"Original Album Collection" by LAUREL AITKEN [featuring GIRLIE] – Including The Albums "Ska With Laurel" (1966), "Laurel Aitken Says Fire" (1967), "Scandal In A Brixton Market" (1969), "The High Priest Of Reggae" (1970) and more (September 2014 UK Pressure Drop 5CD Clamshell Box Set With Mini LP Card Repro Artwork Sleeves and Booklet – Alan Wilson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Rude Boy With Groovy Beats…"

Having worked in secondhand record shops for the guts of 20 years - and been in and out of them for the formative 2 decades of vinyl debauchery that preceded those - I can safely say that I've never seen 'any' of these uber-rare British Reggae/Ska albums - ever! Listed in 2014 price guides at somewhere between £200 and £150 for each album - good luck trying to find one! Well along comes Pressure Drop of the UK (part of Cherry Red Records) rectifying that unnecessary hole in our Skaless lives with this cool little box set which is frankly guaranteed to put some fire in your wire. Here are the rude boy rhythms, stretching braces and naughty lyrics...

UK released September 2014 - "Original Album Collection" by LAUREL AITKEN on Pressure Drop PDROPBOX25 (Barcode 5013929682504) is a 5CD Clamshell Mini Box Set with Five Mini LP Repro Card Artwork Sleeves - 4 original albums and a new 25-track CD compilation put together by Reggae expert and fan LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSET. 

His is a name familiar to me - he did the superlative 2CD Deluxe Editions of "Tighten Up" Volumes 1 and 2 (see my reviews) and the groundbreaking paperback books - "Young Gifted & Black: The Story Of Trojan Records" and "Tighten Up: The History Of Reggae In The UK" (see separate reviews also). This is a guy who knows what's what when it comes to this genre (at times so shrouded in discography mystery)...

As you can imagine Sixties Reggae and Ska was recorded in Uncle Albert's laundry room with a bucket and a broom - so the sound fluctuates wildly depending on the sources. But having said that - ALAN WILSON has done a wonderful job with the mastering. The 4 albums in particular sound amazingly fresh and clean .You can of course here cackle here and there - but frankly that's what I love about this joyous and funny music - it's from the streets and all the more fab for it. Here's a breakdown of what's on the discs...

CD1 is "Ska With Laurel" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1966 on Rio Records LR 1 (30:12 minutes)

1. Street Of Glory

2. Lonesome Traveller

3. Madame Sorosie

4. We Shall Overcome

5. Call The Doctor

6. Freedom

7. Hallelujah Train [Side 2]

8. Looking For My Baby 

9. Woman Is Sweeter Than Man

10. It’s Coming Down

11. Take Off My Pyjamas

12. Leave My Woman Alone

CD2 is "Laurel Aitken Says Fire" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1967 on Doctor Bird Records DLM (B) 5012 (31:46 minutes)

1. Fire

2. Worried Over Me

3. Halfway To Paradise

4. Coconut

5. Quando Quando

6. If You Need Me 

7. La La La [Side 2]

8. Rice And Peas

9. Stand By Me

10. Sunnyside

11. Mr. Lee

12. Gonna Get Married

CD3 is "Scandal In A Brixton Market" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1969 on Pama Economy ECO-8 – credited to GIRLIE and LAUREL AITKEN (43:02 minutes)

1. Scandal In A Brixton Market

2. Madame Straggae

3. Stupid Married Man

4. Tammering

5. Have Mercy

6. Night Cricket

7. Run Powell Run [Side 2]

8. Teddy Bear 

9. Mr. Soul

10. Woke Up This Morning

11. Babylon

12. Stop The War In Vietnam

CD4 is "The High Priest Of Reggae" - first released on a UK 12-track LP in 1970 on Pama Special PSP1012 (34:17 minutes)

1. Jesse James

2. Mr Popcorn

3. I Got To Have Your Love

4. John B

5. Shoo Bee Shoo Bee

6. Hailes Selaise

7. Landlords & Tenants [Side 2]

8. Save The Last Dance

9. Walk Right Back

10. Don’t Be Cruel

11. Woppi King 

12. Suffering Still

CD5 - Exclusive 25-Song CD Compilation - "Skinhead Train: 1960's Singles & Rarities" with all tracks by LAUREL AITKEN except where noted (73:45 minutes):

1. Boogie In My Bones - 1960, Starlite ST45 011, A-side

2. Drinkin' Whisky - with The Caribs, 1960, Starlite 014, B-side to "Honey Girl"

3. Mary Lee  - with The Blue Beats, 1960, Melodisc M 1570, A-side)

4. Bartender - 1961, Blue Beat BB 40, A-side

5. Brother David - 1962, Blue Beat 84, A-side

6. Lucille - with The Blue Beats, 1962, Blue Beat 109, A-side

7. Adam & Eve - 1963, Rio R 11, A-side

8. I Shall Remove - 1963, island WI 092, A-side

9. Lion Of Judah - 1964, Black Swan WI 401, A-side

10. Don't Stay Out Late - 1964, Columbia DB 7280, B-side of "Be Mine"

11. Clementine - 1966, Blue Beat 340, A-side

12. Propaganda - 1966, Ska Beat JB 236, A-side

13. Green Banana - 1966, Ska Beat JB 239, A-side

14. Rock Steady - 1967, Columbia Blue Beat DB 102, A-side

15. Blowin' In The Wind - B-side of 14, Bob Dylan cover

16. I'm Still In Love With You Girl - 1967, Columbia Blue Beat DB 106, A-side

17. Reggae Prayer - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1196, A-side

18. The Rise And Fall (Of Laurel) - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1197, A-side

19. Heile Heile (The Lion) - 1969, Doctor Bird DB 1202, A-side

20. Donkey Man - 1969, Unity UN 506, B-side of "The Avengers" by TOMMY McCOOK

21. Reggae '69 - 1969, Nu Beat NB 025, B-side of "Suffering Still"

22. Big Fight In Hell - 1969, Nu Beat NB 033, B-side of "Lawd Doctor" by Laurel Aitken & Girlie

23. Skinhead Train - 1969, Nu Beat NB 047, A-side

24. Apollo 12 (Skinhead Invasion) - 1969 White Label Only

The infectious brass rhythm that permeates "Street Of Glory" and "Lonesome Traveller" pretty much define Ska while he upped the piano involvement for his brilliant and very funny/fruity second LP "Says Fire". Laurel tells of his ardour being 'vexed' and "bwoy me hav fire in me wire..." (what a hoot!). "Worried Over Me" is fantastic - sounds great too. Even his cover of Billy Fury's "Halfway To Paradise" raises a smile. And as you can see from my track listing provided for Disc 5 (these details are not in the booklet) - there's lots of catalogue numbers collectors' want badly. The only let down (if you could call it that) is the 8-page inlay - which feels way too slight. But at least it has a central display of rare UK 45s with labels like Rio, Black Swan, Doctor Bird, Blue Beat, Ska Beat, Nu Beat, Pama and Island - it's the kind of photo that will make lovers of Reggae and Ska drool.

Fans will notice though that the hand of collectors has been involved in putting this together. For instance in the spring of 1969, Nu Beat (a subsidiary of Pama) issued the fabulous Girlie and Laurel Aitken non-album single "Lawd Doctor" on Nu Beat NB 033 – it’s equally rare non-LP B-side "Big Fight In Hell Stadium" turns up as a bonus on Disc 4 – as do a slew of other 45s seeing the digital light of day. "Scandal In A Brixton Market" indeed...

Such an enjoyable release - makes me big and fat - and I don't mind dat...