This compilation gathers a huge batch of tracks previously only available as limited singles on a sub-label of Jamaican reggae powerhouse
Studio One during the '70s. Unless you're a hardcore reggae collector, you probably haven't heard any of these. Some of the songs are immediately followed by their flipside version, which includes deejay chatter over the rhythm of the main song. Aside from vocal highlights such as the Classics' "Got to Be Cool" and Wentworth Vernal's "I Gave You My Heart," and proto-dancehall tracks from
Prince Jazzbo, there's also the lovely instrumental "Reggae Lady," credited to studio group the New Establishment. Leroy Wallace's "Far Beyond" is a spacy deejay cut with echo splashed across the booming vocals and an eerie melodica melody, and it sounds like it's taken from an off-center 45, so the wobbliness makes it sound even stranger. Most exciting of all, however, is the bonus track, a previously unreleased extended disco mix of
Horace Andy's classic "Skylarking." ~ Paul Simpson