God’s own ska. Cornerstone of the Far East in reggae. (No Augustus Pablo without it.) We put a dubplate mix on Studio One Scorcher; first ever time out for the second take here.

Heavy, slowed-down Green Island excursion, revisited as a duet with the mighty Lennie Hibbert. Originally a Down Beat dubplate special.

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.

Gorgeous…and backed with rudeboy anthem A Man Of Chances.
Two counts of murder.

‘You think you can hold me down, you think you can tie me down… I’m a man for chances.’

Twin detournements of Lieber & Stoller.
Hugh Godfrey coolly channels Love Potion No. 9 into a rude boy anthem, with tasty riding-east piano and full-steam-ahead saxophone.
On the flip, Norma Fraser switches the roles of the Big Mama Thornton classic. An erstwhile dawg is played by the singer. The raucous, sexually dismissive wordplay of the original — ‘You can wag your tail / But I ain’t gonna feed you no more’ — is replaced by dignified verses about female independence and resilience.
Killer 45.

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.

Jen rides the dread Sidewalk Doctor rhythm, with Woman Of The Ghetto lyrics.
Jackie Mittoo puts any survivors to the sword.