Soul Jazz Records Presents: Studio One Groups 2LP (Red Vinyl)

Soul Jazz Records' classic Studio One Groups collection is now available as a new one-off limited-edition red colored double vinyl + download anniversary pressing!

Fifteen years on from its original release, Studio One Groups remains one of the toughest of all Soul Jazz/Studio One releases and features some of the biggest groups in the history of reggae music including Bob Marley and The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals and The Heptones who all began their careers at 13 Brentford Road, under the guidance of the great producer and label owner Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd.

Featuring many, many classic and killer tunes from The Wailing Souls, Carlton and His Shoes, The Gladiators, The Ethiopians, The Mad Lads and more, Studio One Groups brings together numerous classic artists alongside a number of rarities. The collection delves into Studio One's musical output in its prime in the 1960s and '70s featuring ska, roots, rocksteady, dub and more. Clement Dodd's role in launching and nurturing reggae groups and singers is unsurpassed, and Studio One's success was due to Dodd's ability to see talent, surround himself with it and nurture artists.

Launching Bob Marley and The Wailers' career at Studio One also meant housing Marley in a flat in the studio compound, as well as employing Marley in an A&R role, checking out the latest American soul and jazz 45s that came out for Studio One artists to cover. In similar fashion Leroy Sibbles, lead vocalist with the Heptones, became the key in-house bass player after being taught from scratch by Jackie Mittoo.

Studio One Groups were at the heart of the label's success. The sweet three-part harmonies, so close to the heart of Jamaican music, can be heard throughout every stylistic change of reggae music - ska, rocksteady, roots and beyond - all of which are featured here in all their vocalized glory.

The album comes with excellent informative sleeve notes by the author and Studio One discographer Rob Chapman, and exclusive photography including the stunning color picture of Bob Marley and the Wailers on the front of the release.

The Soul Jazz label once again proves how smart they are with excellent Studio One Groups, an almost overwhelming set of killer cuts from bands and singing groups affiliated with Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's 'University of Reggae.'...There's an amazing, deep history to be explored and even when you focus on just the groups, one disc isn't enough to tell the whole story, but this collection functions as both a killer mixtape and exciting introduction for novices. Rob Chapman's liner notes are informative, the design is up to the label's usual high standards, and there's a wonderful mix of tracks you might know, tracks you should know, and a couple of wonderful rarities that should have never fallen through the cracks. The sweet harmonies, spiritual roots music, and soul-influenced ballads are all intoxicating and you can't even began to claim a familiarity with Jamaican music history until names like the Maytals, the Heptones, and, of course, the Wailers are firmly in your back pocket. Whether you're being introduced or getting reacquainted, Studio One Groups is an easy recommendation.