backdrop of township unrest, social upheaval and suburban tedium that characterized apartheid-era South Africa." - Light In The Attic

VA - Youths Boogie: Jamaican R&B and the Birth of Ska

Stepping sideways and sailing south from the rock'n'roll/Americana zone of focus we're by now accustomed to from them, the typically multi-disc compilers at Fantastic Voyage set their sights on late-'50s/early'60s Jamaica with this single-CD look at the initial impact of stateside boogie-woogie, doo-wop, jump blues and R&B on the island's then-burgeoning record industry.

"Compiled by specialist black music writer Mike Atherton (Record Collector, Echoes), Youths Boogie portrays the popular music of Jamaica in the period 1959 to 1962, before it became formally known as ska, but by which time most of the characteristics of ska were present and correct, alongside the influences of American R&B. Disc One showcases the productions of Chris Blackwell, a white Jamaican who ran the local R&B and Island labels, before moving his operation to Britain, and Duke Reid, who ran the Trojan sound system, and issued many of his productions on the Duke Reid’s label, before founding the famous Treasure Isle label in the sixties. Disc Two looks at the productions of other individuals like Simeon Smith, Charlie Moo, Dada Tewari, Byron Lee, Roy Robinson, Vincent Chin and the London-based Sonny Roberts, who were all vying to make names for themselves." - Fantastic Voyage

VA - Listen To The Music: Caltone's Jamaican 45's 1966-69

Anyone who enjoyed Caltone Special (which we also stock!), and any fan of the rocksteady era, for that matter, will want to add this beautifully packaged Pressure Sounds compilation to their collection.

"The 21 tunes featured on this set cover the years from 1966 to 1969, actually the late period ska years through to early reggae. For the most part the album is full of rare rocksteady gems, making it a real joy for any fan of that period in Jamaica's popular music to listen to this collection. Here you won't find any weak tracks or filler, but only solid to excellent tunes. From the wonderful opener, the essential "I'm Sorry" by Peter Austin & the Clarendonians, up to The Emotions' "Gypsy", you're treated to music that is stamped with quality all over." - Reggae Vibes

"Caltone was the work of lesser-known producer Ken Lack, who through a tour managing gig for the Skatalites came in contact with the upper echelons of Jamaican session players. Lack launched the label in the transitional time between ska and early reggae, and Listen To The Music graphs all of the exciting shifts and experimentation from that in-between time with songs crisscrossing the lines of instrumental ska, sentimental rocksteady, and even R&B-influenced early reggae tunes. The soft imperfections of the original vinyl source materials can range from in-the-red distortion on the more jumping numbers to noticeable warping sounds. Rather than distracting from the music, these extra sounds strangely add to the hidden-treasure feel of some of these obscured gems." - Allmusic

BOB ANDY & MARCIA GRIFFITHS - Young, Gifted & Black

It’s about time! That’s what I have to say about this latest set of Universal reissues of original albums that feature classic Trojan singles. As a fan of the song “Young Gifted & Black” by Bob & Marcia since childhood, I’m very pleased with this release in particular.

Marcia Griffiths started with Byron Lee’s Dragonaires in 1964. Later, as one of the I Threes, she gave sweet trio harmony to Bob Marley during his Island years. Along the way, she recorded her best-known singles, “Feel Like Jumping” (divine!) and “Electric Boogie” (unfortunately huge). Bob Andy was a songwriter and a former member of the Paragons (“The Tide is High”) by the time this album was recorded in 1970.

Their best-known hit, the title track, was a radical reworking of Nina Simone’s powerful paean to black pride, given mass appeal by Trojan, who furnished it with a delicious string arrangement in England, guaranteeing its message a mass audience. The choice of unlikely covers shows how the duo had a keen ear for the underrated classic (“Private Number” by Judy Clay and William Bell, and “Get Ourselves Together” by Delaney & Bonnie), and totally surprising (who would have thought Simon & Garfunkel’s “Keep the Customer Satisfied” would work in a Jamaican context?). Their versions of “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” are more typical, but no less appealing.

This is a superb pop/rocksteady record, right up there with other duet albums like the aforementioned Delaney & Bonnie’s Home, and Bobbie Gentry & Glenn Campbell’s collaboration. 

JUNIOR MURVIN - Police and Thieves (Deluxe Edition)

This record is a bonafide reggae classic. Junior Murvin has a beautiful and bizarre falsetto singing voice, and it is backed here by some of Lee Perry's darkest and deepest production. Recorded towards the end of Perry's highly productive stint at the Black Ark, this album (alongside The Congos' Heart Of The Congos and Max Romeo's War Inna Babylon) stands as one of the high-water marks for vocal roots reggae. This Deluxe Edition is supplemented by several dubs and disco mixes, some of which are available on CD for the first time. Truly essential listening.

BETTY PADGETT - S/T

One of the lesser known Betties of soul, Betty Padgett did secure some renown in Florida when she put out her debut in 1975 at the age of 21, and got regional dancefloor play with the two-part “Sugar Daddy”, a rare groove that could have been a bigger hit had it not come a bit early for the disco period. What is even more interesting about this record is that half of the tunes are actually reggae tracks. While it was not unusual for artists to throw in a token reggae song to up their hip factor, Betty turned up the lovers rock on four tracks here (including a version of “My Eyes Adore You”), and did it so convincingly that one would be forgiven for thinking that she cut the session in Kingston. For my money, these are the strongest selections here, so if you’re a fan of soul and reggae in equal measure, you won’t go wrong with this nice reissue.

SANTOGOLD - Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub

Right about now...you are about to be possessed...by the sounds of...MC Santi White...and DJ Wesley Pentz. These sounds...may include...high levels of...electro crunk...booty/B-more bass...dutty dancehall...southern slanging...autotuned chorus hooks...and other...contemporary...and timely...party versions. No baile funk...this time...but enough...new-wavey slight lefts...to walk on the moon with...or at least...to Mesopotamia. Only the finest...and most fashionable...shall gain entry...but don't let that...put you off. Just wait until...Mark Ronson...puts his...signature trumpets in. Exclusive!

THE BEES - Sound Selection

As well-rounded as you'd expect from a lot whose songcraft so suavely synthesizes styles into gently beatwise, tuneful pop form, Sound Selection is a mix compilation a la Late Night Tales or Back To Mine, valuing feel and, well, selection over perfect blending and matching. Soulful choral consternation from the Staple Singers and Redbone goes one-for-one with late-golden-age hiphop for the front half of this sequence (maybe even poking fun at comp-curation vanity in choosing De La Soul's "Ego Tripping, Part 2"), and the band's own "Left Foot Stepdown" fits right in after a double-dose of reggae.

VA - An England Story: The Culture Of The MC In The UK, 1984-2008

Following up Soul Jazz's 2006 Dynamite Dancehall collection (a compilation that was in heavy rotation here in the store, especially those Lady Saw tracks) with this UK-focused set, An England Story highlights the influence of Jamaican dancehall on Britain's ever-evolving mutant forms of black beat-based music, from hip hop, trip-hop and ragga jungle to 2-step, grime, dubstep and beyond. In the words of London Posse's Rodney P, "This is a UK thing, it's hip hop and it's reggae...and those Americans don't know about that".

VA - Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story 1980-1986

Bankrolled by Island founder Chris Blackwell, the heyday of Nassau's Compass Point Studios happened during the first half of the 1980s, when the Compass Point All-Stars (led by Sly & Robbie and featuring guitarists Barry Reynolds & Mikey Chung, percussionist Uzziah Thompson, and synthesist Wally Badarou) gave the world yet another example of Jamaican music's endlessly adaptive abilities, cutting tracks with everyone from disco queen Gwen Guthrie to post-punkers Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Ian Dury. Funky Nassau features Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, and tons of dubby dance-pop obscurities.

EARTH, ROOTS AND WATER - Innocent Youths

Thanks to Kevin "Sipreano" Howes and Seattle's Light In The Attic Records, Jerry Brown's legacy continues to grow, following last year's crucial Summer Records Anthology with a CD reissue of this 1977 LP, originally released in a pressing of only 500 copies. Anyone who loved the dub-tinged roots of Noel Ellis' self-titled album will surely take to the playful mixing touches added to the Summer house band. Howes' liners are particularly illuminating when describing the punky reggae party these Maltoners partook in, embraced as they were by the Two Garys and other rockers outside the Jamaican community.  

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Jamaica Funk

A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that reissue label Soul Jazz wouldn't touch any Jamaican music that wasn't recorded at the seminal Studio One; to date, they have a staggering 23 volumes in their S1 series. But not only does their brand new Jamaica Funk break with that unwritten rule, it also proves that their reggae reissue well is anything but dry. This excellent release combines covers of American funk material from artists such as The JBs, Al Green and The Stylistics, as well as original Jamaican music owing to these styles. Big Youth, Augustus Pablo, The Upsetters all appear on this great disc.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988

Another release in the superb Jamaica to Toronto series, this compilation collects the best of tunes released by Summer Records, a label run by Jamaican ex-pat Jerry Brown. Based from a studio in Brown's Malton, Ontario basement, Summer was a focal point for Toronto reggae and dub at the time. Aside from a few expected production gaffes on the late 80s tracks, this is high quality stuff. Even better given the known names involved (Noel Ellis, Johnny Osbourne), these are some rare finds as well. Exceptional liner notes round out a fine tribute to Toronto's hidden musical legacy.