Soul Jazz Records’ new one-off limited-edition heavyweight special-edition coloured vinyl pressing + download code exclusively for Black Friday 2024 of Soul Jazz Records’ long out of print classic Studio One Kings.
Featuring a new striking alternative sleeve design (featuring the singer Freddie McKay) as well as a special yellow coloured vinyl pressing, Studio One Kings is a 'who's who' of the world's greatest reggae artists.
Studio One’s list of singers launched at the famous label reads like a roll call of Jamaican music. Horace Andy, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, Johnny Osbourne and more. This album features classic and rare tracks that span the breadth of the legendary Studio One catalogue: Ska, Roots, Rocksteady, Lovers and more from the 1960s and 70s.
The album comes with sleeve-notes by the celebrated writer Chris Salewicz, author of Reggae Explosion, Rude Boy as well as notable books on Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, Joe Strummer and more.
REVIEWS:
“This is a roll call of the many major names who became reggae royalty – Alton Ellis, Burning Spear, Johnny Osbourne, Freddie McGregor, Cornell Campbell et al” The Wire
"Essential hard to find reggae classics" Hardwax
“With its roots in Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd's Downbeat soundsystem, Studio One was unrivalled in Jamaica as the engine room for the emergent sound of reggae.” The Guardian
“This compilation, rightly titled Studio One Kings, plays like a Jamaican music history lesson. Studio One established itself as the breeding ground for Jamaica's finest reggae talent. This is a must-have vintage collection of the most culturally rich, infectious music you'll ever hear.” Other
"The most notable aspect of Studio One's output is how great it sounds across the years; a ska track from the 60s sounds almost as good as a Roots tracks recorded in the late 70s. At least it does once Soul Jazz have finished re-mastering and pressing up on vinyl. The quality of the original recordings and mastering means you can sequence across the years without jarring shifts in sound quality." Muzik