Island 50 Reggae

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: n/a

Notes: Photographer: Peter Simon. There's no scarcity of compilations focused on Island's reggae output, and when it comes to the one-disc format, the vaults are just too big and meaty to be properly represented. Keeping artists to one track apiece is no easy chore either when considering the epic names Buju Banton, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, and Lee Perry, but the 50 years since Chris Blackwell launched Island with Laurel Aitken's hit single "Little Sheila" deserve some kind of marker in the record bins, so here it is. Note that Aitken's cut is missing and you'll see the story here isn't complete or even very sentimental, but what's shocking is that no Bob Marley cuts appear, which is akin to compiling Motown with no Michael Jackson or Diana Ross. Still, the material chosen is all stellar on a one-by-one basis, with the Cliff, Toots, Burning Spear, Junior Murvin, and Gregory Isaacs tracks being especially mammoth both in appeal and importance. The liner notes are informative and the way the disc flows is surprisingly good; just expect to buy more Island comps if your reggae fandom rises above the ground level. ~ David Jeffries

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