As a long-time 2Tone fan and proud owner of the Intensified! comps and a few Wailers and Prince Buster records, the young Kid Frostbite thought he had a pretty good handle on this whole ska business. Then along into my listening life came a rough Jamaican pressing of All Star Top Hits, and my mind was completely blown. Having the distinction of being the first album released by Clement Dodd (Coxsone to you), way back in 1961, it’s a crucial example of prime Jamaican R&B and formative ska.

The story of the early Jamaican sound systems and the development of ska has been told many times so I won’t recount it here (try Steve Barrow’s Rough Guide To Reggae for an authoritative account). What I can tell you is that the tunes on this record sounded like some sort of musical rosetta stone to me, easily bridging the New Orleans style R&B swing so beloved in the Caribbean with the faster, choppier local rhythms that would become ska. From Derrick Harriott’s soultastic “Answer Me My Darling” to instrumental classics like “Don Cosmic” and “Salt Lane Shuffle” this album just plain rules. I’ve never remotely gotten over the initial thrill of hearing these rambunctious, soulful, swinging tunes and it’s fair to say that it’s this record that really hooked me on Jamaican music. Maybe it will do the same for you?

While the original is nominally still in print (!), it can be hard to locate so I’m happy to say that it’s readily available as part of Heartbeat’s superb Ska Bonanza compilation, now finally also available on vinyl. To give you some idea of how special this record is, check out The Jiving Juniors’ gospel-tinged “Over The River,” sure to get you rolling back the carpet and throwing some crazy shapes. Simply timeless.

Over The River, [mp3]