Soul Jamaica

1. Alton Ellis – Tumbling Tears
2.  Winston Francis – Turn Back The Hands Of Time
3. Sound Dimension – Sing A Simple Song
4. The Gladiators – Fling It Gimme
5. Jackie Mittoo – Soul Finger
6. Winston Francis – Groovy Situation
7. Calvin Marshall – La La 69
8. Soul Defenders – Way Back Home
9. The Heptones – Young, Gifted and Black
10. Im and David – Up Fully
11. Slim Smith – Keep That Light
12. Sound Dimension – Give It Away
13. Zoot Simms – Real Gone Loser
14. Sound Dimension – Soul Bowl
15. Peter Tosh and The Wailers – Can’t You See
16. Joy Roberts – Someday We’ll Be Together
17. The Freedom Singers – Give Peace A Chance

Soul Jazz Records’ new Soul Jamaica brings together a wicked selection of reggae funk and soul tracks from the legendary Studio One stable, featuring a stellar line-up of artists including Jackie Mittoo, The Heptones, The Gladiators, Sim Smith, Peter Tosh and The Wailers, Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks and many more.

For a short period of time at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, nestled between the end of rocksteady and the arrival of roots reggae, Studio One released a small stream of superb soul and funk reggae tunes – covering everyone from Sly and The Family Stone, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Nina Simone, Gene Chandler, Tyrone Davis and more.

Most of the tracks featured on Soul Jamaica were only ever released on Studio One’s UK-subsidiary label Bamboo in small-run pressings and are now consequently extremely hard to find.

The cover photograph features images of Air Jamaica, the new airline created by the Jamaican government at the end of the 1960s, showing how in the years following independence the country assumed its place on the world stage, with reggae music playing a key role in creating the island’s new cultural identity.