Back catalogue: Klassiker/Ska

Review: A brand new repro and showcase of one of Studio One's best ever compilations, which has remained long out of print. Formerly only available on Record Store Day as a limited edition 7" box set, this fresh and inductive intro to Studio One's less obvious gemstones - The Studio One Showcase 45 - now hears an expanded edition on 2xLP. Getting into these cuts will inform a veritable levelling-up in your dubbing capacity and appreciatorship. Bob Marley is the most famous feature, with his original Wailers version of 'One Love' serving as a nodal flow-point through which we may discover the vigilant lights of Judah Eskender Tafari ('Danger In Your Eyes'), Joe Higgs ('Dinah') and Liberation Group ('Namibia').

Review: This reissue brings a rare gem from Jamaica's golden era of ska back into the spotlight, offering an authentic snapshot of the genre's flourishing evolution in the early 60s. Prince Buster takes centre stage, delivering five exclusive tracks that exemplify his mastery of infectious, horn-driven rhythms, including the lively 'Flying Ska' and the gritty 'Eye For An Eye.' However, it's not just Buster's presence that makes this collection stand out; the inclusion of tracks from legends like The Maytals, Don Drummond, and Roland Alphonso highlights the diversity within the ska scene. The Skatalites' 'Perhaps' is a moment of unmistakable instrumental brilliance, while 'Ska War' from The Maytals pulses with that unmistakable energy that still defines the genre today.

Review: This is a killer collection of tunes from the 70s no matter how shallow or deep your love of this particular form is. Originally intended as a 1971 sampler for Studio One tracks released on Bamboo in the UK, it was delayed due to the label's bankruptcy and eventually released in 1974 on Attack. Now, 50 years later, Studio One is reissuing the original album with two bonus tracks. For many years a long-out-of-print gem, the album features alternate takes of Ken Boothe's 'Moving Away' and Im and David's 'Heavy Beat' along with rarities like The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari's 'So Long Rastafari' and The Heptones' 'Suspicious Minds.' Do not sleep, this won't be around for long.

Review: Back in 2019, Soul Jazz marked Record Store Day by releasing a rather tidy seven-inch box set of classic Studio One reggae jams, the simply titled Showcase 45. Six years on, they've decided to reissue the collection on CD in expanded, 18-track form (the original edition featured 10 tracks stretched across five 45s). It provides a perfect introduction to the Studio One universe, showcasing cuts from such masters of reggae, rocksteady and ska as Freddie McGregor ('Beat Down Babylon'), Bob Marley and the Wailers (the original version of the later re-recorded 'One Love'), Jackie Mitoo (the rhythm & blues-tinged, Hammond organ-rich 'Mixing'), the Heptones (the horn-heavy shuffle of 'How Can I Leave You'), Horace Andy (the cheerful-sounding 'Miami Blue') and the Skatalites (bona-fide dancefloor gem 'Sudden Destruction').

Review: Originally intended as a UK showcase for Studio One’s deep roster, the Big Bamboo compilation was first compiled by Coxsone Dodd in 1971 for release on Junior “Ashanti” Lincoln’s Bamboo label. A strong selection, all these were first issued as 7” singles in the UK - included are The Heptones’ take on 'Suspicious Minds', Freddie McKay’s 'Sweet You Sour You', Wailing Souls’ 'Mr. Fire Coal Man', and Ken Parker’s 'Choking Kind’. Though it should’ve been recognised for the prized garland of tunes that it was at the time, the LP was shelved when Bamboo went bankrupt. Trojan thankfully rescued the release after the later launch of their Attack imprint.; and now, some five decades later, Studio One has finally brought the compilation home, reissuing it themselves with newly remixed and remastered audio and two bonus cuts: Sound Dimension’s 'Africa Yama' and an alternate version of Ken Boothe’s 'Moving Away'.

Review: .This essential album from Doctor Bird highlights the great Phil Pratt's remarkable work during a pivotal era in Jamaican music. Feel Good All Over: The Sunshot Singles 1972-1973 digs into his work during that golden time and turns out both many well-known hits and some rarer gems, a total of 30 of which appear on CD for the first time. This collection captures the energy of a time when Pratt, alongside a new wave of equally bold and ambitious producers, pushed against the established norms of the island's music scene and brought in new influences. The result is a treasure trove of some of the finest and most influential reggae recordings from the pre-roots period including deep-cut gems like Delroy Wilson's aching 'Heart Made Of Stone', the romantic harmonies of The Soul Syndicate and swagger of 'Phil Pratt Thing'.