Doctor Bird Vinyl & CDs

Review: Doctor Bird's latest must-check double disc retrospective focuses on the work of influential Jamaican producer Lloyd Charmer during the 1970s. Each disc contains a significant, Chalmers produced album: keyboardist Harold Butler's reggae-soul/reggae-disco classic Gold Collection sits on disc one, with Debby Dobson's fine tribute to Jamaican music pre-ska, Sweet Dreams, following on CD2. In addition, each disc also features a wealth of Chalmers-produced singles and rarities, including a swathe of killer cuts from Richard Ace (the 12" version of 'Supernatural' on CD2 is particularly special), Sister Stern and Delroy Wilson. You also get a handful of surprise solo cuts from Chalmers, who of course started his music career as a vocalist-for-hire rather than a producer.

Review: Dadawah aka. Lloyd Charmers was one of Jamaica's boldest and most resourceful record producers, testament to which was his standout LP Peace & Love. Originally released as an EP of just four tracks, drawing on the rhythmic hallmarks of the Nyabinghi gatherings of Rastafari, Charmers is heard commanding an ensemble cast of virtuosi, including Willie Lindo on guitar. With its multi-layered, weighty and patriotic breathtakers such as 'Zion Land' and 'Know How You Stand', which blow away with their adept command of space and reverb, the tracks now come backed a whopping 21 dub versions also produced by the man himself - 19 of which have never been before released on CD - the best of his dub output since the mid-1970s.

Review: While born in Jamaica, like many of the Windrush Generation Robert Thompson AKA Dandy made his name in the UK, subsequently making some of the earliest - and most successful - British Ska records with the assistance of Australian entrepreneur and Crossbow Records founder Millie Small. This fine compilation, one of the first to showcase the work of a UK-based ska star, tells the story of Thompson's work in 1964 and '65, much of it alongside fellow vocalist Keith Foster as Sugar N Dandy. There's much to enjoy throughout, with highlights including the organ solo-sporting delight of 'Oh Dear', the fuzzy jazziness of 'I'm Not Crying Now', the Mod-friendly 'Blues Got a Hold On Me' and his superb ska cover of Hermans Hermits' hit 'I'm Into Something Good'.

Review: By the close of the 1960s, a number of dynamic, independent record producers were beginning to make their mark on Jamaica's fast-developing music scene. Chief among these initially small-time music-makers were the likes of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, 'Edward 'Bunny' Lee and the man whose music provides the focus of this 2CD collection, Winston Holness AKA 'Niney'. As the 70s dawned, the ingenuity, innovation and determination of these three talented individuals saw their influence match and often exceed that of long-established major operators. But while the music and careers of both Perry and Lee have been rightly celebrated, the achievements and influence of Niney have been largely overlooked. This collection is the first in a series of sets that aims to set the record straight, presenting the very best of his output during key parts of his music career. Featuring numerous hits, including the ground-breaking 'Blood and Fire', 'Message To The Ungodly', 'Hiding By The Riverside', 'Beardman Feast', 'Rasta Bandwagon' and 'When Jah Speak', the 2CD set presents 20+ tracks that have remained largely unavailable for over half a century.

Review: Doctor Bird's latest deep dive into Jamaica's seemingly bottomless reggae archives takes us back to the turn-of-the-1970s and the short-lived - but undeniably successful - story of singer-turned-producer George Philips AKA Phil Pratt's Sunshot Records imprint. It's the first ever retrospective of the label's output, in part because few copies of the showcased records ever made it out of Jamaica. Reflective of the period when rocksteady was fading and roots reggae was beginning to emerge, the cuts on disc one - fronted by such legendary singers as Ken Boothe, John Holt and Horace Andy -comprise the best of the singles released by the label between 1969 and 1972. Disc two contains more singles, B-sides and rarities, alongside all ten tracks from Pat Kelly's Breezing album.