Harlem Shuffle Reggae & Dancehall 20 Items

“Tea House From Emperor Roscoe” by Dice The boss aka Pama Dice was first released as a B side of the early Reggae classic “She Caught The Train” by Ray Martell released in 1970 on the Trojan sublabel Joe (which we also release separately on the 22nd of March 2024) whilst “Brixton Cat” was released in 1969 on the Duke Label under a Joe logo. This is the original song with Dice The Boss/Pama Dice toasting on this striking organ driven Boss instrumental. It is strange but brilliant track as sometimes the best Boss tunes can be. “Brixton Cat, Big And Fat” was released in 1969 on the Duke Label under a Joe logo. It was also showcased on the 1969 eponymous Trojan album along with 13 other Joes All Stars tracks. This upbeat, syncopated track underpinned by aggressive organ riffs tells the story of a famous working “belle” of Brixton as illustrated on the L.P. Rare and brilliant Boss tune! Both titles are skinhead reggae killers that have never been reissued and are very much in demand.

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!

Initially published separately on two Trojan’s labels, Bigshot & Explosion, in 1969. Since then, John Jones has been repressed on 7’ vinyl single only once - for the limited Trojan’s Monkey Business 7” vinyl box set which has sold out a few years ago. Today, John Jones is more than ever in demand with over a quarter of million view on Youtube and 1300 “want” with prices over 200 pounds for a mint copy on Discogs. On the B side the much in demand “Bombshell” by The Crystalites, a very special instrumental and an awesome cover. This single is expected to be a big seller!

7inch black vinyl 45 RPM - Hsrss-0025 Special Edition - Strictly Limited TO 500 Copies This is the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of the early Reggae classic “She Caught The Train” by Ray Martell released in 1970 on the Trojan sublabel Joe in the U.K. and later covered by UB 40 in 1983. The original Jamaican song, a huge hit, has featured on many compilations but has never been repressed as a single, until now…It is still extremely popular and very much in demand today. It was initially released with the track “Tea House From Emperor Roscoe” by Dice The boss on the B side - which we also release separately on the 22nd of March 2024 – see below. On this release, we chose to showcase a super rare song written and performed by Ray Martell, the gorgeous “Cora” initially released on Attack in 1970. Both tracks have never been reissued until now.

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!

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…

This is the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of the mythic double sided single credited to producer Joe Gibbs and released in 1968 on Amalgamated Records in the U.K. Although both tracks are credited to Joe Gibbs, many believe the A side “People Grudgeful” was sung by The Ethiopians whilst the B side “Pan Ya Machete” was performed by The Pioneers. “Grudgeful” though does not really sound like The Ethiopians and according to Trojan, both sides were performed by The Pioneers. Which makes sense for several reasons. Firstly, the sound of the song is indeed more reminiscent of the Pioneers/Joe Gibbs work of that time. In fact The Ethiopians did not record with Joe Gibbs, with the exception of The Ring which was released in 1972, four years later, while the Pioneers were routinely involved with Gibbs in 1968. Last but not least, The Ethiopians had no beef with Lee Scratch Perry whilst The Pioneers songs were clearly incriminated by Scratch in his hit song “People Funny Boy. Attention: This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only. Note: the number of copies is now included in the catalogue number “hsrss-0023c-500” printed on the single label, “500” standing for 500 copies and C for collector.

THE Pioneers The Pioneers were formed in 1962 by two brothers Derrick and Sidney Crooks and their friend Winston Hewitt later replaced by former Heptone Glen Adams. The Pioneers' early singles were not successful, and the group broke up in 1967 Sydney started working at Joe Gibbs shop and then in the studio where he met a talented new young singer: Jackie Robinson. The new Pioneers were reborn as a duo. They recorded several successful singles such as "Longshot" "Jackpot", "Catch the Beat" with Gibbs before joining producer Leslie Kong where they recorded Samfie Man which topped the Jamaican charts. They then recruited George Agard and became a trio again. They scored in the charts again with "Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)" a sequel to “Long Shot”, the tragic story of a race horse that never won and died racing! “Kick De Bucket” became an instant hit both in Jamaican and in the U.K. particularly among skinheads in 1969. More hits followed and the band moved to the UK in 1970. Over time, their sound changed and became more sophisticated and pop and they eventually recorded soul albums with Eddy Grant as a producer in 1976. It was not successful and the band split before reforming. They have been performing sporadically since then.

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.

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.

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!

About Carl Dawkins

Carl ‘Ras’ Dawkins was born on 1st August 1948 in Spanish Town, Jamaica, the son of a Jazz drummer… After moving to Kinston, young Carl attended Kingston Senior School where his classmates included the great Slim Smith and Jimmy Riley, two of the former “Techniques”. In 1967, at the tender age of 19, Carl recorded for Karl ‘J.J.’ Johnson some of his original compositions including ‘cBaby I Love You’, ‘Running Shoes’ and ‘Hard Time’ with the Carib Beats as a musical backing band. ‘Baby I Love You’ with ‘Hard Time’ on the flip were subsequently issued on two Johnson’s labels (JJ Records, Sir J.J.) in 1967 in Jamaica and on the Rio label (a Doctor Bird subsidiary) in UK the same year. While ‘Baby I Love You’ was popular, it was the great ‘Hard Time’ that propelled the single to the top of the Jamaican charts. After a spell in prison for possession of marijuana, Carl recorded a collection of singles for producers such as Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and Leslie Kong. He returned to JJ and found success again in 1970, when he recorded one of that year’s best-selling singles, the superb ‘Satisfaction’, swiftly followed by two other major hits the same year, ‘Get Together’ and ‘This Land’ which sold heavily despite being banned by the government for its hard-hitting lyrics on the state of Jamaica at the time. During the 70s he recorded one album for Harry J - “Bumpity Road” - and many great singles for a variety of record labels and producers before gradually withdrawing from the scene during the 80s. Many years later, Carl is still very much loved by its many fans around the world. He is rightly considered being one of Reggae's all-time greatest vocalists…

About This Release

This killer double sider is the first reissue of two super rare and outstanding tracks by the great Carl Dawkins. Both tracks have never been reissued until now.

The very much in demand “I’ll Make It Up” was previously released as B side to One Dollar Of Music on Duke Du-3 in 1968. On the B side, the brilliant “Hot And Sticky” was previously released on Rio R138 in 1967.

Both tracks were produced by the Jamaican reggae producer, J.J. Johnson who ran two record labels Sir J. J. and JJ Records from his Kingston shop on Orange Street, next door to Beverley's Records, where he was shot dead in 1972.

Yet another killer double sider with the first repress of the very rare and terrific "Good Time Rock". Extremely in demand, this rocking track has never been repressed on 7inch vinyl until now. The B side features another rare and wicked tune from Hugh Malcolm. Absolutely essential.

This killer double sider is the first release of the stunning “Bookie Man - What’s Wrong With You”. It was previously released as a blank label only in 1968 and was wrongly credited to The Bleechers. On the B side, “Bookie Man” is a completely different song,and it is a rare and brilliant track in its own right. It is also the first time the two “Bookie Man” songs are featured together on a 7inch.

About THE Bleechers

The Bleechers (Leo Graham, Wesley Martin, and a third singer known only as Sammy) were a Jamaican harmony trio who formed around 1968, when they performed some studio work for producer J.J. Johnson. The Bleechers are better known though, for a series of outstanding singles they recorded with famed producer Lee "Scratch" Perry a year later, including the ultra-rare smash hit "Come Into My Parlour" and the brilliant "Check Him Out", both featured on this EP. Sadly no album was ever completed. Surprisingly, the Bleechers are also famous for tracks they did not do but got credited for… The 1968 incredible “What’s Wrong With You”, their first track on an Upsetter blank is actually not performed by them at all but by the Race Fans!!! And the 1969 “Pound Get A blow” also on an Upsetter blank is in fact a song by The Soul Twins. A well-known and explicit track by The Bleechers is the shocking “Ram You Hard” released on the Pama ‘s Punch sublabel in 1969 under the incredible name John Lennon & The Bleechers, where they explicitly describe what's about to happen to a poor young lady: "I ram you hard/To make you feel alright," says the main line repeatedly… Risqué indeed! Even with these few standout tracks, the band lacked any proper recognition at the time. After disbanding, Leo Graham carried on recording for Lee Scratch Perry as a singer and he wrote a handful of great songs such as the lovely “Want A Wine” in 1972 and the amazing “Black Candle” in 1973. Finally, another track Graham recorded for Perry "Voodooism” gave its name to an anthology of Perry-produced Black Ark rarities some 30 years later…

About This Exceptional Release

These two outstanding tracks were released separately on the Upsetter label in 1969: first “Come Into My Parlour” on TMX 202, followed by “Check Him Out on TMX 330. Lee Scratch Perry wrote and produced both songs. “Come Into My Parlour” was also featured on the Trojan’s Tighten Up volume 2 LP that year also!

“Come Into My Parlour” has never been repressed since. It is impossible to find in good conditions and is in great demand.

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.

This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only. Note: the number of copies is now included in the catalogue number “hsrss-0023c-500” printed on the single label, “500” standing for 500 copies and C for collector. This is the first reissue of two outstanding, very rare and highly collectible tracks by the Ethiopians. They were initially released on two different singles and are put together on a single here for the first time.

THE Ethiopians The Ethiopians were a Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggay vocal group, founded by Leonard Dillon with Stephen Taylor (apparently also known as "Tough Cock" Taylor!) and Aston Morris. Dillon was a stonemason from the small town of Boundbrook. There he was raised by his grandfather who was the church choirmaster and Dillon started singing in the church early. Like many others he moved to Kingston for work and there he met Peter Tosh who introduced him to The wailers and to Studio One where Dillon, under the name Jack Sparrow, recorded three Ska songs with the Wailers as backup… Soon after he met Steven Taylor and Aston Morris while working on a building site. They rehearsed at the Ethiopian Reorganization Centre and subsequently named themselves the Ethiopians. Morris left the group, and Dillon and Taylor continued as a duo. They recorded about 10 singles in 1966 for Coxsone Dodd, before moving to Wirl, releasing the "Train to Skaville" in 1967 which briefly appeared in the U.K. chart. It was followed by more singles such as “The Whip" and culminated with the release of their first album “Engine 54” in 1968 on Wirl in Jamaica and on Doctor Bird in the U.K. The album featured top tracks such as “Engine 54”, “Train To Skaville”, “Long Time Now”, “Come On Now”, and the great “Train To Glory” featured on the A side here. That same year they released "Everything Crash", their first major hit. The song criticised the dire situation in Jamaica whereas water and power were rationed which led to unrests. In one dramatic incident 31 people were shot by police. Their greatest album “Reggae Power” was released in 1969 on Trojan. Virtually every song is a hit: Women Capture Man, Everything Crash, What A Fire, Robert F Kennedy, Free, Hong Kong Flu, Gun Man, Feel The Spirit etc, etc… It was quickly followed by the equally good album “Woman Captures Man” on Trojan in 1970, featuring 10 new songs and “Everything Crash” and ”Hong Kong Flu” from the previous album. During the early 1970s, the Ethiopians recorded widely for many producers and record labels, including Duke Reid ("Pirate"), Derrick Harriott ("Good Ambition"), Rupie Edwards ("Hail Rasta Man"), Alvin Ranglin ("Love Bug"), Prince Buster ("You Are For Me"), Joe Gibbs ("Ring A Burn Finger"), Bob Andy ("The Word Is Love"), and Lee Perry ("Life Is A Funny Thing"), among others. It is said that Dillon also helped build Perry's Black Ark Studios in 1973-4. In September 1975, Taylor was killed by a van while he was crossing a road. Dillon stopped for a while, then continued solo as The Ethiopian. He died from cancer in 2011. No doubt The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's greatest harmony groups along with The Paragons and the Kingstonians. Their socially oriented lyrics, drenched with humour, were truly unique though and remain strangely valid… 50 years on their timeless singles are avidly looked after by their many fans.

These two tracks were initially released on separate singles, “The Rooster” was released on Duke (a Trojan sublabel) in 1970 whilst “The Saint” was released on Trojan the same year in 1970. This is the first time these two MCCook’s Boss tracks are released together and it is also the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of these two rare and in demand Skinhead hits.

Attention: This is a special limited edition - strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only.

This is the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of the super rare killer single by The Pioneers released in 1968 on Amalgamated Records in Jamaica and on Doctor Bird in the U.K. that same year.

Attention: This is a special limited edition - strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only.