Here’s some classic conscious reggae from Rod Taylor, produced by Mikey Dread, released back in 1978 and sounding just as great today.

Taylor (aka Rocky T) had been singing on street corners since the age of 12, showcasing a quavery vocal style that drew comparisons to Horace Andy.

After auditioning for Coxsone Dodd and Joe Gibbs, he briefly sang in a band called the Aliens with Barry Brown before being winning a talent show in 1975.

Spotted there by Channel One keyboard player Ossie Hibbert, he recorded his debut – Bad Man Comes And Goes – there with Sly & Robbie. Finishing off the tune the next day, a chance meeting at the studio with up-and-coming deejay Dillinger resulted in a version of the tune – Nuh Chuck It.

Through his friendship with fellow singers Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown, Taylor recorded with producers Prince Far I, Prince Hammer and Papa Kojak.

Encouraged by Sugar Minott and Tony Tuff, he soon gained popularity on the Kingston dancehall circuit, with legendary sound systems like Kenyatta, Tippatone, Socialist Roots, Gemini, Kilimanjaro, Sturgav, Youthman Promotion and Stereophonic.

This was his biggest hit, His Imperial Majesty, produced in 1978 by Mikey Dread – then working as a radio announcer on JBC – with a version mixed by dub maestro King Tubby.

His debut album did not come out until 1979 but after the decade drew to a close, Taylor more or less vanished from the music scene as laid-back roots reggae evolved into the aggressive digital dancehall style.

Demoralised by the music business, and dispirited by the rise of “slackness” as exhibited by the likes of Yellowman, replacing the spiritual vibes of Rastari, he spent several years as a farmer in the Jamaican countryside.

In 1991 he moved to France, which would become the European capital of reggae as the decade wore on, and returned to music. He has continued to record since then, including a fantastic tune called Come To Me, sung over a blazing recut of Aswad’s Warrior Charge.