This 1972 film broke reggae into U.S. pop culture with Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers to Cross ; the Maytals' Pressure Drop , and the rest of its stellar soundtrack. 30 years later Island and Hip-O teamed to create this 2-CD edition, the definitive master of the original plus 18 cuts of crucial 1968-72 reggae: Guava Jelly Johnny Nash; Sweet Sensation Melodians, and many more of Cliff's classics. Great new liners, too! Jamaican filmmaker Perry Henzell made reggae an integral player in his gritty 1973 saga of a renegade Kingston singer who becomes a modern Robin Hood, casting one of the style's earliest stars, Jimmy Cliff, in the lead, and filling this soundtrack–here presented in a remastered version–with classics from Toots & the Maytals ("Pressure Drop," "Sweet and Dandy"), Desmond Dekker ("Shanty Town"), the Melodians ("Rivers of Babylon"), and the Slickers ("Johnny Too Bad"). Cliff himself gets pole position, however, getting in the first ("You Can Get It If You Really Want") and last ("The Harder They Come") words in this first-rate reggae primer, which also features Cliff's enduring "Many Rivers to Cross." –Sam Sutherland

The mid-70s were heady years for reggae. Chris Blackwell’s Island imprint had taken the music to the rock world, and Virgin boss Richard Branson wanted to follow suit. Aided by none other than John Lydon, the pair decamped to Kingston, JA, with a suitcase of money, and proceeded to sign some of the biggest acts of the decade. Initially the records were released on Virgin but, in March 1978, the Front Line imprint was launched to carry all the Jamaican product.

A sublime set of roots, vocal and dubbed out instrumental magic, Close Encounters Of The Third World is a real lost gem in the treasure-filled Creation Rebel back catalogue. A true cross-atlantic collaboration - initial rhythm tracks were laid down in London in 1978, with horns and vocals overdubbed at Channel One in Jamaica, before bandleader Crucial Tony returned to London with the tapes for the album to be mixed by a visiting Prince Jammy. Originally released on pre-On-U Sound label Hitrun, and the second album released by the group chronologically. Unavailable for 45 years, it has been carefully pieced back together, for this new edition featuring extended 12” discomix versions of “Beware” and “Natty Conscience Free”, re-cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Includes new sleevenotes by reggae scholar David Katz that tells the story of the album in full, plus download card.

The Wailers 40th Anniversary - Limited to 500 copies, produced and distributed in Jamaica by Bunny Wailer includes 3 CDs "Musically Speaking" (Bunny Wailer talks The Wailers), 4 CDs "Ark Of The Covenant", a ca. 50 page booklet and the outer box set.

This double-disc set from Trojan includes classic ska, rocksteady and reggae tracks from Desmond Dekker & the Aces, Jimmy Cliff, Lee Perry & the Upsetters, the Melodians, Toots & the Maytals, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Ken Boothe, John Holt and many others. Though there are quite a few Jamaican classics missing from this history of the music, all the tracks included are quite solid.

2004 anthology from the veteran reggae singing group that includes their best known hits like "Book of Rules", "Games People Play", "Bad Boys" (The Theme to the TV Show "Cops") as Well as a Re-recorded Version of "Sweat" featuring Lady Saw. Also includes five tracks recorded for this Collection as well.

This expanded, two-CD collection features 24 tracks, all completely remastered to the highest modern standards. Included in addition to the original 10-song release is the non-LP track Smile Jamaica (the original B-side to the 'Satisfy My Soul' single written for the people of Jamaica after the assassination attempt on Marley s life at the Smile Jamaica unity concert in 1976). The second disc features the highly sought-after, unreleased live show, Live at Ahoy Hallen. This rare, unreleased audio recording of a sold out performance at Ahoy Hallen in Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 7, 1978 had originally been planned to be released with the 'Babylon By Bus' album but never came out. The Wailers were in top form that night, with stellar performances of 'Is This Love' and 'Easy Skanking' from the recently released 'Kaya,' album plus some of Marley's most beloved songs including 'Concrete Jungle,' 'No Woman No Cry,' 'War/No More Trouble,' 'Jamming,' 'I Shot The Sheriff,' 'Get Up,' 'Stand Up,' and the closing track 'Exodus,' all leaving the packed house in a frenzy. Packaged with the original artwork, Kaya: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition comes with a 23-page booklet that includes lyrics, rare photos, plus extensive liner notes.

Those with a just a passing interest in roots reggae are generally aware of Michael Rose's Grammy-winning group Black Uhuru, but the man himself doesn't have the same name recognition. With any luck, the grand Happiness: The Best of Michael Rose will change all that. A solo artist well before Uhuru, Michael Rose's output has equaled – and arguably topped – his work with Uhuru, and Happiness does a great job of representing. Kicking off with the original version of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and ending with the brilliant/quirky Fat Eyes production "Rough Life," Happiness brings to mind the mighty Bob Marley Legend compilation with its filler-free track listing. Just like Legend, Happiness is only an introduction to Rose, and while the man has released too many great, fully formed albums to say this is definitive, Happiness only misses the extended 12" side of his career and covers everything else splendidly.

Previously Unreleased Tracks And Previously Unavailable Mixes.

Big Youth's debut full-length album, 1972's Gussie Clark-produced Screaming Target, was an instant classic, showcasing Youth's uncanny ability to transfer the vitality and energy of Jamaica's dancehall sound to the studio setting. But Youth did more than that. Recognizing that if one is given the chance to say something, then one ought to have something useful to say, he lifted the art of DJ toasting to the level of art by intelligently incorporating bits of Rastafarian wisdom, pop-culture references (frequently connected to the world of cinema), children's rhymes and key lines from traditional Jamaican mento folk tunes into his toasts to create a music that both drew from and added to the classic island rhythms he used, ultimately creating a template that allowed constructive cultural themes to be reintroduced into the frequently slack dancehall scene. An essential Jamaican album in its original ten-song incarnation, Trojan has here reissued it with fourteen bonus tracks that include the original vocal cuts Youth used for his versions, along with some marvelous dub versions.

"Babylon by Bus" is a live album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing. Like the 1973 album Catch a Fire, the first release had something of a novelty cover. The windows of the bus on the front cover were cut out, revealing part of the inner sleeve. As this was a double album, the listener had a choice of four different scenes to view through the windows.

Originally released in 1976, ‘Reggae Masterpiece’ demonstrated the growing authority of Jamaican producer Joe Gibbs. Over the preceding nine years, the former electrical engineer had increasingly tightened his grip on the island’s music industry with innumerable best-selling 45s.
The pulling power of his hit-making status by the mid-70s is reflected in the artists featured on the album, with the selection featuring tracks by such reggae royalty as Jacob Miller, Horace Andy, Cornel Campbell and Lloyd Parks.
Previously unavailable on CD, the collection is now further enhanced from the cream of Gibbs’s the cream of Gibbs’ output from the period, including major Jamaican hits from Gregory Issacs Leo Graham, I Roy, Silford Walker and many more. Featuring a dozen tracks unavailable since their original issue on vinyl.

Two CD 34 track compilation by Jamaica's best known son, whose fame has grown to enormous proportions since his death over 20 years ago. Reggae has never seen anyone quite like him and probably never will again. Like Elvis, Lennon and other music legends, his legacy continues to reach out and touch the listener with a power that is hard to describe. This collection features the best of his early years before he finally broke through and became a global superstar. Includes 'Freedom Time', 'How Many Times', 'Mellow Mood', 'Small Axe', 'Feel Alright', 'African Herbsman', 'Kaya', 'Lively Up Yourself' and many more.

The sound of Capital Letters is deep roots - UK style. Championed by influential BBC DJ John Peel, Capital Letters breakthrough single 'Smoking My Ganja' became one of the bestselling reggae records of 1978. The success of their debut album Headline News led to multiple tours across the UK and mainland Europe throughout the early 1980s. More than 30 years later, Greensleeves reintroduces the group's critically acclaimed follow up album, Vinyard. Originally released in 1982, the re-issue package captures the sound of the golden age of UK reggae. In anticipation of the release, the band has re-formed and are currently rehearsing for shows to support the album release in the UK. Bonus tracks feature four previously unreleased 'Headline News' tracks along with the legendary BBC John Peel session.