Widely hailed as the Godfather of Ska, Laurel Aitken dominated Jamaica's recording industry throughout its infancy, enjoying a series of hugely popular mento and Jamaican R&B hits during the latter half of the 1950s. Early the following decade he relocated to London, where, over the years that immediately followed, he recorded for every Afro-Caribbean record company of note.
While his ska and rock steady recordings ensured Laurel remained a firm favourite among Jamaican ex-patriots, the reggae explosion of 1969 exposed his work to a wider audience, with productions for Doctor Bird, Pama and Trojan Records establishing him as a musical hero for many of Britain's young, white working-classes, notably those that had adopted a fashion style dubbed by the national press as 'skinhead'.
This 5CD set collects the entirety of the singer-songwriter-producer's output that saw issue on 7" singles between 1969 and 1970, with the set including big sellers alongside long lost rarities and unissued tracks that make their CD debut.
While Laurel's own considerable singing skills take centre stage, the collection also features recordings he produced for other UK-based artists, their number including such celebrated acts as Rico, Winston Groovy, Pama Dice, the Pyramids, the Cimarons and the Rudies.
Track Listing
Disc 1:
- Fire In Mi Wire - Laurel Aitken
- Quando Quando - Laurel Aitken
- Rice And Peas - Laurel Aitken
- Worried Over Me - The Classics
- Reggae Prayer - Laurel Aitken
- Deliverance Will Come - Laurel Aitken
- The Rise And Fall (Of Laurel) - Laurel Aitken
- If You're Not Black - Laurel Aitken
- Haile Haile (The Lion) - Laurel Aitken
- Call Collect - Seven Letters
- Carolina - Laurel Aitken
- Kingston Town - Laurel Aitken
- Donkey Man - Laurel Aitken
- Woppi King - Laurel Aitken
- Mr Soul - Laurel Aitken
- Suffering Still - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Reggae '69 - Laurel Aitken
- Haile Selassie - Laurel Aitken
- Blues Dance - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Lawd Doctor - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Big Fight In Hell Stadium - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Run Powell Run - Laurel Aitken
- A Message To You - Rico & Laurel Aitken
- Save The Last Dance - Laurel Aitken
- Walk Right Back - Laurel Aitken
- Don't Be Cruel - Laurel Aitken
- (Sloop) John B - Laurel Aitken
Disc 2:
- Island In The Sun - Winston Groovy
- Work It Up - Winston Groovy
- (My Girl) Josephine - Winston Groovy
- Champagne And Wine - Winston Groovy
- Babylon Gone - Rico & Laurel Aitken
- Shoo Be Doo - Laurel Aitken
- Landlords And Tenants - Laurel Aitken
- Everybody Sufferin' - Laurel Aitken
- Jesse James - Laurel Aitken
- Freedom - Laurel Aitken
- Pussy Price Gone Up - Laurel Aitken
- Gimme Back Me Dollar - Laurel Aitken
- Skinhead Train - Laurel Aitken
- Kent People - The Gruvy Beats
- Benwood Dick - Laurel Aitken
- Apollo 12 - Laurel Aitken
- Scandal In Brixton Market - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Frankenstein - King Horror
- I Can't Stand It - Winston Groovy
- Stupid Married Man - Laurel Aitken & Girlie
- Madam Streggae - Girlie
- Think Me No Know - Laurel Aitken
- Trombone Man - Rico
- Pussy Got Thirteen Life - Laurel Aitken
- Single Man - Laurel Aitken
- Skinhead Wreck The Town - Laurel Aitken
- Moon Rock - Laurel Aitken
- Merry Xmas - Winston Groovy
Disc 3:
- Sin Pon You - Laurel Aitken
- Everynight - Laurel Aitken
- Cut Up Munno - Winston Groovy
- The Vampire - King Horror
- Cutting Blade - King Horror
- Leaving Me Standing - Winston Groovy
- Little Girl - Winston Groovy
- The Hole - King Horror
- Loch Ness Monster - King Horror
- Zion I - Rico & The Visions
- Funky Chicken, Part 1 - Winston Groovy
- Funky Chicken, Part 2 - The Cimarons
- Funny, Version 1 - Winston
- Funny, Version 2 - The Cimarons
- Sin, Sun And Sex - Pama Dice
- Honky Tonk Popcorn - Pama Dice
- Bongo Man - Pama Dice
- Reggae Popcorn - Pama Dice
- The Worm, Part 1 - Pama Dice
- The Worm, Part 2 - Pama Dice
- Only You - Laurel Aitken
- I Can't Go On - Winston Groovy
- Funky Monkey, Version 1 - Dice The Boss
- Funky Monkey, Version 2 - Dice The Boss
- Give Me Back Your Love - Trevor Lloyd
- Hold Me - Trevor Lloyd
- Chinee Brush - Trevor Lloyd
- Real Collie - Dice & Cummie
- Loch Ness Monster (Alt. Tk.) - King Horror
Disc 4:
- The Worm - Pama Dice
- You Can't Turn Your Back On Me - Winston Groovy
- Funky Duck - Dice The Boss
- Funkier Than Duck - Dice The Boss
- The Naked City - King Horror
- Wood In The Fire - King Horror
- Mr Popcorn - Laurel Aitken
- Share Your Popcorn - Laurel Aitken
- I've Got To Have Your Love - Laurel Aitken
- Blue Mink - Laurel Aitken & Gruvy Beats
- Souls Of Africa - Tiger
- Dallas, Texas - Laurel Aitken & Gruvy Beats
- Standing On The Corner - Winston Groovy
- You Send Me - Winston Groovy
- Nobody But Me - Laurel Aitken
- Baby Please Don't Go - Laurel Aitken
- Yellow Bird - Winston Groovy
- For Your Love - Winston Groovy
- I'll Never Love Any Girl - Laurel Aitken
- Take Me Back - Laurel Aitken
- Reggae Popcorn - Laurel Aitken
- Here Is My Heart - Winston Groovy
- Birds And The Bees - The Gruvy Beats
- Election - The Freedom Singers
- Tomorrow's World - Fleece & The Live Shocks
- Pick My Pocket - The Versatiles
- Freedom - The Freedom Singers
- The Outlaw - Laurel Aitken
Disc 5:
- So Much Love - The Classics
- Same Old Feeling - The Classics
- Nobody Else But You - Joe Lace
- Version Of Nobody - The Live Shocks
- Baby I Need Your Loving (1970 Version) - Laurel Aitken
- Think It Over - Laurel Aitken
- Musical Scorcher - Tiger
- Three Dogs Night - Tiger
- Sex Machine - Laurel Aitken
- Since You Left - Laurel Aitken
- Groovin' - Winston Groovy
- Sugar Mama - Winston Groovy
- Witchcraft Man - The Inner Mind
- Night In Cairo - The Inner Mind
- Pum Pum Girl - The Inner Mind
- Freedom - The Inner Mind
- History Of Africa - The Classics
- Honey Bee - The Classics
- Pachanga, Part 1 - Laurel Aitken
- Pachanga, Part 2 - Laurel Aitken
- Tennessee Waltz - Winston Groovy
- Old Man Trouble - Winston Groovy
- Why Can't I Touch You - Laurel Aitken
- (You) Can't Turn Your Back On Me - Laurel Aitken
- Mary's Boy Child - Laurel Aitken
- Mary's Boy Child (Instr.) - The Rudies
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