She Went Of Her Own Accord

The Harder They Come and Catch A Fire were the gateway reggae drugs for many who'd failed to be hooked by ska and rock steady. The Marley album, with its clever Chris Blackwell sweetening, opened up a whole world of music that was at once exotic and yet somehow familiar. It just sounded right. Natural. It made no demands on the listener - you didn't have to get up and dance (if you're listening to ska you're missing the point), you didn't have to analyze the lyrics, struggle with difficult progressions - this was at the height of prog - or do anything other than lie back and let it massage you up. It helped to have an interest in home bakery - in the sense of getting baked at home - but this deep-heat groove got you lightly cooked on its own.

When Culture released the epochal Two Sevens Clash everyone who heard it became an evangelist, if not for its entertainingly eccentric Rastafarianism, then for its transportational power to beam you up. Roots became the favored term, to distinguish the righteous from the cash-in pop party sing-along singles.

Today's sumptuous Cornucopia Of Sound© consists of five slabs of original vinyl rootier than a field of hemp, in their rare (-ish - this is the internet) original Jamaican pressings, complete with original crackles and scuffed cover art. Culture's Africa Stand Alone, Bunny Wailer's Blackheart Man, Heart Of The Congos, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey and Studio One Presents. These pressings often differ significantly from later editions, and are guaranteed to impress any swivel-eyed collector scrolling through your iTunes content. Sigh "I had that on vinyl" in a tone of infinite regret to complete the effect.