Various Artists – Treasure Isle Ska (Various Artists

This specially curated collection brings together the most treasured SKA hits produced by the legendary Jamaican label owner Arthur Duke Reid.Jamaica was blessed at the time with a surfeit of great musicians, some who had learned their craft in the jazz and dance bands that played in the island's upmarket resorts, whilst others had come up through the ranks of the Alpha Boys School band. These musicians would fuel the bands that worked long hours in the studios. To augment them there was always an ample supply of singers, keen to make their mark, filtering through from talent shows and song contests. It is from this world that SKA bubbled up, and left Duke Reid in poll position to make some of not just the finest, but also the most exciting SKA records of the era.We could fill this album several times over, but this Solid Ska, all-killer-no-filler collection is the perfect starting point for anyone wanting to find out what Duke Reid's Treasure Isle is all about. DEAN RUDLAND