Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Ali Baba - Holt, John
2. Riverton City - McCook, Tommy
3. CN Express - Clancy All Stars
4. Running Around - Gray, Owen
5. Rum Bum A Loo - Message (3)
6. Step Softly - Ellis, Bobby & The Crystalites
7. Lucky Seven - Skatalites
8. Sweet Soul Music - Gladiators (1)
9. Musical Fever - Enforcers
10. Renegade - Zodiacs
11. Spyrone - Harry J & The All Stars
12. Lonely Feeling - Gaylettes
13. Dr Kitch - Lord Kitchener
14. Gun Fever - Brooks, Baba & Band
15. Delilah - Taylor, Tyrone
16. Good Time Rock - Malcolm, Hugh
17. Lindska - Vagabonds (2)
18. Storm Warning - Taitt, Lynn & The Boys
19. Ugly One - King Stitt
20. Yuh - Uniques (2)
21. Gun Man Coming To Town - Heptones
22. Last Night - Aitken, Laurel & The Soulmen
23. Wiser Than Solomon - Sterling, Lester
24. Stranger In Town - Crystalites
25. Country Town - Brooks, Baba
26. Fat Man - Morgan, Derrick
27. Nevada Joe - Gibbs, Joe & Destroyers
28. Next Door Neighbour - Gray, Owen
29. Man - Cliff, Jimmy
30. Oh Babe - Ewan & Jerry & The Caribbeats
31. Thunderball - McCook, Tommy
32. Build My World Around You - Smith, Slim & The Uniques
33. Music Is My Occupation - Drummond, Don & Tommy McCook
34. Upsetter - Perry, Lee 'Scratch'
35. El Pussycat - Alphonso, Roland
36. Just Tell Me - Maytals
37. Do The Dog - Syko & The Caribs
38. Jerk - Clarendonians
39. I'm In A Jam - Morgan, Derrick & Patsy Todd
40. Bombshell - Bennett, Ike & The Crystalites
41. I'm Ashamed - Little Willy
42. Zigaloo - Sterling, Lester
43. Kitch You're So Sweet - Lord Kitchener
44. Hot Shot - Lynch, Dermot
45. Rude Boy - Reid, Duke All Stars
46. Girls Like Dirt - Smith, Slim & The Uniques
47. Lonely Days - Gray, Owen
48. I Am Coming Home - Kelly, Pat (1)
49. Good Girl - Nangle, Ed

Disc 2:

1. Storm Warning - Taitt, Lynn & The Boys
2. Ugly One - King Stitt
3. Yuh - Uniques (2)
4. Gun Man Coming To Town - Heptones
5. Last Night - Aitken, Laurel & The Soulmen
6. Wiser Than Solomon - Sterling, Lester
7. Stranger In Town - Crystalites
8. Country Town - Brooks, Baba
9. Fat Man - Morgan, Derrick
10. Nevada Joe - Gibbs, Joe & Destroyers
11. Next Door Neighbour - Gray, Owen
12. Kimble The Nimble - Perry, Lee 'Scratch'
13. Man - Cliff, Jimmy
14. Oh Babe - Ewan & Jerry & The Caribbeats
15. Thunderball - McCook, Tommy
16. Build My World Around You - Smith, Slim & The Uniques

Disc 3:

1. Music Is My Occupation - Drummond, Don & Tommy McCook
2. Upsetter - Perry, Lee 'Scratch'
3. El Pussycat - Alphonso, Roland
4. Just Tell Me - Maytals
5. Do The Dog - Syko & The Caribs
6. Jerk - Clarendonians
7. I'm In A Jam - Morgan, Derrick & Patsy Todd
8. Bombshell - Bennett, Ike & The Crystalites
9. I'm Ashamed - Little Willy
10. Zigaloo - Sterling, Lester
11. Kitch You're So Sweet - Lord Kitchener
12. Hot Shot - Lynch, Dermot
13. Rude Boy - Reid, Duke All Stars
14. Girls Like Dirt - Smith, Slim & The Uniques
15. Lonely Days - Gray, Owen
16. I Am Coming Home - Kelly, Pat (1)
17. Good Girl - Nangle, Ed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32712 in Music
• Released on: 2008-11-19
• Number of discs: 3

Customer Reviews

Little masterpieces and unknown gems
Reggae collectors have complained at the dominance of the Trojan label in the mainstream record stores, but when the music in the grooves is of this calibre, it seems churlish to criticise, especially when offered at such a reasonable price.

These sixties tracks first appeared on labels such as Island, Blue Beat, Rio, Doctor Bird, Treasure Isle and Black Swan, and are gathered here because of their popularity in this country, both at the time and in subsequent revivals. Introduced by West Indians who had settled in areas like Brixton and Notting Hill, Ska and Rock Steady were quickly adopted by the Mods and played in their clubs as the music evolved into Reggae. Jamaica had an abundance of excellent jazz and dance hall musicians from the forties and fifties who were recruited into the new musical forms, explaining why the playing on bands such as the Skatalites, who feature in various guises on many of the tracks, was of such a high overall standard. Furthermore there was no shortage of street corner vocal groups and aspiring singers at the studio door.

Many classics are here, such as John Holt's Ali Baba, Baba Brooks' Guns Fever, Lee Perry's The Upsetter and the Crystalites' Stranger In Town. Most of it is original material but Rosco Gordon's No More Doggin' turns up (uncredited) as Owen Gray's Running Around; Lee Perry produces the Gaylettes on Brenda Lee's Here Comes That Feeling; Roland Alphonso covers Mongo Santamaria's El Pussy Cat in ska style; the unknown (to me) Syko and the Caribs revive Rufus Thomas' The Dog as Do The Dog (also uncredited, but possibly the source of the Specials' version using the same changed title a few years later) and Laurel Aitken and the Soulmen provide a version of the Mar-Keys' Last Night that arguably surpasses the original.

Some are obscurities which were well worth rescuing from oblivion. The Zodiacs' Renegade (aka Little Renegade), written and produced by Duke Reid, only appeared here as the B-side of Baba Brooks' Duck Soup, and was their only ever appearance on vinyl, but is a minor classic. The proliferation of this music over such a short period in Jamaican history is quite astounding and as little masterpiece follows unknown gem one wonders how this tiny poverty-stricken island could have got it so right so consistently so uniquely

Little Masterpieces and Unknown Gems
Reggae collectors have complained at the dominance of the Trojan label in the mainstream record stores, but when the music in the grooves is of this calibre, it seems churlish to criticise, especially when offered at such a reasonable price. These sixties tracks first appeared on labels such as Island, Blue Beat, Rio, Doctor Bird, Treasure Isle and Black Swan, and are gathered here because of their popularity in this country, both at the time and in subsequent revivals. Introduced by West Indians who had settled in areas like Brixton and Notting Hill, Ska and Rock Steady were quickly adopted by the Mods and played in their clubs as the music evolved into Reggae.

Jamaica had an abundance of excellent jazz and dance hall musicians from the forties and fifties who were recruited into the new musical forms, explaining why the playing on bands such as the Skatalites, who feature in various guises on many of the tracks, was of such a high overall standard.

Furthermore there was no shortage of street corner vocal groups and aspiring singers at the studio door. Many classics are here, such as John Holt's Ali Baba, Baba Brooks' Guns Fever, Lee Perry's The Upsetter and the Crystalites' Stranger In Town. Most of it is original material but Rosco Gordon's No More Doggin' turns up (uncredited) as Owen Gray's Running Around; Lee Perry produces the Gaylettes on Brenda Lee's Here Comes That Feeling; Roland Alphonso covers Mongo Santamaria's El Pussy Cat in ska style; the unknown (to me) Syko and the Caribs revive Rufus Thomas' The Dog as Do The Dog (also uncredited, but possibly the source of the Specials' version using the same changed title a few years later) and Laurel Aitken and the Soulmen provide a version of the Mar-Keys' Last Night that arguably surpasses the original.

Some are obscurities which were well worth rescuing from oblivion. The Zodiacs' Renegade (aka Little Renegade), written and produced by Duke Reid, only appeared here as the B-side of Baba Brooks' Duck Soup, and was their only ever appearance on vinyl, but is a minor classic. The proliferation of this music over such a short period in Jamaican history is quite astounding and as little masterpiece follows unknown gem one wonders how this tiny poverty-stricken island could have got it so right so consistently so uniquely

Many smooth tunes on tap
A very nice selection which brings you right back to the heyday of Wardour Street's Flamingo. The first track, Ali Baba by John Holt, sets the standard high and this collection just keeps it up all the time.