Doctor Bird Vinilo y CD

Review: Doctor Bird's latest must-check double disc retrospective focuses on the work of influential Jamaican producer Lloyd Charmer during the 1970s. Each disc contains a significant, Chalmers produced album: keyboardist Harold Butler's reggae-soul/reggae-disco classic Gold Collection sits on disc one, with Debby Dobson's fine tribute to Jamaican music pre-ska, Sweet Dreams, following on CD2. In addition, each disc also features a wealth of Chalmers-produced singles and rarities, including a swathe of killer cuts from Richard Ace (the 12" version of 'Supernatural' on CD2 is particularly special), Sister Stern and Delroy Wilson. You also get a handful of surprise solo cuts from Chalmers, who of course started his music career as a vocalist-for-hire rather than a producer.

Review: This first-ever CD anthology of Culture's earliest singles captures the trio in their purest, most incendiary form. Formed in 1976 by lead singer Joseph Hill, with Albert Walker and Roy Dayes, the Jamaican group emerged under the name The African Disciples before becoming Culture and signing with Joe Gibbsione of Kingston's most revered producers. What followed was a run of revolutionary 7"s and 12"s, including the seismic 'Two Sevens Clash', whose apocalyptic prophecy shook the reggae landscape. These recordingsinow collected in full, dub sides and allichart the group's 1977 to 1981 run with Gibbs, a period widely regarded as their peak. Tracks like 'Zion Gate' and 'See Dem a Come' show their power not just as writers of militant roots reggae, but as spiritual messengers, blending dread prophecy with hypnotic riddims. Even in dub form, these versions retain urgency and weight, anchored by Hill's unshakeable vocal tone and Gibbs's rich, bass-forward production. Later work with Sonia Pottinger would push their sound further afield, but what's here is raw, righteous and definitive. Eight tracks make their CD debut, finally doing justice to an era of singles that shaped both Culture's legacy and the wider trajectory of roots reggae itself.

Review: Dadawah aka. Lloyd Charmers was one of Jamaica's boldest and most resourceful record producers, testament to which was his standout LP Peace & Love. Originally released as an EP of just four tracks, drawing on the rhythmic hallmarks of the Nyabinghi gatherings of Rastafari, Charmers is heard commanding an ensemble cast of virtuosi, including Willie Lindo on guitar. With its multi-layered, weighty and patriotic breathtakers such as 'Zion Land' and 'Know How You Stand', which blow away with their adept command of space and reverb, the tracks now come backed a whopping 21 dub versions also produced by the man himself - 19 of which have never been before released on CD - the best of his dub output since the mid-1970s.

Review: While not as celebrated as some of his Jamaican contemporaries, Winston Holness AKA Niney The Observer was a hugely successful record producer. This excellent two-disc set does an excellent job in rounding up the best of his output between 1973 and '75, a period where he enjoyed countless hits at home and over in the UK. There's naturally plenty of goodness to be found amongst the 49 tracks on show, with cuts featuring now well-known Jamaican scene stars - think Junior Delgado, Delroy Wilson, Big Youth, Max Romeo, Junior Byles, Horace Andy, U-Roy and ska survivor Tommy McCook - being joined by more dubbed-out 'versions' (credited to his studio band The Observers') and local hits by artists whose fame rarely spread beyond the Caribbean (Winston Wright, Hubert Lee, Earth & Stone). In an indispensable introduction to one of Jamaica's finest producers of the 1970s.

Review: The first extensive anthology of Lee Perry's early productions includes numerous Jamaican hits and features some of the most influential recordings of the late 60s. Today, Lee 'Scratch' Perry is widely recognied as one of the finest talents from the golden age of Jamaican music. However, his rise to fame was neither easy nor swift. After working for Studio One boss Clement 'Coxson' Dodd, Perry made his mark as an artist and arranger in the mid-60s, eventually becoming a fully independent producer by mid-1968. Perry's innovative approach and understanding of local music trends quickly brought him national success with popular singles on Upset, the label he co-owned. He soon became an independent operator, releasing best-selling 45s on his Upsetter label, which attracted the attention of London-based Trojan Records. Trojan created a British version of his imprint in early 1969. Perry's music particularly resonated with Britain's skinhead fans, and in autumn 1969, his production of Val Bennett and The Upsetters' Return Of Django reached the UK pop charts, exposing Perry's music to a global audience. This anthology brings together the recordings that launched Perry's career as an independent producer, showcasing a mix of soulful rock steady and dynamic boss reggae. It offers a compelling listening experience and a fascinating insight into the early musical development of one of Jamaican music's most influential and innovative figures.

Review: Doctor Bird prescribe a new 2xCD anthology for the auralgics among fans of early UK reggae, bringing together for the first time on CD four pioneering albums from Creole Music Ltd, incorporated in May 1964 as chief outputter of prime British reggae. Bruce White and Tony Cousins took the helm, and Creole quickly became a key (and melodica) player in Britain's reggae scene. Their initial success came with The Hippy Boys' The Good, The Bad & The Upsetters, recorded on tour with Lee Perry; working with Trojan Records and eventually launching their own label, Rhino, Creole struck gold with Bruce Ruffin's 'Mad About You', helping clarify the UK reggae sound of the early 70s, and which comes rendered again here in clearest tones.