Early hit by Barrington Levy, recorded when he was only 15 and released in 1979, five years before his huge crossover hit Here I Come changed the face of reggae. (more…)

Reggae and Punk were natural partners, linked by their outsider credentials, exemplified by Coventry band The Specials and the Two-Tone explosion of 1979. (more…)

The Bodysnatchers were an all-female seven-piece ska revival band from London and The Boiler was the chilling centrepiece of their live performances. (more…)

Not just the best live reggae album but arguably the best live album of all time, Live At Counter Eurovision 79 captures Misty In Roots at their devotional,  political and philosophical finest (more…)

The Selecter started out with this self-titled instrumental on the flip-side of Gangsters by The Special A.K.A. (soon to be shortened to The Specials) in 1979. (more…)

Linton Kwesi Johnson’s imagined letter from Brixton Prison to his mother back in Jamaica, describing how a young black man was fitted up and beaten by the British police, is so heartbreaking I still find it hard to listen without weeping.

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