Bust away those winter blues...

It's cold outside. It's cold inside. It's February in London, and temperatures are constantly in range of freezing. Our friends in Jamaica however, are experiencing temperatures in the are of 29°C! So what better way to warm up, than with a slice of classic Jamaican culture...



On an island famous for its multitude of talented musicians, it becomes tough to name one artist as being the most influential. Bob Marley always springs to mind, as does Jimmy Cliff, then one considers the other side of the mixing board - King Tubby, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry. The further back one goes, the name that lies at the beginning of the reggae movement more often than not remains Prince Buster.
A man whose name is more or less synonymous with Ska, and certainly built the foundations for rocksteady, Buster's career began in 1960, with his producing the Folkes Brothers' hit single, Oh Carolina (which would later be covered by Shaggy of all people!) on the British Blue Beat record label. Buster's solo career began in '61 with several singles on the Stateside label, before ultimately signing to Blue Beat in time for his first LP, I Feel the Spirit, in 1963. Any way, this collection cuts straight to the point, and presents Prince Buster's most golden hits, and from the blowout simplicity of Madness, one can instantly feel Prince Buster's influence filtering down through generations of Jamaicans, whether it was a young Bob Marley listening to Prince Buster on a radio in Trenchtown, or the likes of Shaggy getting back to his roots. Highlights include, Buster's reading of My Girl , Ten Commandments of Man (Buster's rewriting of the commandments in accordance with rudeboy lifestyle) and Judge Dread (a courtroom drama set to a rocksteady beat, and also the song that gave its name to the British Reggae artist).

Get the sound of summer...only in winter time!

Prince Buster - Fabulous Greatest Hits

1. Madness
2. Wash Wash
3. God Son
4. It's Burke's Law
5. 10 Commandments
6. Blackhead Chineman
7. 30 Pieces of Silver
8. Hard Man Fe Dead
9. Earthquake
10. Judge Dread
11. Ghost Dance
12. Take it Easy
13. Too Hot
14. My Girl
15. This is a Hold Up
16. Shaking Up Orange St.
17. Big Five
18. Rough Rider
19. Wreck a Pum Pum
20. Julie on My Mind
21. Pharoah House Crach
22. Tie the Donkey's Tail

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