Reggae & Dancehall Vinyl 329 Items

Jamaica’s supreme rhythm builders during the 1980s and 90s, Steely and Clevie joined forces at King Jammy’s in the aftermath of ‘Sleng Teng,’ with Clevie on drum machines and Steely on synths, to fashion countless hit rhythms for the rising stars of the dancehall movement. Dubbist was the first Steely and Clevie dub album, an irresistible collection of tough digital dub workouts that strips bare the computerised wizardry at the duo’s core. Collecting dubs cut at various studios, including King Jammy’s and Tuff Gong, these killer dubs will delight all digital dancehall fans

One of the most popular and high profile of Jamaican reggae vocalists, Gregory Isaacs was a rough diamond who clawed his way out of the harsh western Kingston ghetto with an instantly recognisable voice that was wonderfully emotive, expressing both his toughness and determination for betterment, as well as the bleeding heart of a vulnerable lover. New Dance is one of the excellent mid-1990s dancehall albums expertly produced by Anthony Dehaney, alias Bunny Gemini, working as usual with the Firehouse Crew, this time with Fatman Thompson of King Tubby’s studio at the mixing desk and guitarist Lascelles Beckford of the Gifted Roots band as special guest. As usual, Gregory rides the rhythms with considerable aplomb, feeling completely natural atop the hard-edged rhythms and tackling a range of topics along the way. Much of the album deals with love lost, love gained, and love deferred; ‘Say A Special Prayer’ revamps the evergreen ‘Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On’ and ‘New Dance’ salutes the allure of dancehall music in the open air. This is one of Mr Isaacs’ better offerings from the mid-1990s, worth getting to know if you’re not already familiar with it, and a must-have if you’ve worn out your original copy.

A gorgeous disco track with Susan's whisper voice and melancholy melody. Originally released in 1988, this is a great masterpiece that is hard to believe it is more than 30 years old now!!

A mellow stepper lovers cover of T.I.M.E's soulful reggae classic. The album version is a different take from the one released as a single at the time. The reverse side is a great lovers rock song with a heavy one-drop backed by One Blood!!

A mid-tempo, cool arrangement with falsetto vocals, this reggae tune is reminiscent of the free soul that swept Japan in the 90's. Only a few hundred copies of this extremely rare tune were released in Jamaica at the time.

A remake of 1983 Surface disco hits. Fashionable and mellow Jamaican lovers featuring rhythm boxes and analog synths, the trend at the time. The beat is less aggressive and more soulful than the original.

Emotional Rescue is at it again with another fully licensed and remastered offering, this time bringing to wax Mataya's Golddigger with a previously digital-only 'tape Mix.' Zimbabwe-born and later London-based Mataya "Clifford" Chewaluza was a core part of the vibrant West London music scene, using his songwriting, production and multi-instrumentalist skills on albums for RCA and Virgin. He also dropped a few 12"s and this one was released in 1988. It's a cult curio with crashing 80s production, disco-tinged grooves and plenty of subtle African rhythm which includes a standout dub mix from Jura Soundsystem.

Second album reissue for Big Joe (born Joseph Spalding in 1955), Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, who recorded extensively in the 1970s and early 1980s. This is the follow up to Keep Rocking And Swinging, released on Live & Love in 1978 and produced by Bunny Lee. A must for all the reggae and dub fanatics out on Radiation Roots.

The ‘3000 Volts of Holt’ album was the third in a series of records that launched John Holt into the UK charts in the 1970’s. To say that every home had a copy of a 1000 Volts and many 2000 Volts of Holt might be an overstatement but it certainly felt that way, as all good radio stations and parties seemed to have these tracks on permanent rotation.’3000 Volts of Holt’ was the more roots sounding of the three albums but still carried that sweetened string sound that set these recordings together.

Even though Lennon & McCartney compositions have been recorded by every genre of artist in the music industry, this selection by The Jamestown Sheiks, is unique in that the famous songs are presented in reggae style, and what a treat it is! Every song is a gem and it is refreshing to hear a different treatment of these all-time pop standards.

Emotional Rescue is delighted to reissue for the first time, the legendary Ernest Ranglin teaming up with Noel Williams aka King Sporty, on this 1983 meeting of reggae guitar legend and Miami disco boogie don that resulted in this highly sought after 6 track mini-LP.
A defining guitarist and composer in the development of Jamaican music, Ranglin leads little introduction. In a career spanning over 50 years, he was involved in the move from mento and calypso to ska and on to reggae, playing on the groundbreaking recording of My Boy Lollipop itself, before going on to work with the likes of the Skatalies, Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. Born in 1932 in Manchester, West Jamaica before moving to Kingston, Ranglin's self-taught chordal and rhythmic approach blended jazz, mento and reggae with percussive guitar solos. On moving to Florida in 1982, he teamed up with scene king, Williams to present 'a new style', mixing the bass heavy boogie disco the producer was famous for with Ranglin's unique playing. Featuring a who's who of the Miami scene including Bobby Caldwell, Timmy Thomas, Betty Wright and Williams himself, the rearranged order starts here with Soft Touch. A retake of Thomas' TK Disco and Cosmic) classic Africano, before a skanking remake of the William's standard, Keep On Dancing and title bomber Be What You Want Be, crown the match of reggae and vocal disco. Also, included is a beautiful take on Anthony Hester's R&B classic, In The Rain, while the record closes with the choice Papa "Doo" and jammer Why Not.

Earlando Arrington Neil became Early B on the Jamaican sound system scene, working his way through Soul Imperial, King Majesty and other sets before coming to prominence in the early 1980s on Kilimajaro, where he became known as ‘The Doctor’ for unleashing his lyrical cures on the mic. Recording for various producers from 1981, Early B reached another level upon linking with deejay-turned-producer Jah Thomas in 1984, the humorous hit ‘Sunday Dish’ leading to this explosive LP of the same name, an enduring classic of early dancehall that also features the equally hilarious ‘Learn Fi Drive.’ All killer, no filler!

1988 debut from these US ska legends, finally reissued.

Evergreen digital roots `n’ dub from The Disciples with vocals from the late great Jamaican singer Creation Stepper aka Willy Stepper, whose voice graced many a 70’s roots reggae classic. This cut is a relick of Stepper’s 1978 classic `Kill Nebuchadnezzar’ backed with another vocal cut - `Ozone Layer’ with two dub cuts. Mixed and produced by Russ D in the Disciples studio in 1991 but only getting a release in 2011 on the Disciples Vintage label, which promptly sold out.

Seventh Seal – originally released on the Mystic Red Corporation label in 1988 - was the blueprint for what would become the UK Dub / Roots scene, inspiring many others make bass-heavy dub music with a lean towards Jah Shaka sound system and the likes of Augustus Pablo and King Tubby.

The compilation you hold in your hands features the best of U Brown’s 1983 release Jam It Tonight, cut at Channel One with the Roots Radics, coupled with enthralling earlier singles laid at Channel with the Revolutionaries. The high points are many in this thoroughly agreeable set that showcases the best of peak-period U Brown; beginning with the devotional ‘Jah Is My Father Still’ and ‘Walk With Jah Love’ from Jam It Tonight, the title track speaks of reggae music’s unstoppable nature and ‘Reggae Gone International’ is a celebratory take of the ‘Pick A Dub’ rhythm, here totally reconfigured, Maxfield Avenue style. ‘Rub A Dub All The Time’ (aka ‘Tu Sheng Peng’) is a killer take of the Dennis Brown song of the same name, while ‘Blow Mr Hornsman Blow’ is an awesome re-working of the ‘Take Five’ rhythm, and ‘Come Along’ a beautiful deejay counterpart to Sugar Minott’s ‘Steal Away Girl’. U Brown has since gone on to enjoy all kinds of musical adventures in the UK, USA, and Europe, where he settled in the 1990s; listen to the artistry on No Stoppin’ This Music and marvel at his enduring talents.

After running a sound system and studying electronics overseas, Spanish Town-based Harry Mudie began releasing rhythm and blues recordings by local performers, enjoying more concerted success during the reggae era of the late 1960s and mid-1970s, crafting lasting hits with artists like Dennis Walks and the Spanish Town-based toaster I Roy. The first volume of the Dub Conference series, made with King Tubby, has stripped-down cuts of some of Mudie’s greatest productions, including ‘Lorna’s Dance,’ a percussion and horns take of ‘Caught You In A Lie’, and a strings cut of the Heptones’ ‘Love Without Feeling.’ Excellent!

Anyone with a passing interest in music will have heard Bob Marley but anyone with a little more than a passing interest will be familiar with Lee Perry also known as ‘Scratch’ or ‘The Upsetter’. Now better known as a ’performance artist’ his antics and acrobatics on the international festival circuit have gained him a committed following eager to see what Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, now in his eighties, will dare to get up to next. However, throughout the sixties and seventies Scratch was the production genius behind some of the greatest, most complex, and seriously experimental music to ever come out of Jamaica… or anywhere else for that matter. He has made an indelible, incredible contribution to the development of reggae music as a producer, arranger, writer and (occasionally) singer and has been the inspiration behind innumerable developments in the genre In 1968 Scratch’s production of ‘Tighten Up’ with The Untouchables gave the name to Trojan Records’ hugely popular series of albums which were instrumental in crossing over the sound of real reggae to the mainstream audience. The following year the scintillating Upsetters instrumental Return Of Django reached Number Five in the UK National Charts.
His work with Bob Marley & The Wailers in the early seventies, rated by many cognoscenti as the trio’s strongest recordings, emphasised the deeper roots elements in their music and, paradoxically, paved the way for Bob Marley’s commercial crossover success later in the decade. His collaborations with King Tubby in 1973 culminated in ‘Upsetters 14 Dub Black Board Jungle’, one of the very first and perhaps the best ever dub album. Scratch’s production of Susan Cadogan’s interpretation of Millie Jackson’s version of Katie Love’s It Hurts So Good reached Number Four in the UK National Charts in 1975… the list goes on. ‘Genius’ is a much abused term too often used to describe the most mediocre of talents but Lee Perry is, beyond question, a genuine genius.
A renewed deal with Island Records in 1976 to release his productions internationally gave worldwide, high profile exposure to a number of albums emanating from Scratch’s legendary Black Ark studio. These included one of the most important and influential recordings in the complicated and convoluted history of Jamaican music, ranked by many as the greatest set Perry cut with a solo vocalist, George Faith’s ‘To Be A Lover’.

Willie Williams is one of those outstanding reggae individualists who has carved out his own musical niche, making a lasting impact as a beloved roots vocalist and lyricist. His unusual vocal tone is distinctive and affecting, and he has taken a singular approach to music production which parallels his uncommon spiritual beliefs; like his friend and collaborator, Yabby You, Williams is one of a select coterie of reggae figures who wear dreadlocks and celebrate the culture of rastafari, but who reject the notion of Haile Selassie’s divinity, standing firm in their belief in Jesus Christ. He will always be best remembered for his landmark Studio One recording “Armagideon Time,” which was memorably covered by The Clash, but Williams’ career has been long and varied, his story taking in many different twists and turns. Another truly original reggae great.

Jamaican deejay Shorty The President may have been one of the more obscure figures to rise from the Kingston sound system scene, but the impact he made on vinyl recordings during the 1970s is no less important and his work remains coveted by reggae connoisseurs. Born Derrick Thompson in rural Trelawny in 1949, like many of his peers, he moved to the Jamaican capital as a teenager in search of better opportunities. As he gravitated to the Rastafari faith, an affiliation with the sound system Conquering Lion sparked interest from producer Rupie Edwards, who produced debut hits “President Mash Up The Resident” and “Yamaha Skank.” Edwards issued debut album Presenting Shorty The President in 1976 and after sparse work for Enos McLeod, Joe Gibbs, Pete Weston, Winston Riley and Keith Hudson, sophomore album Fire Fire was produced by Bunny Lee in 1978, with Shorty riding typically tough Aggrovators rhythms of the day, including Ronnie Davis’ updated version of Bob Marley’s “Kaya” and The Cables’ “Baby Why,” Delroy Wilson’s “Have Some Mercy” and Barry Brown’s take of Wilson’s “I’m Not A King,” as well as killer cuts of Brown’s “Natty Roots Hold Them” as “Roots Man” and “Best Thing In Life” as “Do My Thing.”

Tony Clarke is from Waterhouse, St. Andrew Jamaica. At the tender age of 10 he started following sound systems like Sir Mike The Musical Dragon with the great toaster Prince Ruff at the controls, and King Tubby's with the legendary U-Roy. Tony Clarke did his first recording in New York in 1971 at Hugh Hendricks recording studio called "Righteous Man" of which he played both bass and lead guitar. The band was later managed by the legendary band leader/trombonist Carlos Malcolm.
Tony Clarke decided to write the song “Going Home” to reference the roots of his music. In those days and even now good reggae music that was being recorded in the United States was not receiving the approbation from home because, in Jamaica they felt that the best reggae music could only come from and be created in Jamaica to substantiate the true feeling of the genre. So he decided to go back to Jamaica and record “Going Home” at Harry J Studio with Sylvan Morris as engineer.
The rhythm track was played by Lloyd Parks (Bass), Devon Richardson (Drum), Andy Bassford (Lead Guitar), Winston "Bo-Pee" Bowen (Rhythm Guitar), Franklyn "Bubbler" Waul (Keyboard), David Madden & Junior "Chico" Chin (Horns). He also recorded the cover version to “Hey Little Girl” originally done by Dee Clark. For this 12'' vinyl edition, the artwork was done with a vintage photo of Tony Clarke in front of his house at Waterhouse and extended liner notes on the back cover.

Emotional Rescue and Jamwax come together to present the first of three essential 12's from NY/Jamaican label Capo Disco, all officially licensed and remastered for the first time. The brainchild of reggae vocalist, musician, producer and label owner Glen Adams, the label married disco with his Caribbean roots to perfection. TIP! Born and raised in Jamaica, Adams story is a similar one to the performers of the golden period post-Independence. Initially discovered as a vocalist by Coxsone Dodd, he went on to work with such luminaries as Ken Boothe and Stranger Cole before co-founding The Heptones and working Duke Reid, Bunny Lee and Lloyd Charmers.
As a session organist he worked for The Hippy Boys, The Reggae Boys and later with Lee Perry's The Upsetters. Here he came in to the orbit of The Wailors, touring England with them in the early 70s and with Perry co-wrote Mr Brown. When most of The Upsetters became Marley's rhythm section, Adams stayed with Perry before making the move to Brooklyn in 1975.
There he started Capo Records, running it and it's sub-labels, successfully until the mid-80s. During these later years he ventured in to mixing Reggae with Boogie and Disco rhythms and released just four 12's under Capo Disco as well as recording boogie and hip-hop influenced releases with T Ski Valley and as Glen Adams Affair for SAM and Moonglow Records.
Here then the spotlight is on Adam's nascent disco releases and the series starts with the wonderful, uplifting A Beat For You. Actually appearing on a one off sister-label, Top Secret, this is a beautiful 'Lovers' anthem from Adams over a laidback dub-bass riddim. Backed with a simple instrumental Version, the space and interplay of the keys and guitar over drum and bass is superlative. 'There is a beat in my heart, just for you...just for you.'

/ one cold vibe

Reissue from 1989, amazing leftfield Lovers Rock featuring extended dub version - emotional love bomb. Re-mastered and restored.

Get ready for a double dose of roots fire with the next Jack Ruby reissue! This 12" packs a serious punch on both sides. First up, the legendary Tyrone Taylor with "Move Up Black Man." Originally recorded in 1976, this anthem for empowerment is finally getting its rightful release as a single. Next up, for an absolute deep roots experience, we have "Free Rhodesia" a monumental instrumental on the "Rockfort Rock" rhythm featuring the full lineup of the Black Disciples backing band. Jack Ruby himself introduces the band one by one, and for those who remember, this track gets a mention in the iconic film "Rockers," where Ruby requests the drumming talents of the one and only Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace.

Straight from the long forgotten tapes of Avi and never released before. The DUB version of Ish I'm Neshama (Man with soul) that was featured on his iconic Lokeach Et Hayom Leat album that was released in 1986 as the first ever reggae and dub record to be made in Israel. Produced by the greatest of the greatest Yossi Fine and Dennis Bovel.

This 7" with the special dub version sees the light of day for the first time ever, alongside its' original track. Fiyah ??

Originally released in 1976

This is the very first reissue of the much in demand double sided killer single released in 1970 on the Upsetter label. Both tracks were produced by Lee Perry. The A side is a beautiful yet wicked cover of LET IT BE by the Beatles, produced by Lee Perry and performed by the Soulettes. The B side is BIG DOG Bloxie, an even wackier version of the A side by Lee Perry!

Peak 1987 all time, top tier digital reggae. Killer one-away rhythm and awesome militant vocal from Hopeton Lindo. One of our all time favorite politically conscious reggae tunes, still relevant today. Better still, this release is taken straight from the original master tape and is nearly a full minute longer than the original release, wherein Hopeton drops a bit of our favorite dancehall vernacular. Real hardcore DKR heads will know when they hear it.

These two tracks were initially released on separate singles, “The Rooster” was released on Duke (a Trojan sublabel) in 1970 whilst “The Saint” was released on Trojan the same year in 1970. This is the first time these two MCCook’s Boss tracks are released together and it is also the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of these two rare and in demand Skinhead hits.

Attention: This is a special limited edition - strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only.

Earl Lindo production from 1984...