The Specials Ska 324 Items

Nubiyan Twist return with their brand new album "Freedom Fables" on Strut on 5th February, the follow-up to the acclaimed "Jungle Run" from Spring 2019. Woven around soul searching, cautionary tales and parables for modern life, the new album is the most accomplished yet by the Leeds / London collective, effortlessly fusing different soul, jazz and global styles with great musicianship and lyrics. "Freedom Fables reflects on the power of narratives. Each vocalist on this record explores their own memoirs, a freedom of expression underpinning our belief that music is the ultimate narrative for unity," explains Tom Excell. "The record references a lot of music that we all loved during our formative years; you can hear touches of broken beat, blunted hip hop, highlife, Latin, jazz and UK soul running through the tracks." The album is also packed full with illustrious guest appearances: regular collaborator Cherise features on the brilliant "Tittle Tattle", calling out gossip through acerbic nursery rhyming, the loping "Flow" dealing with the ebb and flow of anxiety and the epic Brazilian jazz workout, "Keeper"; UK jazz saxman Soweto Kinch brings a burning alto solo and rhymes to the determined "Buckle Up" alongside the band"s own vocalist Nick Richards as the track aims to "find the door to peace" among life"s challenges. "Soweto is a trailblazer of the UK scene both as an alto player and as a rapper with a unique flow and important lyricism," reflects Tom Excell. "It was really important for us to invite him to contribute to the album." Richards continues the "dust yourself off and find hope" theme on the rousing "Wipe Away Tears"; Ghanaian great Pat Thomas voices a gorgeous Accra meets London highlife jam; massive new vocal talent Ria Moran (a contemporary from the band"s time at Leeds College Of Music) steps up on the sensual "Morning Light" tackling delicate complexities of the heart and long time friend of the band, KOG, brings his trademark full strength Afro dancefloor energy.

This is the very first reissue of the much in demand double sided killer single released in 1970 on the Upsetter label. Both tracks were produced by Lee Perry. The A side is a beautiful yet wicked cover of LET IT BE by the Beatles, produced by Lee Perry and performed by the Soulettes. The B side is BIG DOG Bloxie, an even wackier version of the A side by Lee Perry!

“Gun The Man Down ” by Dice The boss aka Pama Dice was first released in 1969 on the Trojan sublabel Joe with the track “Thief” by Joe Mansano on the B side. “Thief” is also reissued by us on a separate single dedicated to Joe Mansano. “Your Boss DJ” was also released in 1969 on the Joe Label with the track “Read The News” by Joe All Stars on the flip. Both titles are skinhead reggae classics that have never been reissued and are very much demand.

The smooth and funky sound of prime-time Japanese reggae pop in the 1970s and ‘80s fired up an obsession with Jamaican music that persists to the present day.

If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society. But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.

Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and Ub40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long. Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound. Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenkini Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.

While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.

Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious. Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.

Record Store Day 2023 limited run of 650 copies.
During the final two years of the original Jamaican ska era, producer Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid released arguably his finest works in the genre. The popularity of his work from this time is reflected in the high demand for his productions from this period, with most of the 7” singles he issued between 1965 and 66 now fetching three figure sums on the collectors market. ‘Ska La-Rama’ brings together 14 of the Duke’s most elusive works from this golden era, with half of the tracks on the album appearing on vinyl for the very first time. Among those that have previously seen issue are a number of recordings widely regarded as being among the finest ska productions of the period, notably, the title track, ‘True Confession’ and the hugely collectable ‘Renegade’ by the Zodiacs. Pressed on Colored Vinyl and boasting an insert featuring a fascinating essay on the recordings by esteemed music historian Tony Rounce, this limited edition collection album comes housed in a stylish, retro-style sleeve, which captures the exciting spirit of the original ska era. An essential addition to the collection of any self-respecting fan of ska and Duke Reid’s inimitable sound.

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.

This album here is a lightning roller coaster musical journey through the music of Studio One, the most important record company in the history of Jamaican reggae music. Ska and Rock Steady feature from the greatest names in reggae: The Skatalites, The Maytals, Marcia Griffiths and The Heptones alongside vocal and roots styles from Horace Andy, Willie Williams and Wailing Souls; DJ and dancehall styles from Michigan and Smiley, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger; plus some wicked instrumental and dub. It's all here! 100% essential foundation style.

Jump UP partners with Easy Star to release limited edition vinyl for the dub version of Loving PAUPER's latest "ladders" by the one and only Victor Rice. Random colored vinyl, hand numbered stickered sleeve limited to 200 copies. Darlings of BBC presenters DON Letts and David Rodigan.

1969 Recordings, both alternate takes. Wicked Early Reggae Vocal cuts.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

Former Link 80 Members Make THE Fully Realized SKA / Punk / Hardcore Follow UP That Fans Have Been Waiting FOR Featuring Members OF RX Bandits AND THE Suicide Machines When Link 80 played their final show / reunion show in San Francisco in 2017, members Adam Davis and Barry Kripene realized they weren’t done with ska punk. The incredible response emboldened and inspired them to create a new ska punk project to carry on Link 80’s legacy.... in spirit, style, and sound, while blending new ideas to fit the burdgeoning and newly revived ska scene. Thus, Omnigone was born. In 2019 the band released their debut LP “No Faith” on the then fledgling Bad Time Records, both parties unsure of what the general response from those who bore a connection to previous projects would have... but soon those fears were proven to be unfounded, as new and old fans alike rallied around the record and helped launch both the band and the label into moderate underground success. After 4 years of honing the band’s sound and style, “Against The Rest” fully realizes Omnigone’s potential in a way that their debut only flirted with, with the help of producer / engineer Jack Shirly (Jeff Rosenstock, Joyce Manor). The songs are agressive mixes of ska and hardcore, with as many catchy singalong gang vocal sections as brutal skull splitting screaming sections. The lyrics find singer Adam davis grappling with the insanity of the modern world and modern politics, tackling hypocrisy, injustices, and the need to band together to take on evils new and old. He makes it clear that you’re either with us or against us, and only together are we Against the Rest.

First time on vinyl for classic 1995 album from long running New York ska act, originally released by Moon NYC. Inc the band's biggest hits "william Shatner" & "nude Beach". Traditional big band ska with the zest of 2-Tone, with Victor Rice and Buford O'sullivan (easy Star). Blue vinyl.

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…

UP red vinyl reissue of classic 1997 ska-punk masterpiece by NYC act. Gained national attention on MTV's 120 minutes, this 2nd album was ahead of it's time! Extravagant rhythms heralded a new shift into experimental territories with funky breaks, avant garde solos and metal/hardcore forays!

This record has been out of print for over 25 years. This new pressing is 1,000 copies in random colors. Brand new cover art. Enjoy!!

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.

Man from Wareika was the first album recording for Rico Rodriguez led by his own artistic imagination, not to mention the only roots reggae album to be released on Blue Note Records in the USA. After 15 years Rodriguez returned for the first time to Jamaica. He had left the country in 1961 when he was already heavily involved in creating the then new ska sound. In 1976 he added something new to reggae music. The nine self-composed tracks on the album offer intense Jamaican rhythms with seriously horn lines more linked to the jazz heritage. The trombonist album was released on Island Records in 1976 for the UK market and soon labeled as a revolutionary step forward.

Debut single from all star all female US ska reggae band formed by members the Scotch Bonnets, HUB City Stompers, and many more. "lioness" is lead by Lady Hatchet while "unruly Ways" has Jenny Wiskey on vocals. Both tracks are anthems of female empowerment! Orange wax fold over sleeve.

Jump UP issues the 1999/2000 classic on vinyl for the very first time in cebration of RSD. All time classic with original members Lester Sterling, Lloyd Brevette, Lloyd Knibb and Doreen Shaffer. Guests include KEN Boothe. New sleeve art Chema Skandal. Colored vinyl 150 only for RSD indie shops.