By the early Seventies, Clancy Eccles sat firmly atop the reggae tree, having enjoyed a succession of hits both in Jamaica and the UK, where the bulk of his productions had seen issue on Trojan's Clandisc subsidiary.
To capitalise on the popularity of his work, the London based record company chose to launch their new Big Shot label LP range with a collection comprising a dozen of his lesser known tracks that had remained unissued since being recorded two to three years earlier.
Unfortunately, due to the age of the material, the resultant 'Top Of The Ladder' album sounded dated compared to the reggae sounds of the day, with poor sales of the long-player leading to it being pulled after an initial pressing run of just a few hundred copies.
Although largely overlooked by record buyers at the time, the LP's scarcity, allied to the high quality of the music featured within its grooves has since led to it becoming one of the most sought-after Trojan collections on the market.
Unavailable on any format for almost half a century, 'Top Of The Ladder' is finally available once more, with its dozen tracks bolstered by over 40 Clancy Eccles-produced sides from the early Seventies – including the original reggae version of 'Kingston Town' and many recordings new to CD!
Disc: 1
1. Open It - Wright, Winston
2. Thinking About It - Dynamites, The
3. Captivity - Higgs, Joe
4. Love That Builds - Higgs / Wilson
5. Hits Medley - Eccles, Clancy
6. Reggaedelic - Wright, Winston
7. Cat Walk - Wright, Winston
8. Eccles Skank - Wright, Winston
9. Quarter Master - Wright, Winston
10. Passing Through - Lord Creator
11. Cow Feet Reggae - Dynamites, The
12. Nyah Rock - Wright, Winston
13. Holly Holy - Fabulous Flames, The
14. Rod Of Correction - Eccles, Clancy
15. Old Man River - Mello / Mellotones, The
16. Hello Mother - Dynamites, The
17. Power For The People (Part 1) - Eccles, Clancy
18. Molly - Lord Creator
19. George - Anderson, Gladstone
20. People Like People - Eccles, Clancy
21. Don't Call Me Nigga - Taylor, Tyrone
22. Build My World Around You - Mello / Mellotones, The
23. Sweet Jamaica - Eccles, Clancy
24. Sunday Version - Dynamites, The
25. Rub A Dub - King Stitt
Disc: 2
1. Kingston Town - Lord Creator
2. Stand By Your Man - Webber, Merlene
3. Hallelujah Free At Last - Eccles, Clancy
4. Hi De Ho - Fabulous Flames, The
5. Joe Louis - Dynamites, The
6. Teardrops Will Fall - Silverstones, The
7. John Crow Skank - Eccles, Clancy
8. Haile Selassie - Mello / Mellotones, The
9. Going Up West - Wright, Winston
10. If You Were Mine - Honey Boy Martin
11. Ganja Free - Eccles, Clancy
12. Livitis - Fabulous Flames, The
13. Red Moon - Dynamites, The
14. Tomorrow - Stranger / Gladdy
15. Uncle Joe - Eccles, Clancy
16. Winey Winey - Bernard, Jackie
17. Growing Up - Fabulous Flames, The
18. Thats How I Need You - Lord Creator
19. Power For The People (Part 2) - Manley, Michael / Eccles, Clancy
20. The Wanderer - Hammond, Beres
21. I Fe Layo - McDonald, Larry / Laing, Denzil
22. Single Man - Boy Martin
23. Live And Love - Wilson, Barry
24. Sha La La - Dynamites, The
25. What Will Your Mama Say (Strings Mix) - Eccles, Clancy
