Bunny Lee Boss Sounds, 1969-70. Musical aggro from hornsmen Roland Alphonso, Tommy McCook, Lester Sterling and co, plus foundational deejaying by D Tony Lee, U Roy, and Jeff Barnes, and nuff organ. Sleeve notes by Noel Hawks.

Chocka with scorchers.
Isaac Hayes, Booker T, Stevie Wonder, James Brown are in the house.
Some of the previously unreleased cuts are amazing, like the Jackie Mittoo spaghetti, The Sharks’ dread techno.

Gritty, diggers’ selection of sides originally out on Wackies, Aires, Earth and co; plus some tough dubplates featuring Leroy Sibbles and Stranger Cole.
Sibbles chips in his own Guiding Star rhythm from Studio One days, re-worked at Bullwackies; and reputedly that’s him undercover on the opener with Little Roy, ripping off Glen Brown’s Wedden Skank.

An uncompromisingly deep, rugged, rootical collection of dubs and instrumentals; funky to the max.
A terrific compilation. It’s a must.

HIs seminal LP, sixty years after its title track turned national anthem of JA independence celebrations; plus the remainder of his early recordings for Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s Records, originally released between 1961 to 1963.
The second disc focuses on Derrick’s return to Beverley’s during the rocksteady era, taking off from his Best Of album, first out on Doctor Bird in 1969.

Links was an artists’ cooperative, formed in 1968 by The Gaylads, Ken Boothe, The Melodians, and Delroy Wilson, fed up with getting ripped off by Studio One and co. They did everything themselves — hiring Dynamic / Wirl studios, printing up labels, organising the pressings, and distributing in person to Kingston record shops — in the teeth of peeved obstructiveness from other labels, producers, and radio stations. Many of their 45s were blanks, hand-stamped with BB Seaton’s home address: ‘Links Records, 39 Wildman Street, Phone 24954’.
The backing band was probably Lynn Taitt & The Jets to start, giving way to the Conscious Minds (with Joe White and Ken Boothe on keys), whose instrumental Something New is one of the highlights here, featuring killer guitar and trombone by Harris Seaton and Derrick Hinds.
Links was short-lived; ironically unable to cope with the success of a Melodians’ hit entitled It Comes & Goes.
It’s a fascinating story, and this is top-notch rock steady; the first compilation of the dozen or so Links releases. Scorchers by Conscious Minds, The Melodians, Randall Thaxter, and Ken Boothe — doing his best Otis Redding — steal the show.