Track Listing

1. Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff
2. Funky Kingston - The Maytals
3. Roast Fish & Cornbread - Lee "Scratch" Perry
4. Police & Thieves - Junior Murvin
5. Exodus [Single Version] - Bob Marley
6. War Ina Babylon - Max Romeo
7. Tenement Yard - Inner Circle, Jacob Miller
8. Ku Klux Klan - Steel Pulse
9. Cocaine in My Brain - Dillinger
10. Don't Turn Around - Aswad
11. Now That We Found Love - Third World
12. Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus & Pliers
13. King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo
14. Champion - Buju Banton
15. Sinsemilla - Black Uhuru
16. It's Me Again Jah - Luciano
17. Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear
18. Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #310605 in Music
• Released on: 1999-01-26
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Volume 5 in the 40 Years of Island Records series contains 18 tracks, most of which have appeared on various previous compilations. This should not be a deterrent, however, as this is about as solid a collection of reggae as you could wish to have. Each one of the cuts is regarded as a classic, and it is a testament to the impeccable talent spotting of Chris Blackwell and his crew that one label has such a powerful roster. Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Lee Perry, Toots and the Maytals, Third World, Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, Augustus Pablo, Gregory Isaacs, and more recent artists like Buju Banton and Luciano are just some of those represented, all with killer tracks, not album fillers. If ever there were a perfect reggae primer, this would fit the bill, as it also covers many stylistic variations. Although a single CD cannot hope to be comprehensive, this is a highly recommended one-stop buy for the cream of the crop. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews

A great intro to reggae
I recently got interested in reggae music and wanted to expand my horizons beyond the great Bob Marley. This compilation of tracks from Island Records artists is a terrific sampler and it exposed me to a lot of great reggae artists that I was otherwise not familiar with (Toots and the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and many others.) The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is that some of the newer tracks (from the 1990s) are a little weak in my opinion. If you are looking to explore reggae though, this is a good place to start.

Killer Compilation
If you could have one and only one reggae CD, this would be the one to buy. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to the genre, this is an excellent compilation, covering the very best of roots, lover's rock, dub, and dancehall reggae on one lenthy CD. In short, you cannot go wrong with this one. Its' a winner.