Reggae & Dancehall Vinyl 318 Items

Two albums that shook the world! The release of these two ground-breaking dubs sets in 1975 altered the course of modern music forever. Dub From The Roots & Roots Of Dub make up a crucial selection of King Tubby’s mind-altering dub versions.
Produced by Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee – both albums are essential!

The ace reissue of these wicked dub albums collecting together classic 70's dub versions by dub pioneer and leader of ‘roots’ music in Jamaica, King Tubby! Tubby’s vast knowledge of electronics and Bunny’s vast catalogue of rhythms would lay the foundations of what today is taken as a standard. All the tracks on here are versions of classic tracks from Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Linval Thompson, Derick Morgan & Hortense Ellis dubbed out by the King of Dub King Tubby!’

Scientist was only 20 years old when, working with fellow producer “Junjo” Lawes, came up with this stunner, a sinuous groove party with cartoonlike special effects (a lots of bongs and boings like pans hitting one another, blips and squeals that sound like a Pac-Man game). All the “song” titles are references to boxing (a motif that Scientist was obviously mining for all it was worth), and all are great individual bits of dub sound that cohere into a meaningful whole.

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.

“Best Dressed Chicken in Town” is the debut album by Jamaican deejay Dr. Alimantado. It was first released in 1978, and collects many of his self-produced singles from 1972 to 1977, employing the engineering talents of Lee Perry, King Tubby, and Scientist.

It was the first album released by Greensleeves Records, and found favour with followers of both reggae and punk rock in the United Kingdom. The album employed several major hits as the basis for the tracks, including Horace Andy's versions of "Ain't No Sunshine" (on the title track) and "A Quiet Place" ("Poison Flour" and "I Shall Fear No Evil"), John Holt's "Ali Baba" ("I Killed the Barber"), and Gregory Isaacs' "Thief a Man" (on "Gimmie Mi Gun") and "My Religion" ("Unitone Skank"). The album was described by The Independent as "one of the finest albums from reggae's golden age".

The front cover photography is credited to D.K. James and the back cover artwork and photography to David Hendley.

Within any musical style, there are a few select works that resonate so strongly with audiences that they come to define the genre itself, taking on a mythical quality that transforms the album into something greater than the sum of its individual parts. Meets Uptown Rockers, the 1976 collaboration between producer instrumentalist Augustos Pablo and visionary dub engineer Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock, is one of those historic releases. The album, which features Pablo playing melodica, clavinet, piano and organ,
contains some of the greatest dub songs of all time, including Jacob Miller’s “Baby I Love You So,” and the darkly seductive title track. The chemistry between Pablo’s beautiful “Far East” signature sound and King Tubby’s meticulous attention to sonic detail results in an album the Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae says is “regarded by many as one of the greatest dub albums of all time.

Fully remastered and licensed, ltd to 500 copies. Welcome to the realm of creator and mentor Michael Wadada, the man behind the exotic manoeuvres of Suns of Arqa, one of the most sought after world beat fusion project of the early eighties. His main goal was to increase the vibrations of classical Indian raga with the rhythms of Niyabinghi drumming, epitomized in England by contemporary dub producers. Released in 1980 on Manchester’s own Rock Steady Records, Revenge Of The Mozabites is an essential masterpiece paving the way for future over the border contamination. Deeply informed by cosmic mysticism the album still reverberates with the hidden sounds of earth & soul.

Originally released in 1978 "Leggo Dub" produced by Ossie Hibbert is one of the iconic dub albums of the seventies. Seen as the dub companion to Gregory's classic "Mr. Isaacs" album it boasts six mind-expanding Cool Ruler dub treatments plus four further speaker-shakers to showcase the Revolutionaries in full effect. Now re-released in finest remastered sound quality on VP Records’ sub-label 17 North Parade!

Rids the World of the Curse of the Vampires (1981) not only ably displays the mix masters varied approach of, but clocks in as one of his best outings! Scientist keeps things lively with plenty of reverb and echo-treated percussion, ghostly piano parts, video game sound effects, and other various wobbly interjections from the mixing board. And adding to the record’s expert evocation of the Halloween spirit are some fiendishly voiced intros, the cover art’s cartoon potpourri of horror film characters, and the dubious claim made in the liner notes that Scientist mixed it all at midnight on Friday the 13th (reach for the flashlights kids). Along with Keith Hundson’s Pick a Dub and Lee Perry’s Blackboard Jungle Dub, this excellent Scientist release is one of the essential dub albums available.

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.

Your opportunity to get this at HHV now. If you want it, order it. We will only stock this if you pre-order it. After your order it will be in stock within 2 weeks.

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’.

Get On Down presents an often overlooked crucial reggae release from the 1970s with Johnny Clarke’s “Rockers Time Now.” The record is a mix of covers and originals, including ethereal versions of the The Abyssinians “Satta Massagana” and “Declaration of Rights,” smash hits on the island just the year before. “Rockers Time Now” was first issued in 1976, Clarke had just been named artist of the year in Jamaica for the second year in a row. This is just one of three full lengths he released that year as this was a very prolific period for Clarke, in particular from 1974 onward when his output was directed by legendary producer Bunny Lee. The pairing resulted in a creative energy that resonates to this day. The release was recorded at Channel 1 with Bunny Lee producing, which of course means the band backing the popular Jamaican vocalist was The Aggrovators, which at the time included Robbie Shakespeare, Earl ""Chinna"" Smith, Augustus Pablo, and Aston “Family Man” Barrett. The release was mixed at King Tubby’s by Osbourne Ruddock…aka King Tubby. Crucial all the way around. Now is the time to rediscover a classic of the genre, “Rockers Time Now”.

Jahlin, whose real name is Colin Pitter, was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and moved to Canada in 1975 for his education. He graduated from high school majoring in welding in 1979 and began working as a welder in Toronto while pursuing his musical career. In 1980, Jahlin joined the reggae band Joshua on the recommendation of a fellow musician, Gregory Frank. Later, he recorded his first single "Roots Reality" under his own label, Black Echo. Jahlin's "Roots Reality" is a roots reggae song that was originally released on the Roots Reality label in 1983. Overall, "Roots Reality" is a powerful roots reggae song that showcases Jahlin's talent as a singer and songwriter, as well as his commitment to spreading messages through his music. Its particularity is the addition of violin which is rarely heard in roots reggae music.

Limited edition for Record Store Day 2023!

Toots and the Maytals' Funky Kingston is a brilliant reggae album and suitable for both beginners as for experienced listeners. The album was released twice and with so much success that it charted in the Billboard 200 and eventually made it to the Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

“Skinhead Revolt” by Joe The boss aka Joe Mansano was first released in 1970 on the Trojan sublabel Joe as a B side to the track “Tony B’s Theme” by Joey’s All Stars. “The Thief” was released in 1969 on the Joe Label with the track “Gun The Man Down” by Dice The Boss on the flip. “Gun The Man Down” is also being repressed by us on a separate single. Both titles are British Boss Reggae classics that are very much demand.

Originally released in Jamaica on the Bertram Brown's "Freedom Sounds" label in 1978

Re-issue with two bonus tracks. Mixed at King Tubby's Studios by Scientist & Prince Jammy.

In this great LP Scientist delivers one of his most progressive mixes, deconstructing the originals down to their skeletal base and adding just the right amount of mixing board-generated Echoplex and reverb with his patented minimal sound, a landscape resplendent with steely piano, depth-charge drums, and futuristic dub effects. A mind-warping yet eminently enjoyable way to check into dub central!

Dennis Brown's roots classic "Milk and Honey" freshly remastered, complete with Clive Hunt's original "Bitter Sweet" dub (under his Azul moniker) on the A Side. On the B side, Jay Glass Dubs unfolds a skewed and deconstructed contemporary dub. Strictly limited-edition white label vinyl.

Fully remastered and licensed, ltd to 500 copies. Reissued here for the first time, in an extended version, the UK reggae band’s only album, originally released on Ball Record in 1978. One of the best-kept secrets of the late 70’s/mid 80’s British reggae scene who, with Steel Pulse, competed for the title of best reggae band in Birmingham. The album includes these eight tracks plus both sides of the bands final single and a brace of previously unreleased tracks.

Lee Perry first came to prominence working with
Coxsone Dodd’s fabled Studio One. This is where
Scratch earned the nickname with the wildly
popular Jamaican hit record and dance craze
“Chicken Scratch.” After a fall out with Dodd, Perry
moved on to a stint with Joe Gibb’s Amalgamated.
Again in a dispute over compensation Perry moved
on to form his own label, Upsetter and established
his house band, the Upsetters.
By 1973 Perry had also established Black Ark, a
recording studio of his own that functioned as an
effective fertilizer throughout what was Jamaica's
most innovative period for sounds and recording
techniques. In that year, as Perry and Black Ark
entered a period of heavy dub output, Scratch
recorded Cloak And Dagger. This early dub outing
is a testament to Perry’s lo-fi mastery as
he utilized his TEAC four-track, Soundcraft board,
tape delays, phasers, reverb and any other
ambient sounds he could get this hands on as an
instrument rather than just to record instruments.
Get On Down celebrates a piece of reggae history
and one of Lee Perry’s crowning achievements with
this reissue of Cloak And Dagger, presented here
as originally issued in Jamaica in 1973.

Colored Vinyl