This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
To celebrate four decades in business, the folks at Island Records have issuing a multi-disc series covering everything from R&B and ska to acoustic and rock.
But take it from me: The disc you really want is this fifth instalment; after all, for the first 20 years or so, Island was a reggae label. Correction: It was THE reggae label, home to a who’s who including Bob Marley, Toots & The Maytals, Lee (Scratch) Perry, Junior Murvin, Jimmy Cliff and Black Uhuru. All are represented here on crucial cuts like The Harder They Come, Police And Thieves, Funky Kingston, Sinsemilla and Exodus. Call it the last word on reggae from the folks who wrote the book.
