Deeper-than-Spinoza, heavier-than-lead nyabinghi cut of Yabby You’s awesome Love Thy Neighbours (itself produced by Family Man, in 1974). You can’t touch Tubby’s dub on the original Defenders 7”... but both versions here are uncompromisingly dread, and essential in their own right.

A fat, wide, brassy cover of his idol Otis Redding. Plus an ace, driving, vengeful Reggae Boys, on the flip.

London crew formed in the late seventies by Gus Phillips from Sierra Leone and Dominican Sam Jones. Nurtured by Grove Music; same family tree as Aswad. Just around the corner from Honest Jon’s in Ladbroke Grove, guitarist Peter Harris went on to set up the Kickin label (which put out Shut Up And Dance, Aaron Carl and Blaze).

Shades of Brown. Leroy B sounds like Dennis B, over Glen B’s immortal Wicked Can’t Run Away rhythm. Typically expert digi do-over by KJ, with an ace dub.
Creativeness pon the dance.

Top-notch digi sufferers from 1987. Plenty of Dennis in Leroy’s singing.

Super-heavyweight Aggrovators roots. Barry Brown at his very best; deadly, sombre horns; lethal Tubbys dub. Scorcher.

A top-notch selection of High Note and Gay Feet rhythms, expertly mixed the old-fashioned way by Duke Reid’s nephew, Errol Brown.

Laid-back rocksteady soul from Noel, out of the Chosen Few — coupled with a fun Ike Bennett organ workout.

1966 rocksteady, elegantly heartfelt as Nat King Cole.

Rock Fort Rock and China Town excursions.

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.

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