Various Artists - Irie Greatest Hits

• Classic roots LP new to CD
• With over 20 tracks new to CD
• Includes many roots classics from the late 70s

As the 70s drew to a close, Joel Augustus Gibbs had precious few serious challengers to his status as Jamaica’s premier record producer. Over the preceding decade, he had released a succession of best-selling 7” singles, with almost every performer of note on the island having worked for him during this time.

The willingness of top performers to record for Gibbs is evidenced by the selection on the ‘United Reggae’ album, which first saw issue in 1979 and finally receives its CD debut more than 40 years later. In traditional Doctor Bird style, the original track-listing has been significantly bolstered by additional Joe Gibbs-produced recordings from the period, with the bonus material offering the very best of his pre-Dancehall output from 1978 and ’79.

Included here are an array of Jamaican chartbusters, alongside lesser-known material, much of which is available on CD for the very first time, ensuring a hugely enjoyable and enlightening listening experience for fans of late 70s Jamaican roots and lovers sounds.