Joe Gibbs - Freedom To The People (Doctor Bird)(2022)(2CD)

 

Doctor Bird just keeps releasing fantastic early reggae music for the pleasure of all (including the hardcore reggae collectors!). This release focuses on the (very) early 70s productions of producer/engineer Joe Gibbs. This release has 54 tracks! Many of the tracks appeared on two compilation albums released by Joe Gibbs: "The Heptones And Their Friends Meet The Now Generation" (1972) and "The Heptones And Friends Vol. 2" (1973). For those that care, the base of the musicians backing up the artists on this release is the Now Generation band with offshoots of this band also billed as The Love Generation and The 3rd and 4th Generation. In other words, reggae music backing-band royalty. For those that love reggae music, this is a must purchase.

Various - Reggae Power (Doctor Bird)(CD)(2020)

 

Solid 2 CD collection of early reggae music. This is the first official anthology of Karl 'J.J' Johnson's reggae productions, comprising the bulk of this output from 1968-1972, including 17 tracks never on CD. Not all of the almost 100 7" singles that he released are included on this release but there is a good sample of his productions. 

The songs on this CD were released on labels such as J.J, Sir J.J, Heavy, and People. The artists represented here are well known to reggae collectors. Among the best are Roy Shirley, Carl Dawkins, The Ethiopians, The Kingstonians, The Clarendonians, and Dennis Alcapone. It is also a pleasure to hear releases by less well-known but equally vital artists like The Rulers, The Linkers, and The Bleechers.

By the way, the original "Reggae Power" LP was released by JJ in 1969. It was the only full length he ever released. While this is not a direct reproduction of that original LP, the cover is exactly the same. This release is geared towards the hard-core reggae fan and collector. Worth getting if you are at all interested in the development of reggae music. Extensive liner notes included. Check out The Kingstonians - Slim Girl.