As the 70s drew to a close, the roots and dub sounds that had dominated the Jamaican music scene for much of the decade gave way to dancehall, a style that continued to find favour with reggae fans until the onset of the digital revolution of the mid-1980s.

Aimed squarely at satisfying the demands of live audiences, songwriters largely abandoned the conscious lyrics that had typified the music of the preceding years, focusing instead on subjects which with their Jamaican audiences could readily identify.

Meanwhile, the island’s record producers revived classic rock steady and early reggae rhythms that had been created over a decade earlier, while giving the music an extra edge by introducing a dominant snare drum sound, which set it apart from the roots sound it superseded.

Among the most successful of the old school music makers to adapt to the new style was Joe Gibbs, who between 1979 and 1983 released many of the most popular and enduring dancehall singles of the period.

This long overdue 2CD collection brings together 46 of his most sought after productions from the first years of dancehall, including numerous major Jamaican hits, with 25 of the recordings making their CD debut!