Studio One needs no introduction – if it does, then buy this as soon as you can – but I suspect that for some readers, the above track listing will be enough to persuade them to purchase this release in whatever format they prefer. Please note that the 2LP and CD versions do not include the Sugar Minott tune Revelation.
Long before the material on this release was laid down, Sir Coxsone Dodd had established his label as the premier vehicle for reggae music. By the end of the 1970s he was releasing a string of acknowledged classic albums as older established artists returned to his stable – people like Alton Ellis and Jackie Mittoo – and new ones were eager to join them. These artists were to set the standards for reggae for the next couple of decades at least, with newer talents like Prince Jazzbo and Earl Sixteen easing the way for the transition into dancehall that was to follow.
The classy Studio One sound is still well in evidence on this release, but Coxsone did not stand still – listen to Prince Jazzbo’s Apollo 16 for example. These are all killer tunes, some in extended mixes, and mostly by well-known names (but no means all of them); all serve to underline Studio One’s pre-eminence on the reggae scene. If there is a criticism, it may be that only one female vocalist – Nana McLean – is involved here, but the quality of the music cannot be faulted in any way.