Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Guns Fever - Brooks, Baba & Band
2. Dance Crasher - Ellis, Alton & The Flames
3. Rude Boy Gone A Jail - Baker, Desmond & The Clarendonians
4. Preacher - Ellis, Alton & The Flames
5. Gunmen Coming To Town - Heptones
6. Hooligans - Count Lasher & Lyn Taitt/Baba Brooks Band
7. Blessings Of Love - Ellis, Alton & The Flames
8. Don't Be A Rude Boy - Rulers
9. Soldiers Take Over - Rio Grandes
10. 007 (Shanty Town) - Dekker, Desmond & The Aces
11. Denham Town - Winston & George
12. No Good Rudie - Hinds, Justin & The Dominoes
13. Rudie Gets Plenty - Spanishtonians
14. Guns Town - Eccles, Clancy
15. Rudie Bam Bam - Clarendonians
16. Drop The Ratchet - Cole, Stranger & The Conquerors
17. Copasectic - Rulers
18. Cry Tough - Ellis, Alton & The Flames
19. Rudy Got Soul - Dekker, Desmond & The Aces
20. Stop Them - Hazel & The Jolly Boys/Fugitives
21. Rude Boy Confession - Romeo & The Emotions
22. Cool Off Rudies - Morgan, Derrick
23. What Can I Do - Tartans
24. No More Trouble - Robinson, Lloyd
25. Rude Boy Train - Dekker, Desmond & The Aces
26. Beware Of The Rude Boys - Buckley, Henry
27. Rudies All Around - White, Joe
28. Beware - Overtakers
29. Rudies Are The Greatest - Pioneers (1)
30. Why Oh Why - Black Brothers
31. Bad Man - White, Joe
32. Guns Fever (Blam Blam Fever) - Valentines (3)
33. Rudy A Message To You - Livingstone, Dandy
34. Tougher Than Tough (Rudie In Court) - Morgan, Derrick
35. Set Them Free - Perry, Lee 'Scratch' & The Sensations
36. Don't Blame The Children - Perry, Lee 'Scratch' & The Sensations
37. Court Dismiss - Morgan, Derrick
38. Dreader Than Dread - Martin, Honeyboy & The Voices
39. Judge Dread In Court - Morgan, Derrick
40. Some Of Them A Bawl - Pioneers (1)
41. Stop The Violence - Valentines (3)
42. Curfew - Aitken, Bobby & The Caribbeats
43. Ratchet Knife - Moodie, Amiel & The Dandemites
44. Johnny Too Bad - Slickers (1)
45. Johnny Gunman - Edwards, Jackie
46. Rudie's Medley - Tosh, Peter & The Soulmates
47. You Can't Win - Slickers (1)
48. Cool Down - Untouchables (1)
49. Hooligan Change Your Style - Holt, John
50. Simmer Down - Clarke, Johnny (1)

Disc 2:

1. Cry Tough - Ellis, Alton & The Flames
2. Rudy Got Soul - Dekker, Desmond & The Aces
3. Stop Them - Hazel & The Jolly Boys/Fugitives
4. Rude Boy Confession - Romeo & The Emotions
5. Cool Off Rudies - Morgan, Derrick
6. What Can I Do - Tartans
7. No More Trouble - Robinson, Lloyd
8. Rude Boy Train - Dekker, Desmond & The Aces
9. Beware Of The Rude Boys - Buckley, Henry
10. Rudies All Around - White, Joe
11. Beware - Overtakers
12. Rudies Are The Greatest - Pioneers (1)
13. Why Oh Why - Black Brothers
14. Bad Man - White, Joe
15. Guns Fever (Blam Blam Fever) - Valentines (3)
16. Rudy A Message To You - Livingstone, Dandy

Disc 3:

1. Tougher Than Tough (Rudie In Court) - Morgan, Derrick
2. Set Them Free - Perry, Lee 'Scratch' & The Sensations
3. Don't Blame The Children - Perry, Lee 'Scratch' & The Sensations
4. Court Dismiss - Morgan, Derrick
5. Dreader Than Dread - Martin, Honeyboy & The Voices
6. Judge Dread In Court - Morgan, Derrick
7. Some Of Them A Bawl - Pioneers (1)
8. Stop The Violence - Valentines (3)
9. Curfew - Aitken, Bobby & The Caribbeats
10. Ratchet Knife - Moodie, Amiel & The Dandemites
11. Johnny Too Bad - Slickers (1)
12. Johnny Gunman - Edwards, Jackie
13. Rudie's Medley - Tosh, Peter & The Soulmates
14. You Can't Win - Slickers (1)
15. Cool Down - Untouchables (3)
16. Hooligan Change Your Style - Holt, John
17. Simmer Down - Clarke, Johnny (1)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40473 in Music
• Released on: 2008-11-19
• Number of discs: 3

Album Description
Primarily focusing on the glut of Rude Boy records that were issued during '66 and '67, this, the latest in Trojan's popular 3CD, 50-track box set series, features some of the best known performers from this fascinating period when Ska was in the process of evolving into Rocksteady. Most familiar of the tracks included is Dandy's original version of 'Rudy A Message To You' and Desmond Dekker's ground-breaking hit, '0.0.7', the message of which has been frequently lost upon non-Jamaican audiences over the years. While this significant trend was touched upon some years back in Trojan's acclaimed 'Rudies All Around The World' set, this collection takes things a step further, resulting in the greatest Rude Boy collection to date.

Customer Reviews

So Near yet So Ska...
Apart from the number of great tunes and the chance to expose an almost forgotten music, the beauty of the Trojan box sets is how well they illustrate the breadth and depth of Ska.

However, unlike the other sets, this Rudeboy box is based on content rather than musical style - and it seems the compilers have simply grabbed any track referring to a Rudy and slapped it on CD without as much thought as we might have come to expect. Trojan may have made a rod for their own back by issuing such high quality sets with 50 tracks each, but this doesn't excuse the high number of, frankly, mediocre recordings here.

Of course, there are some gems - the likes of Johnny Too Bad, Rudies All Around and Guns Fever amongst others - but too many are sub-standard to recommend the set as a whole. There's only so much amusing court-room dialogue one album needs before tedium sets in - much of this stuff was better revived by The Specials et al (there, I've said it, and you know it's true really).

Ultimately, my fondeness for all things Ska and the other box sets aside, I can't give this more than three stars. If you need an intro get the first Ska Box Set, for dancing purposes try the Mod Reggae Box Set or, for a bit of fun, try the Reggae for Kids Box Set (first disc rubbish, second and third sublime) - Rudeboy is a set for the Ska purists, historians or completists only.

You can tell a rude chap, by the way 'e wears 'is cap...
This Box set is excellent.
The Rude Boy culture that evolved in the poor areas of Jamaica is perfectly captured on this 50 track collection. Some tracks protesting strongly about the "mindless violence" and "sheer arrogance" that the rude boy population condoned. Other tunes praising that way of life and openly telling the listener "Rudies Got Soul", to quote one of the tracks.
Above all, the chords are struck to make you wanna get up and shake your shoulders to all 3 cds.
Thats the main thing. The vibe is there. That is not to say of course that the message is not important, but to the average young british white lad listening to this, the music will hit home before the poignent mesages do.
My personal fave tracks in this box set are "007 (Shanty town)" by Desmond Dekker and The Aces,(a classic in its own right) "Gunmen Coming to Town" by The Heptones and "Guns Fever (Blam Blam Fever)" by The Valentines.
But each and every song on this collection is excellent and worthy of inclusion.
Again Trojan are helpful in understanding the back ground to the particular style of music with their light but informative sleeve notes.
A great box set. Buy it or Rudies gonna Blam Blam ya.

Tougher than tough!
Another excellent compilation from Trojan here cram packed with little gems for a bargain price. This one from Trojan details the rude boy period; a period of Jamaican history and music lying somewhere in between ska and rocksteady. The 'rudies' were 'so called hooligans' who had flocked as young men seeking work to Kingston following Jamaican independance from the UK in the early 60's. But their style, energy and manner ensured that these 'dance crashers' became icon's not only on Jamaican soil but elsewhere, including the UK, through the early skinhead movement of the late sixties, and then through the ska revival of the eighties, not forgetting of course the punk's and notably the Clash who also had explored roots in Jamaican culture. I love this compilation for the diversity of material included, notably disc two - which on its own would be worth the price, just for 'Stop Them', 'Beware' and 'Guns Fever'. Only one disappointment to mention - the compiler has made some superb choices except for the last 5 tracks or therabouts on disc 3 which are more modern songs and not from the 1966-68 period - a real shame because if they were then this compilation would have been worthy of six stars easily!