A pioneering entrepreneur-producer during the early years of reggae, Joe Gibbs possessed particularly keen business instincts, successfully selling records out of his TV repair shop and later enlisting the talents of young upstarts producer Lee Perry and engineer Errol Thompson for his maiden recording sessions. During the rocksteady era, Gibb's Amalgamated emerged as one of the leading Jamaican labels, challenging the dominance of producer/label owners Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd. SCORCHERS FROM THE EARLY YEARS 1967-73 compiles many superlative rocksteady hits of the era, including Errol Dunkley's heartfelt "Please Stop Your Lying" and the Roy Shirley classic "Hold Them," whose rollicking one-drop rhythms are finely accented by Lynn Taitt's chicken-scratch guitar playing.

The six years covered by this generous two-disc set comprise an incredibly pivotal and important period in the history of reggae music, and very few producers were as influential during that period as Joe Gibbs. Organized in roughly chronological order, the 40 tracks presented here document the sound of rocksteady (with its rubbery, elastic beat) as it peaked in popularity and then gave way to the slower, darker sounds of early reggae; it ends just as the Rastafarian element was about to take over decisively and inform reggae's lyrical concerns for the remainder of the 1970s. Throughout this program, though, the songs are mostly about love and dancing and horse races (the Pioneers' classic "Longshot" is here in a showcase version, as is an alternate lyrical take on the same rhythm). The performers are a nice mix of familiar names (Stranger Cole, Ethiopians, Heptones) and relative unknowns (Soul Mates, Nicky Thomas, Young Souls), and the sound quality is generally very good. Highlights are many, and include a brilliant Stranger & Gladdy number titled "Seeing Is Knowing," which is presented here in showcase style with a Lee "Scratch" Perry DJ cut; a wonderful early Judy Mowatt song called "The Gardener" (and credited to "Julie Anne"); and the Ethiopians' fantastic "The Ring," a true early reggae gem. ~ Rick Anderson