The Blues Buster showing his gospel roots in this superb, soaring version of the Sam Cooke, with support from Bobby Aitken and the Carib Beats.
Backed with some bumptious ska, led by Val Bennett.

Ska classics produced by Ken Khouri (who founded the first recording studio in Jamaica), including deadly unreleased selections.
Murders from the get go — a knockout acoustic version of You Made Me Warm, by The Sharks.

The US singer dropping a little sass at Treasure Isle in 1968. Same session as Angel Of The Morning, but previously unreleased.
Also Tommy McCook & The Supersonics doing over Ode To Billy Joe in fine style.

Evergreen rocksteady reading of Chip Taylor’s pop-country paean to illicit sex.

Legendary ska destroyer. Frankenstein passing through Rome, riding West. All the Byron you need (except maybe Childe Harold).

All-time rocksteady murder.
The flip’s killer, too. ‘I don’t want no trouble now, no, no, no.’

Trilbies off to the herb superb — with a rocking backbeat, from 1966.
Nice bass on the flip, too — strong, minor-key storybook-soul.

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.

Recorded after eighteen months in prison for possession of a little cannabis, here is the definitive cut of the knockout song Creator revisited for the Upsetter.
Profound, stoic reasoning on a tough rhythm, with the wings of a dove. Wailing backing vocals, blurts of organ, burning horns; singing schooled by Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.
On the flip, Come Down 68 puts us back behind behind bars, at year-end, looking forward to getting out. ‘Come down, evening, come down, night. Let me see that morning light.’

Ace.
Chugging, confessional, Chicagoan loveliness from Delroy Williams, Ricky Grant and George Allison.
‘I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid.’

Irresistibly bouncy, pestiferous and nostalgic do-over of the version of One Note Samba/Spanish Flea which Sergio Mendes cut for Herb Alpert, with Lani Hall singing.
Perhaps a shame Homer Simpson wasn’t in Kingston at the time.
The flip-side sets the stage for Lloyd ‘Reggae Feet’ Williams with a quick mashing of the intro to I Can’t Help Myself by the Four Tops into some chords from Rescue Me by Fontella Bass.