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Review: Toots and the Maytals were sent back to Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston for new recordings that eventually gave rise to the album after their Funky Kingston success. It features a number of covers of material aimed quite specifically at the English market such as John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Though first recorded in 1974, it still packs a punch and of course delivers plenty of the Jamaican band's melodic reggae with beautiful vocal harmonies. The whole thing oozes soul and is underpinned by a certain sense of spirituality that makes it all the more alluring and enduring.

Review: J.J. Johnson became an acclaimed talent after working on several best-selling rock steady and proto-reggae 45s by the likes of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the Rulers, Carl Dawkins and the Kingstonians. His productions had never before been collected together until this compilation from Trojan Records in 1969. It showed the reggae master's new and fresh take on the tried and tested sound and was dominated by tunes from well-known and frequent hit-makers the Ethiopians. The likes of Roy Shirley and the J.J. All Stars also feature and are taken from 1968 to 1972.

Review: Charles Strite might have invented the toaster, but it was U Roy who invented toasting. The first ever album from reggae legend U Roy aka. Ewart Beckford - three years before his self-titled debut-debut - Version Galore first appeared on Treasure Isle, and was a gleaming cornucopia of all the rocksteady singles he'd been releasing and performing since at least 1969. The album is emblematic of Beckford's distinctive rap-singing over the beat, known as 'toasting', a hallmark of all reggae-adjacent sounds to this day.

Review: The 4th Street Orchestra is one of several aliases used by Matumbi, which was actually one of Britain's first and most original reggae bands back in 1971 when they were founded initially. For the best showcase of their sound look no further than this landmark roots record Ah Who Seh? Go Deh! which came in 1976 and has been hard to find since. This is a first ever official reissue of it and finds Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell tapping into his vast knowledge of sound system culture and laying down heavy rhythms with plenty of Jah-worshipping, Zion-referencing lyrics and soulful yearnings. It's complex and cultured and packs a true bass heavy punch.

Review: Desmond Dekker recorded some of his best known songs together with his backing group the Aces. Their single '007 (Shanty Town)' made him Jamaican music's first outernational superstar, reaching the 14th place in the UK charts. The Leslie Kong-produced Double Dekker was first issued in 1973 and consists of the best material Desmond recorded during his early years. In 1969 he scored a number-one hit with the legendary song Israelites. You'll hear how the Ska music from the mid-60s developed to the Rocksteady sound. This was 'Ska' or 'Blue Beat' - (or its new name for the slower tempo rocksteady) - and the lyrics come from the Calypso-Mento method of telling about current events in music. He was really at his prime from 1969 to 1971 and recorded classics such as 'It Mek' (1969) and 'You Can Get It If You Really Want' (1970), which you'll both find on this record. Even before Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff Jamaica already had their own international superstar, Desmond Dekker was his name.

Review: Quite when Record Store Day starts and ends amidst all the vinyl delays we're all suffering from is anyone's guess these days. But this is a record set for that celebration of all things waxy and it is a limited 10" with tracks by Edi Fitzroy and DATC Dubcrew which were all produced by Mikey Dread. It comes on hand numbered copies on solid red, solid green and solid gold coloured vinyl. 'The Gun' kicks off with withering synth work and fat rolling rhythms before 'Invasion' sinks into a much slower, deeper dub. Flipside versions offer more rib rattling bass and pillowy drum

Review:  Founded in 1966 by Joel Gibson (a.k.a. Joe Gibbs) at his radio and TV repair shop on Beeston Street in Kingston, Jamaica, Amalgamated became one of the fastest-rising labels in correlation with the uprising of Rocksteady music. Their 'Jackpot Of Hits' compilation was originally released three years into the label's existence in 1969, whereby the the compilation was named after one of the label's most hard-hitting 7"s by The Pioneers, 'Jackpot'. Further contributions in the realms of ska, rocksteady and reggae come from Stranger Cole, The Pioneers, and Cool Sticky.

Review: This 1978 gem from the legendary dub band The Upsetters gets a top reissue job on limited and numbered heavyweight orange vinyl. That is the perfect medium to experience these heavy dubs - many of which have been crafted by the late great Lee "Scratch" Perry. Originally this one came in small numbers as a Jamaica-only press but was then reissued by Trojan. Next to originals by The Upsetters are feature tracks by Dillinger and Sir Lord Comic. A real doozy, then, with a custom-made new sleeve.

Review: Shanty Town was the debut album by the legends in the making of the reggae world that are Desmond Dekker and his Aces aka Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard. It of course induces the title track which was the first to make them stars on the international stage and even managed to hit the heady heights of #14 on the UK charts. It's an album that shows how ska from the mid-60s had an influence on the rocksteady sound and as well as the 'Spanky Town' classic you'll hear gems like 'Israelites' from 1968 and 'It Miek' from 1969.

Review: Reggae is a broad and deep world with many artists all with their own style. This new collection is compiled from the vast array of Jamaican artists, groups and its diaspora and gets form the genres early days right through its many subtle evolutions. As such it incudes gems from Jimmy Cliff, sonnet cold classics from Third World, Peter Tosh and Toots & The Maytals, some seductive lovers-rock from Dennis Brown, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Gregory Isaacs and and chart topping hit from Althea & Donna in the form of 'Uptown Top Ranking'.

Review: 'Open The Gate' is a 1989 box set of Lee 'Scratch' Perry's most enduring productions, involvements and features until that date - most of which were laid down at his legendary yet ramshackle recording studio Black Ark. These were the tunes that cemented Perry's name as an oddball, prodigal, outsider producer; classics including 'Words', plus The Upsetters' versions of their contemporaries The Heptones' tracks Babylon Falling and Mistry Babylon, all appear.

Review: Jamaican reggae harmony group The Silvertones were formed in 1964. The band was founded by Gilmore Grand and Keith Coley with the addition of Delroy Denton completing the lineup. It wasn't until 1973 that they recorded their debut album, Silver Bullets, with production taken care of by the late great Lee Scratch Perry. It was actually the first ever album tone produced in Perry's iconic Black Arc Studio and came on Trojan Records with single like 'I'll Take You Home' and 'Rejoice Jah Jah Children.' It is packed with laid back island sounds and beautiful vocals and has been pressed here on nice heavy vinyl for a warm and fulsome feel.

Review: The legend of the late great musical maverick and fascinating soul that was Lee 'Scratch' Perry will never diminish, such was the impact of what he did in the world of dub and reggae. He sure did a lot of it, too, so reissues will always come thick and fast with the latest being Jamaican E.T.. It came on February 5, 2002 via the Sanctuary/Trojan label and went on to win the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. His psychedelic dub roots are at the heart of each tune with elements of modern, roots and lovers rock all featuring. Check his cover of 'I'll Take You There' for the real highlight here.