The Buster selection we’d been waiting for.
A terrific haul of rare and unreleased sides; rocksteady gold, from start to finish.
Macka Osaka connoisseurship.

A storming selection, warmly endorsed by Honest Jons old boy Steve Barrow: ‘Many unreleased and alternate versions of prime-quality ska, produced by a founding father of the genre, featuring great Jamaican musicians like Baba Brooks, Roland Alphonso and Raymond Harper, and various permutations of the premiere group of musicians collectively known as the Skatalites. It includes in-demand collector’s items like the Spanish Town Skabeats’ Stop That Train. All tracks are taken directly from tape. This release is truly a feast for lovers of ska, and Jamaican R&B in general.’

It was Prince Buster who convinced a reluctant Melodisc lawyer to give the go ahead to our London Is The Place For Me series, nearly twenty years ago.

Characteristically bootin’, irresistible version of Huey Smith’s millions-selling New Orleans R&B smash. (What a monster 45 that was, double-headed with Don’t You Just Know It. Huey and his Clowns, fronted by drag queen Bobby Marchan.)
With a spirited Derrick & Patsy duet on the flip, enlivened by handclap percussion.

With Japanese ska band The Determinations.

Neglected, stunning, mystical Upsetters roots — with scrumptiously extended trombone — first released in Amsterdam on Henk Targowski’s Black Art imprint (bundled with special mixes of Cane River Rock and Dread Lion).

Groovy version of the Deodato-CTI Gershwin interpretation; with a Willie Lindo. The dub does the trick.

Soul jazz from the jazz pianist plus trio. The first half’s a bit soft, before Aquarius marks the dawning of the funky stuff — Evil Ways, Shaft, Booty Butt — ending with a cooking cover of The Meters’ Funky Miracle.

A rollicking organ-and-drums grounation workout.
Plus Ken Boothe taking liberties with Nat King Cole’s Hazy Lazy Crazy Days Of Summer.

A contender for the heaviest dub of all time.
When the Rootical Dubber had a go at reissuing Trevor Byfield and co, many years ago, he omitted this, saying it was just too awesome to mess with.

Heavy roots; thumping dub. Turns out that Moses was being discreet.

Top-notch dubwise roots, with masterful trombone and extra percussion, originally on Ethnic Fight.

The classic original album, plus a crazy load of extras, including crucial Upsetters like Fever, Hail To Power, The Long Way, etc etc.
Mad bargain.

Unmistakably sexy, classy SC over fun, rickety island disco produced by Franklyn Waul — from the Taxi Gang — in 1988.