Ska Vinyl 159 Items

Jump UP Christmas 45 tradition continues with this double header of new & original holiday songs! Specialized UK champs THE Skapones don chimes on the 2 Tone skanker "ring THE Bells" flipped w/ DC's Scotch Bonnets dance floor pearl "winter Reggae Party". White vinyl repress ltd 250 copies

California based ska/reggae act teams up with the singers from 60's British legends Symarip for a collectible maxi 10" single with two new songs plus dubs from Roger Rivas (the Aggrolites). Both ROY Ellis and Monty Neysmith shine on these rootsy reggae cuts. Sleeve art by Chema Skandal

Number 4 from series:"Non-Ska bands play Ska" - two band, one single, international.SNIPER 66 play Who I AM und BLANKS 77 are Skanged & Pogoed!Limited to 500 copies, hand numbered.

Second album from long running NYC ska pop new wave act, mixed by Agent JAY of THE Slackers. Multiple US tours including an appearance at Sxsw21 under their belt, this female fronted powerhouse delivers 8 tracks including a cover of Bikini KILL's "rebel Girl". Limited edition pink vinyl.

Lovers rock legend returns with two brand new vintage style tunes produced by MITCH "KING KONG" GIRO. "GIRL WHO CRIED" is a rootsy midtempo rocksteady jam with true lovers flava, the flip "I DON'T WANT ANYBODY BUT YOU" is a fantastic ska groover.

Debut vinyl outing from British ska/reggae act who formed in the early 90s, a infectious concept album that lyrically references 60's political events using samples and looped drums/horns. A 90's style electronica/ska hybrid that's unique in today's scene. White wax, pic sleeve, limited pressing of 300.

Original album + live. 2 x 140g Crystal Clear / 2 x Printed Inner Sleeves / Gatefold LP Jacket / RSD Sticker

Nice repress of these classic tunes.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.Side A : Never Released. Early Ska Vocal.1961 Recording At Federal Studio. Unknown Duke Reid's Duo Artist. Side B : Recoding At Federal Studio 1961. Great Ska Instrumental. This One Was Recording Before "You're So Delightful" By Skatalites In Jamaica.

After a nine year wait, The Eskargot Miles pick up straight where they left off on their 2021 album Rise Again. Expect to be transported to fairer shores, as the nine member Japanese ska band add their Japanese spin on a classic reggae sound. With recent P-vine releases from Little Tempo, Natsu Summer and Asuka Ando, The Eskargot Miles find themselves as part of a thriving scene, and P-vine is excited to bring the album to vinyl format with this limited edition pressing.

New album from long running Washington DC act, produced by Agent Jay of THE Slackers. Soulful female vocals with a sound that infuses psychedelia and jazz into traditional ska & rocksteady. Features members of fellow DC jazz ska loyalists Eastern Standard Time. Twelve tracks on white vinyl.

Side A : Unreleased Great Rock Steady Vocal. Recording In Duke Reid Studio 1966. Side B : Unreleased. Great Rock Steady Instrumental. Recording In Duke Reid Studio 1966.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

These two avidly sought-after early Reggay tracks are quite rare. Splash Down is the instrumental version of Sufferer and both songs have been produced by Derrick Harriott. This is the first time these two wicked tracks are released together on a 7inch vinyl single.

THE Kingstonians Jamaican vocal trio, the Kingstonians were formed around 1966 by Cebert Bernard (aka Jackie Bernard) and his brother Lloyd "Footy" Bernard, along with mutual friend Lloyd Kerr. They began their recording career with producer J.J. Johnson, but had their greatest success between 1968 and 1970 with producer Derrick Harriott, who helped steer the singles "Singer Man" and "Sufferer" to the top of the Jamaican charts. An LP of the Harriott material was released in 1970 under the title “Sufferer”. The album was the career high point for the Kingstonians, who left Harriott to work briefly with producers Leslie Kong and Rupie Edwards before breaking up as the roots reggae era began.

THE Crystalites The Crystalites were the backing and studio band for legendary producer Derrick Harriott and included top 60s Jamaican musicians e.g. Bongo Herman, Bongo Les, Boris Gardiner, Gladstone Anderson, Karl Bryan, Winston Wright among others!

They were extremely productive between 1968 and 1974 and recorded 4 albums and countless singles covering many styles from Boss Reggae to Dub. More specifically, they recorded many wicked and awesome “versions” of hit songs of that time e.g. Sufferer by THE Kingstonians!

Debut Epitaph/Hellcat release for the pietasters. Produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion/Epitaph Records. Peaked at #44 on 10/25/1997

First time on vinyl for classic 1995 album from long running New York ska act, originally released by Moon NYC. Inc the band's biggest hits "william Shatner" & "nude Beach". Traditional big band ska with the zest of 2-Tone, with Victor Rice and Buford O'sullivan (easy Star). Blue vinyl.

Side A: 1969 Recordind Duke Reid's Studio. Unreleased. Great Harmony And Killer Early Reggae Vocal. Side B: 1969 Never Released at 1969. Wicked Early Reggae Vocal. A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

First time on vinyl for 1999 ska reggae classic originally released on Moon NYC. St Louis' darlings blended soul, neo-traditonal ska & rock steady into a wonderful mix that truly shows on this sophomore album. Inc fan faves "hold ME Tight" and "strikeout Summer". Heavyweight green vinyl.

a Sino/Japanese twist.

In the early 1960s Justin Yap and his brother Ivan [aka ‘Jahu’] ran the Top Deck sound system from their family’s ice cream parlour and restaurant in Barbican, Kingston. The local success of the sound system encouraged them to venture into the recording business, and by 1962 Justin had recorded singers Larry Marshall, Ephraim ‘Joe’ Henry and Ferdie Nelson. The fledgling label enjoyed a modest local Jamaican hit in 1963, with trumpeter Baba Brooks and the Trenton Spence Orchestra's “Distant Drums” issued on Top Deck Records as the b-side to Larry Marshall’s hit “Too Young To Love”. As a fan of exotica composer Martin Denny, Justin had heard “Jungle Drums” on Denny’s 1959 LP “Afro-Desia”. His liking for Martin Denny would prove fruitful later, when Justin recorded the Skatalites in a mammoth all-night session in 1964 at Clement Dodd’s Studio One on Brentford Road.

By 1963-1964, hundreds of ska tracks were being recorded by Clement Dodd, Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid, Vincent Edwards, Vincent Chin, Leslie Kong and Prince Buster and others. Justin had linked up with Allen ‘Bim Bim’ Scott, a friend of Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd, owner of the Studio One label who had already recorded the musicians who became the Skatalites.

Justin and Ivan organised a session in November 1964 at Studio One; it lasted 18 hours. The length of the session allowed for alternate takes to be recorded, but the highlights of the sessions were the five original compositions by Don Drummond – “Marcus Junior”, “The Reburial”, “Confucious”, “Chinatown” and “Smiling”. The first two are in tribute to the Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey; “The Reburial” refers to the occasion of his interment in Jamaica in 1964, his remains having been brought from the cemetery in Kensal Green London, where he was originally buried in 1940, and reburied in King George VI Memorial Park Kingston [later renamed National Heroes Park].

Along with these originals were some well-chosen cover versions. Two came from the Duke Ellington songbook: “Ska-Ra-Van” is of course Ellington and his trombonist Juan Tizol’s classic composition “Caravan”, while “Surftide Seven” is Ellington’s “In A Mellotone”. The LP title track “Ska-Boo-Da-Ba” is a version of Bill Doggett’s 1958 “King” US 45 “Boo-Da-Ba”. “Ringo” had also appeared on Arthur Lyman’s “Taboo” LP [1958] as “Ringo Oiwake”. Originally it was sung by Hibari Misora – a very famous vocal song in Japan, recorded in 1952, the melody composed by Masao Yoneyama. Yet another tune copped from Lyman’s “Taboo” LP is “China Clipper”, composed by the pianist / arranger / orchestrator Paul Conrad.

The last track on this fine LP is “Lawless Street”, a feature for Roland Alphonso. Unlike the other Skatalites, Roland wasn’t a graduate of the celebrated Alpha School, like many of Jamaica’s top musicians from Bertie King to Yellowman. Alphonso was a graduate of Boys Town School in Denham Town. “Lawless Street” was another tune that was recorded twice at the session – the second version features vocal ‘peps’ and exhortations by DJ King Sporty.

By late 1966, Justin emigrated to the USA, settling permanently in New York. There he took up US citizenship and was called up to serve in the US Army in Vietnam, In the early 1970s he worked in computers and eventually drove a New York cab. In his all too brief involvement in the competitive Jamaican music business he certainly left his mark as a producer. He produced some of the best ska ever made, and the LP reissued here is perhaps the most coherent LP in that genre, deriving as it does from a single session.

The celebrated record producer at Randy’s Studio, Clive Chin:

“It wasn’t the fact that they [the musicians] really love Justin; it was the fact that Justin used to pay them the right money and make them comfortable. Make sure them have them smoke, them food, them drink, and after them finish they got paid.” Unlike many other producers, Justin actually attended the sessions.

It stands as his defining legacy in Jamaican music history.

The Slickers were an exciting Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae group in the late 1960s and 1970s. Although their legendary song JOHNNY TOO BAD was included in the Jimmy Cliff movie THE HARDER THEY COME, their story is mostly unknown and full of hearsays and contradictions.
Here is our "version" of the story:
Firstly, it is often assumed that The Slickers were just an alias for The Pioneers but it seems now clear that they were in fact two distinct formations.
In fact, the group was formed by Derrick Crooks (of The Pioneers) and Winston Bailey (not to misunderstand with Winston "Shadow" Bailey a Calypso singer) around 1965. It seems that Derrick was the only constant member and the line-up was constantly changing and overlapping with both The Reggae Boys and The Pioneers.
Other known members were Derrick's brother Sydney Crooks, Roy Beckford (not to misunderstand with U-Roy), George Dekker and Abraham Green (later known as Ras Abraham) who joined at the time "Johnny Too Bad" was recorded in 1970. Abraham is said to have been the lead vocal on "Johnny Too Bad". Besides being featured on the soundtrack for the 1972 Jimmy Cliff film, the song was covered by the British reggae group UB40 and countless more.
The Slickers have recorded about 40 singles during the 60's and the '70s. It seems they disbanded after recording their second album BREAKTHROUGH in 1979...
Although nothing is written in stone about The Slickers, one sure fact is that they were a brilliant Rocksteady and Reggay band… Many of their singles were outstanding such as NANA, YOU CAN'T WIN, MAN BEWARE, JOHNNY TOO BAD and of course the two hot shots on this single: RUN FATTIE and HOOLA BULLA!

Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down is the seventh studio album by The Toasters. It has a much more mature sound than their previous albums and wasn't as solely focused on one genre (2-Tone) as their other albums before it had been. The album's cover includes the supposed-Latin motto, "Illegitimis non carborundum", which is supposed to mean "one must not be ground down by the bastards", although it is largely faux-Latin, with "carborundum" (intended to look like a Latin gerundive) actually referring to silicon carbide, a type of abrasive.

Vinyl reissue of third wave ska classic from 1994, originally released on Moon Ska NYC. At the time of release, the ska scene was on the verge of breaking into the mainstream. Excitement electrified the air. No album captured the sheer exuberance of this time like Dub 56. From the opening note to the closing refrain 14 tracks later, the listener is drawn into a party that just doesn't want to end - the band play like they're standing in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd. Highlights include "Mona" with it's irrepressible melody and swing, Skatalite Lester Sterling on "Dancin'" and "Marlboro Man," "Midnight Hour" shows just how much fun you can have with a soul classic, and of course title track with the toasing skills of Coolie Ranx. Essential Third Wave Ska album.

One More Bullet is the ninth studio album from the ska band The Toasters. Released in 2007, the album was the first Toasters release on Stomp Records. It was their second album not to be released on Moon Ska Records (excluding early records); as that label became defunct in 2000.

The US ska-heroes captured live in a German studio, during a couple of days off from their 2023 European tour. 'Men In Underwear' contains impromptu live versions of 11 popular Toasters tunes!

Legendary 80's Los Angeles 80's Ska/mod band release their first new single in 35+ years - a collectible picture disc 45 designed by Chema Skandal. A wonderful summery ska take on the Blue Swede / B.J. Thomas oldies hit with a dubbed out version on the flip. Limited edition 750 copies.

Italian Jamaican boogie, calypso & ska trio return with a brand new album. Ten tracks including wonderful versions of "got MY Mojo WORKING","L-O-V-E', "buona Sera", "that's Amore", "down IN Mexico" plus the title track. Back in print on random color heavyweight vinyl.

Italian Jamaican rhythm & blues trio release first holiday 45 on colored vinyl. Lead by the charismatic MR T BONE, THE UPPERTONES have taken the world by storm with their distinct pre-ska vibe. LOUIS PRIMIA'S classic never sounded better, flip "RUDOLF THE RED NOSED REINDEER" in mento style!

The Versatiles were an exciting Jamaican reggae group, formed in 1967 by Junior Byles, also a firefighter at that time, Ben 'Louis' Davis and Dudley Earl.
Lee "Scratch" Perry, then working as chief engineer at Joe Gibbs' studio, was scouting for talent for Gibbs' new Amalgamated label, and spotted the group while they were auditioning for the 1967 Festival Song Contest with "The Time Has Come".
Perry signed the group to the label, but left Gibbs soon after. Three superb titles ("Just Can't Win," "The Time Has Come" and "Trust The Book" were recorded under the supervision of Lee Perry.
When Scratch left, Gibbs employed another up-and-coming engineer/producer by the name of Winston Holness, aka Niney the Observer, to take control of his sessions. Niney produced a few Versatiles songs for Gibbs' Amalgamated label (titles such as "Push It In" and "Lu Lu Belle") which were riddled with sexually suggestive lyrics, tame though they are by today's standard.
The Versatiles stayed with Gibbs for two years, before moving to work with Perry, and then to Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. They also recorded for other producers such as Laurel Aitken.
The group split up in 1970, when Byles left the group for a successful solo career. Byles still working as a firefighter, continued to record for Perry up to the mid ‘70s…
During their short career, The Versatiles recorded about 30 tracks for a variety of Jamaican & British record labels. Most of these songs are top uptempo early Reggae tracks with Rocskteady vocals; to spice things up, quite a few are on the risqué side such as the hit PUSH IT IN. Never a dull moment with the Versatiles.

Side A : 1968 Recording. Never Released. Wicked Winston Wright Playing Organ Rock Steady Instrumental. Side B : 1968 Released. Great Rock Steady Vocal By Bobby Davis Lead Singer. A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

Cool Ska Inst. Cover Of Spanish Flea backed with a funky vocal cut.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

Killer early reggae vocal tune and an funky instrumental Reggae cut. TIP! A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

This is the first volume of the HOT Sauce compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975. The initial plan is for at least 3 albums of 14 titles. HOT Sauce Volume 1 features Rocksteady, Boss Reggae, early Dub & early Reggae outstanding original Jamaican tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and some hits. The record labels showcased on the first volume are Attack, Amalgamated, Black Swan, Blue Cat, Downtown, Doctor Bird, Duke, Grape, High Note, Randy’s and Trojan. The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity. These tracks are all outstanding tracks, “killer tracks”, there are no “fillers” whatsoever. Particular attention has been paid to the way the songs are sequenced (or “mixed”) so that the album builds up nicely and gradually, generally starting with the Rocksteady songs on the A side and the 70s songs on the B side. HOT Sauce is a musical journey across the early Reggae UK labels and across different Jamaican musical genres & talents and the way they interact together. Since the early 70s “Tighten Up” series, no compilation have really explored these labels in depth on vinyl…

Here is the much anticipated volume 3 of the HOT Sauce compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975. HOT Sauce Volume 3 features outstanding original Rocksteady, Boss Reggae and early Reggae (“Reggay”) tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and a couple of hits. The record labels showcased on this third volume are Amalgamated, Duke, Gayfeet, Grape, Harry J, Rio, Randy’s, Treasure Isle, Upsetter and Trojan. The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity. These tracks are all outstanding tracks, “killer tracks”, there is no “filler” whatsoever. Particular attention has been paid to the way the songs are sequenced (or “mixed”) so that the album builds up nicely and gradually, generally starting with the Rocksteady songs on the A side and the 70s songs on the B side. HOT Sauce is a musical journey across early Jamaican Reggae - highlighting its diverse musical genres and outstanding artists – as it was once published by the U.K. record labels during this golden decade… Since the early 70s “Tighten Up” series, no compilations have really explored these labels in depth on vinyl.

Here is the much anticipated volume 4 of the HOT SAUCE compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975.
HOT SAUCE VOLUME 4 features outstanding original Rock Steady, Boss Reggae and early Reggae (“Reggay”) tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and a couple of hits.
The record labels showcased on this fourth volume are Amalgamated, Big Shot, Duke, Explosion, Grape, High Note , JJ Records, Treasure Isle and Trojan.
The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity.

UK ska/reggae charity collection tributes the crooner RAT PACK style, inc FRANK SINATRA & TONY BENNETT songs! Ten trax from RUDE GIRL REVUE, CRAZY BALDEAD w/JESSE from THE AGGROLITES, KING DJANGO, SPECIAL BREW, SKAPONES, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, MR KINGPIN and many more. Generic white sleeve.

In the 1950s, Jamaican dancehall regulars were crazy about the haunting sounds of American Rhythm & Blues. But in the mid-1950s, Rock 'n' Roll began to replace RnB in America, and Jamaican dancehall owners like Duke Reid and Clement Dodd turned to local musicians to record their own versions of American RnB. The trend of covering foreign hits exploded during the Ska heyday of the early 60s and continued through the Rocksteady and Reggay eras. Jamaican musicians have covered virtually every genre of music, from jazz and rock to film scores, television soundtracks, pop, classical music and more. Over the years, they have also recorded many "versions" of already existing covers. Cover of cover of cover… Admittedly, some of these covers were futile but many were sublime as this new and eclectic collection of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggay nuggets, compiled by the very competent and very charming D.J. Héléa, brilliantly demonstrates. Attention we are here "undercover", there are no well-known covers. Some of the tracks selected are rare, others unknown or forgotten - but all are excellent and blended in an impeccable mix, in line with previous the Harlem Shuffle compilations... All Killer, No Filler! Reggay Undercover is an exciting musical kaleidoscope of Jamaican and Reggae music from the early 60s through to the mid 70s. We hope you will enjoy listening to this album as much as we had composing it for you. All aboard for Reggay Undercover!

Record Store Day 2023 limited run of 650 copies.
During the final two years of the original Jamaican ska era, producer Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid released arguably his finest works in the genre. The popularity of his work from this time is reflected in the high demand for his productions from this period, with most of the 7” singles he issued between 1965 and 66 now fetching three figure sums on the collectors market. ‘Ska La-Rama’ brings together 14 of the Duke’s most elusive works from this golden era, with half of the tracks on the album appearing on vinyl for the very first time. Among those that have previously seen issue are a number of recordings widely regarded as being among the finest ska productions of the period, notably, the title track, ‘True Confession’ and the hugely collectable ‘Renegade’ by the Zodiacs. Pressed on Colored Vinyl and boasting an insert featuring a fascinating essay on the recordings by esteemed music historian Tony Rounce, this limited edition collection album comes housed in a stylish, retro-style sleeve, which captures the exciting spirit of the original ska era. An essential addition to the collection of any self-respecting fan of ska and Duke Reid’s inimitable sound.

Studio One Freedom Sounds is the new collection from Soul Jazz/ Studio One focussing on the intense period in the second half of the 1960s when Studio One’s vast and unbeatable output of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae made it literally one of the hottest musical empires in the world.
During this highly successful period, Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd released hundreds and hundreds of superlative singles seemingly on an almost daily basis, in the process making huge stars out of Jamaican singers such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Wailers, Slim Smith, Jackie Opel and many more.
Powered by the finest in-house musicians working in Jamaica, whether it was The Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo’s Soul Brothers, The Sounds Dimension or The Soul Vendors, Studio One functioned as hit factory on the scale of Motown in the USA, shaping and defining reggae music for decades to come.
Singlehandedly Studio One’s founder Clement Dodd was able to create the most successful vertically-integrated record company that Jamaica had ever known with pressing plant, printers, studio, shops, and sound systems all running at once, with over 50 employees and hundreds of artists working with Studio One during this time.
Studio One Freedom Sounds tells the story of Studio One in the 1960s with a stunning set of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae killer tunes as well as informative sleevenotes and track-by-track info by Noel Hawks. The album is released as heavyweight double vinyl (+ free download code), deluxe CD and digital album.

A blistering collection of ska tunes from Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, Jamaica's foundation label of reggae music. Featuring classic cuts from the originators of Ska - The Skatalites, The Wailers, Lee Perry - alongside a heavy dose of superb rarities from the might vaults of 13 Brentford Road - pure Ska Fever !

Jump UP and Detroit producer Eric "super Tiger" Mazurak create a twelve trax rots reggae sampler with vinyl exclusives from John Bunkley (gangster Fun), Gain Stages, JAH Ques, Leaving Lifted, Rachael Stokes (the Tellways), plus Jade Tremba of Rude Girl Revue & Scotch Bonnets. White wax ltd 250 copies.

This album here is a lightning roller coaster musical journey through the music of Studio One, the most important record company in the history of Jamaican reggae music. Ska and Rock Steady feature from the greatest names in reggae: The Skatalites, The Maytals, Marcia Griffiths and The Heptones alongside vocal and roots styles from Horace Andy, Willie Williams and Wailing Souls; DJ and dancehall styles from Michigan and Smiley, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger; plus some wicked instrumental and dub. It's all here! 100% essential foundation style.

Attention all California 17 band ska collection on random color vinyl, includes Half Past TWO, Left Alone, Goodwin Club, Bite ME Bambi, THE Step Daughters, Monkey, Hooray FOR OUR Side, Gabriela Penka, Codename Rocky Tunnel Vision, DAY Labor, Ghetto ON Phyre, Noise Compliant, Meddlers & more