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Various Artists - Trojan Ska Box Set

Track listing:
Volume 1
  1. I'm In The Mood For Ska - Lord Tanamo 2:31
  2. Next Door Neighbour - Owen & Leon Silveras 2:29
  3. Watermelon Man - Baba Brooks Band 2:50
  4. Get Up Edina - Desmond Dekker 2:40
  5. Silver Dollar - Tommy Mccook & The Skatalites 2:57
  6. Doctor Dick - Lee Perry & The Soulettes 2:30
  7. When I Call Your Name - Stranger & Patsy 3:15
  8. Blackberry Brandy - Roland Alphonso 2:45
  9. Jezebel - Lloyd & Glen 2:05
  10. Baby I Love You - Carl Dawkins 2:46
  11. Happy Go Lucky Girl - The Paragons 3:06
  12. No Raise No Praise - Derrick Morgan 2:48
  13. Carry Go Bring Come - Justin Hinds & The Dominoes 2:54
  14. Blessings Of Love - Alton Ellis & The Flames 2:26
  15. I Don't Need Your Love - Chuck & Dobby 2:50
  16. Congo War - Lord Brynner 3:20
  17. Don D Lion - Don Drummond 2:07
Volume 2
  1. Rough & Tough - Stranger Cole 3:04
  2. Free Man - The Ethiopians 2:36
  3. Strongman Sampson - Eric Morris 2:36
  4. Duck Soup - Drumbago's Orchestra 2:37
  5. Wrong Embryo - The Rulers 3:22
  6. Sudden Destruction - Johnny 'dizzy' Moore 2:38
  7. What Can I Say - The Tartans 2:26
  8. I'm So In Love With You - The Techniques 2:30
  9. Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town) - Va - Trojan Ska Box Set 2:34
  10. Want Me Cook - Own & Leon Silveras 2:13
  11. Iron Bar - Lord Tanamo 2:16
  12. Miss Jamaica - Jimmy Cliff 2:23
  13. Jezebel - Owen Gray 2:37
  14. Phoenix City - Roland Alphonso 3:01
  15. One Eyed Giant - Baba Books & His Band 3:07
  16. Rub & Squeeze - Lee Perry 3:08
  17. Let George Do It - Don Drummond 3:13
Volume 3
  1. Over The River - Justin Hinds & The Dominoes 2:23
  2. If I Didn't Love You - Eric Morris 2:40
  3. The Tide Is High - The Paragons 2:40
  4. Guns Of Navarone - The Skatalites 2:30
  5. Blazing Fire - Derrick Morgan 2:55
  6. Doctor Zhivago - Tommy Mccook & The Skatalites 2:46
  7. Rudie Gets Plenty - The Spanishtonians 2:41
  8. Train To Skaville - The Ethiopians 2:51
  9. Open The Door - Clive & Naomi 1:57
  10. Musical Storeroom - Frank Anderson 2:53
  11. Blam Blam Fever - The Valentines 2:46
  12. Sammy No Dead - Clancy Eccles 1:48
  13. Storm Warning - Taitt & The Comets 2:29
  14. Girl I've Got A Date - Alton Ellis & The Flames 2:30
  15. The Third Man Theme - Granville Williams Orchestra 2:47
  16. Denham Town - Winston & George 2:13

Notes

Guaranteed to drive the purists around the bend, this budget-priced box set skimps on the packaging, but does make up for it with 50 tracks spread across three CDs. As the cynical have learned to expect, although advertised as a ska compilation, it does indeed stray repeatedly into rocksteady. Once upon a time, Trojan knew the difference, but apparently no longer. Admittedly though, it is classic rocksteady -- the Paragons, the Tamlins, the Valentines, with their sensational "Blam Blam Fever," and a clutch of other sublime vocal groups -- but let's get back to the ska. And here's the bit that will really infuriate collectors: Trojan has trawled through their archives and come up with enough gems to make listeners grit their teeth and buy this set regardless of the genre faux pas. Forget the bundle of big hits like "Get Up Edina" and "Carry Go Bring Come," it's tracks like Lord Tanamo's "I'm in the Mood for Ska" and Chuck & Dobby's "I Don't Need Your Love" that will make listeners drool. There's a host of steaming instrumentals from Baba Brooks, sundry Skatalites, and other equally talented players; sizzling duets from the likes of Lloyd & Glen, the battling Stranger & Patsy, Winston & George, and Clive & Naomi; and seminal offerings from Eric Morris, Derrick Morgan, Stranger Cole, a stunner from the Techniques, and a pair of gems from the Ethiopians. So, two-and-a-half hours of phenomenal music -- with that, one can put up with the occasional non-ska track.