Ace early Tubbys digi — stripped and moody — with fine, amusing vocals.

The 1969 High Note LP, on the cusp between rocksteady and reggae. Three of the former, with backing by Lynn Taitt & The Jets; nine of the new thing, featuring Sonia Pottinger’s in-house Soul Rhythms band. A great lineup of singers includes Delano Stewart, Ken Boothe and Delroy Wilson.

Fatis digi.
Opening with a Dennis Brown feint, Katt whirls through vegetarianism, military repression, street crime and religious salvation.

Two terrific, previously unreleased excursions on the Amos Milburn.
The trombone holds it down like Giant Haystacks, but that’s a tenor saxophone solo.
Lovely stuff.

Irresistible reggaeficatory bazookaings of Manu Dibango’s Soul Makossa, upping the old-school funk, and garbling extra mamas.

Previously-unreleased takes of this ball of fire hurtling East with no survivors (from the second Ska Authentic). Pitiless, wondrous companion-piece to Last Call, from the same session.

Rudie gone soft. Irresistible love songs — with simmering brass, splashing cymbals on the A; classy sax on the flip.

Gripping, up-in-your-face account of the story of Judas. Full-on Keith Hudson roots.
And an unmissable nugget of flute-led JA funk, by the Soul Syndicate, on the flip.

Hymning the power of reggae, over a re-licked, surging Conquering Lion, with worrisome Tubbys bass. The dub is here.

‘Yes we nice, yes we nice… Hold them, music, hold them, yes, we control them… no we nah go let them stray.’ Dancehall manners — on the rhythm Delgado used for Rasta People — as clinically murderous as all-time EJ hits for Jammys like Rock Them One By One and Turn Up The Heat.

Kaboom!
Flashing the black spot of Niney at his deadliest — Zorro, merciless avenger of the oppressed, re-stoking the furnace of his Westbound Train, but wheeling around and blazing eastwards…
And that’s only a secret-weapon version of None Shall Escape The Judgement on the other side, with Owen Grey at the mic.
Raging Tubbys fire.

Deeply zonked and moody variation on The Abyssinians’ classic, with a wicked blend of kit and machine drums. Rough.

The alluring, mystery female vocalist here is cool and deadly amidst the mayhem, beside a tasty harmonica lead. Nice bebop saxophone, too, on the flip.