Ska 20 Items

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.

Cover closer to NM

Brand new album from all-star Denver band, 10 tracks of top-shelf ska-jazz instrumentals for fans of THE SKATALTES or modern acts like NEW YORK SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE. Tracks range from BLUE NOTE flavored rock steady to uptempo scorching ska with a 2-TONE feel. A truly wonderful listen.

Originally released in 1987, this album is considered by many to be the birth of modern "third wave" ska in the USA. Remastered audio with "new" artwork that includes illustrations by legendary comic book artist BOB FINGERMAN.

A 12-inch featuring classic roots/dub tracks, originally recorded in 1978.

The Sound of Studio One can be identified by the great singers that it cultivated along the many great songs that these singers released. But as studio 1’s dominance was slowly pulled away by the up and coming new breed of producers many of the artists would inevitably end up working for these new camps and so the songs and singers found a new audience. The reggae sound of the Studio 1 would make a great combination and the man to pull this was together Bunny Lee.
The 1960’s in Jamaica was run by two main factions, Coxsonne’s Studio 1 and Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle. These two leading protagonists saw what some of the other great Sound System men like ‘ Tom The Great Sebastian’ had not taken onboard, that when the tunes they imported began to dry up from the USA, their future lied in producing music. Tunes that suited the musical styles that the people of Jamaica still enjoyed. By the late 1960’s thse supremacy was being challenged by the up and coming new producers on the scene, Lee Perry being one, and the other being ‘Ghost of the Studios’ himself, Bunny Lee. Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee may have inherited the moniker ‘Striker’ from his liking of a particular TV show called ‘The Hitch-Hiker’, but it would soon stand also for the considerable hits he would obtain as he was declared producer of the year in Jamaica in 1969, 1970,1971 and 1972.
For this release, we have compiled many of the great Studio hits that Bunny Lee recorded with the singers that had originally cut at the famed Studio 1. Bunny Lee’s sprinkling of magic over some classic tunes….the sound of Studio 1 backed up this time Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee’s set of star musicians The Aggravators. Proving you can’t keep a good tune down, or a great producer pushing forward…..Bunny Lee strikes back….
Hope you enjoy the set…..

Soul Jazz Records’ new journey into the mighty vaults of Clement Dodd’s Studio One steps once more into the fertile
musical environment of Jamaican music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, from the sweet harmony vocals of
seminal 1960s Rocksteady right up to the nascent birth of Reggae and Roots music at the start of the 1970s.
Sleevenotes to this album are by Steve Barrow, author of ‘Rough Guide to Reggae’ as well as Soul Jazz Records’ own
‘Reggae Soundsystem Cover Art’ books.
While Ska at the start of the 1960s had taken American Rhythm and Blues as its main influence, Rocksteady focused
on the emergence of American Soul music – with Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, John Holt &
The Paragons, Carlton & The Shoes showing a particular fascination with the close harmonies of Curtis Mayfield and
The Impressions and other US Soul acts. Here The Heptones even feature with a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be
Released’.
The influence of Soul music on Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae is almost palpable, so much so that one wonders
how much more successful singers like Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, Slim Smith and John Holt would have been had
they been born in Chicago, Detroit or Memphis.
Artists such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson and Owen Gray defined the era – a slowed down beat as Jamaican political
and social heat slowly increased when the 1960s progressed into the start of the 1970s – and the music evolved
further from Rocksteady into Roots Reggae.

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.