A deadly fleet of Studio One sevens, and one almighty ten-inch, swooping in from the Far East.

Tremendous, previously-unreleased takes of ska instrumentals by the Soul Brothers.
Rolando Al luxuriating in jazz; a Tommy McCook cha cha cha.

Masterpiece. Top-drawer songwriting — thoughtful, soulful lyrics and ace tunes — and definitive performances. In the top three Studio One LPs; one of the greatest reggae LPs of all time.

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.

Stunning. Crucial Studio One.
Heavy, heavy, heavy roots nightmare about centuries of African enslavement and colonial exploitation by the British, and their mutation post-independence into the new JA ruling class, like a home-grown zombie.
The dub is a total knockout, too.
Killer record.

The debut LP by the godfather of rocksteady, from 1967; choca with many of his signature recordings. Stone-classic songs over cornerstone rhythms, like I’m Still In Love With You, I’m Just A Guy, and Get Ready.
Crucial bunny.

OG had been a UK-resident for five years by the time of this Brenton Wood cover, recorded here during the Soul Vendors 1967 tour. (One night Jimi Hendrix was the support.) A Procul Harem on the flip.

Studio One activist Sugar Minott’s favourite LP of all time.
A stone-classic mixture of foundational rhythms, peerless rocksteady lovers, and songs with the political concerns of the roots reggae to come.
Killer after killer. An absolute must.

Herman Sang (from the Jiving Juniors) was at Brentford Road from the start, in the late-1950s.
This is wistful organ-combo r&b — pre-ska — with some sweet calypso jazz on the flip.