Name: The Observer Roots Albums Collection
Brand: Various

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

DB2CD139

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2024-05-17

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cherry Red (ADA)

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5013929283947


Total Cap

CDx2

Artist

Various

Genre GB

Reggae / Dub

Label GB

Doctor Bird

Doctor Bird is a music label that was founded in the UK by Graeme Goodall, an Australian sound engineer and original shareholder of Island Records. The label was revived by Trojan Records in 1970 for three releases before being relaunched in 2017 as a division of Cherry Red Records. Doctor Bird specializes in vintage Jamaican sounds licensed from the catalogue of Trojan Records.
Graeme Goodall played a significant role in the Jamaican music scene, engineering sessions at various studios and producing countless recordings during the ska era. He also formed other labels such as Pyramid Records and Attack to promote reggae music. Despite relocating to Atlanta, Georgia in the 1970s, Goodall continued his involvement with music until his passing in 2014.
Today, Doctor Bird continues to bring Jamaican rocksteady and other vintage sounds to music enthusiasts worldwide through their curated selection of releases. With its rich history and dedication to preserving iconic Jamaican music, Doctor Bird remains a respected authority on this genre.

By the latter half of the 1970s, Winston ‘Niney’ Holness was widely acknowledged by reggae aficionados as being one of Jamaica’s most celebrated record producers. A pioneer of the roots sound, his output over the preceding years had included scores of best-selling 7” singles, performed by many of the island’s greatest performers, among whose number were the supremely gifted Leonard Dillon and Freddie McGregor.

The recording careers of both of these esteemed artists dated back to the 60s, with Dillon writing and recording numerous major hits with his group, The Ethiopians, most famously his UK chartbuster, ‘Train To Skaville’. The long run of hits abruptly ended in 1975 following the tragic death of Dillon’s friend and singing partner Stephen Taylor, but after two years away from the recording studio he was finally ready to record once more, with his return marked by the widely acclaimed Ethiopians’ LP Slave Call, which featured a brand-new line-up of the group.

In contrast, McGregor’s success until this time had been relatively modest, although the quality of his work, cut for a variety of producers had remained consistently high. In 1979 he recorded a number of superior sides for Niney, culminating in his best-selling Mr.McGregor album, featuring such roots classics as ‘Rasta Man Camp’, ‘Jah Can Count On I’ and ‘Rasta Have Faith’. Two years later, the singer and producer collaborated once again to record another hugely popular ‘Showcase’ (issued in the UK as ‘Lover’s Rock Jamaica Style’) LP, the popularity of which firmly cemented McGregor’s now lofty standing on the reggae scene.

This collection, which comprises the aforementioned albums along with the cream of Niney’s output from 1978 demonstrates his undisputed skill as a producer as well as with the often-sublime talents of a number of reggae music’s most accomplished performers, at the very height of their music-making powers.

The Observer Roots Albums Collection

Music GB

Discover The Observer Roots Albums Collection by Various on Doctor Bird. A compilation of reggae classics produced by Winston ‘Niney’ Holness in the late 70s. Vinyl records available.