The Trojan Story

Despite a series of late 60s chart hits by artists such as Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican music faced undue prejudice in Britain; black and white working-class audiences were united in their love of the ska and reggae championed by Trojan Records, but Jamaican music was neglected by the BBC and derided by an ignorant print media. The situation was so pervasive in 1971 that Trojan staffer Rob Bell conceived the triple-LP Trojan Story to chart the music’s progression from a local variant of rhythm and blues through ska, rock steady, and early reggae, the box set being the first attempt to give proper context to Jamaican music’s complex evolution. The original compilation was groundbreaking, and this 50th anniversary edition goes further with an altered tracklisting and a 50-page book, telling the story behind the work. The first three sides show how the rhythm and blues of Owen Gray’s ‘Running Around’ gave way to the ska of Justin Hinds and Baba Brooks; then we get the rocksteady of Alton Ellis and Lynn Taitt, before reggae finally arrives with The Maytals and Carl Dawkins. In short, this is a superb introduction to Jamaican music’s formative genres.