The Legendary Studio One Records Soul Jazz****

The enigmatic Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd's illustrious reggae label has enjoyed its share of retrospectives over the years, with Soul Jazz leading the way with a slew of sympathetically curated and beautifully packaged compilations. The latest is a fine sampler covering Jamaican gems and a couple of overlooked nuggets from The Skatalites ( Ball of Firesounds a wild call to arms), the majestic Marcia Griffiths, The Maytals, Willie Williams, Horace Andy and a dozen others. When fashions and fads changed, as with the arrival of dancehall in the late 1970s, Dodd and Studio One were ready to catch the wave, with Michigan Smiley, for instance, turning Alton Ellis's classic I'm Just a Guyinto the dubbed-out Rub a Dub Style. For the true completist, Soul Jazz has also published a 200-page book on Studio One's cover art. See souljazzrecords. co.uk

Download tracks: Michigan Smiley, Rub a Dub Style; The Skatalites, Ball of Fire