Trojan

Review: Later this spring, authors Paul 'Smiler' Anderson and Mark 'Bax' Baxter will release "Scorcha!", a coffee table book celebrating the skinhead and suedehead movement of the late 1960s and early '70s. For the uninitiated, it was a largely white British working class movement inspired by both the dress of the Windrush generation and the ska, rocksteady and reggae music they brought with them from the Caribbean. This excellent ten disc seven-inch box set from Trojan has been designed as a musical accompaniment to the book. It boasts a wealth of classic cuts popular within the skinhead and suedehead scenes, both from well-known Jamaican artists and those that have largely been overlooked.

Review: Trojan have pulled together some of reggae's finest moments here, and importantly they come from some of the genre's most vital female talents, who can often be overlooked in favour of their more visible male counterparts. Across four sides of vinyl the likes of Millie Small, Althea & Donna, Marcia Griffiths, Phyllis Dillon, and Susan Cadogan all deservingly feature and personal sleeve notes from musician Rhoda Dakar also add real value. Big hits, unknown rarities and some brilliantly wonky numbers like Sandra Robinson's "Sensi For Sale" make this an instant NEED!