Deadly, dubwise space disco by the Gaylad — a version of The Earons’ Land Of Hunger, hauling it from Compass Point in the Bahamas, to downtown Kingston, Jamaica.
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.
Backed with a heart-crushing Larry Marshall.
Double-headed demands for freedom and peace; both rawly heartfelt and sublimely delivered.
Two salvos of pure roots fire.
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.
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.
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.