"The Story Of TROJAN RECORDS" by LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT (August 2018 Eye Books HARDBACK) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS"

August 2018 Eye Books Hardback Edition

by LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT

Truly Beautiful History of a Great British Reggae Label "Trojan" 

Sets A Standard For Record Label Biogs too...

Back in the day I reviewed "The Story Of Trojan Records" 6CD Box Set from 2011, Deluxe Editions of "Tighten Up Volumes 1 and 2" - even Cane Honeysett's groundbreaking book "Young, Gifted And Black" on Trojan (2003, Sanctuary Books) which published the first decent Discography on all of its output - a Herculean work if ever there was one. The booklet in the 6CD Box Set is gorgeous - but little (and I mean little) will prepare lifetime fans of this fantastic English Reggae, Ska and Dub label for 2018's Hardback extravaganza "The Story Of Trojan Records" (Eye Books - ISBN 9781785630781) - its properly gorgeous.

I've just come from a 4-day review on "Trojan 50" - the accompanying 4LP/6CD/2x7" Mega Box Set celebrating 1968 to 2018 - and this tome is the companion to that. I'm now sure that had this beautiful book been included in "Trojan 50" as well as the "Art Of The Album" Book - we would be looking at Reissue of the Year in any format.

What you get here is nearly 290 pages in an almost LP-sized hardback book with literally ever page festooned with memorabilia, 7" single labels, LP sleeves, Trade Adverts, Master Tape Boxes, Press Releases, Buttons, Top 50 release sheets shown on the counters of London specialist shops and personal recollections from people who were there (Chris Blackwell of Island Records does the intro) - 70 to 80% of which you haven't seen before. There's a 'picture sleeve' of Wilfred Edwards "I Love You No More" b/w "More Than Words Can Say" on Island (early Sixties, probably promo-only) that I've never seen and I don't think is even catalogued! On Page 55 there's The Ethiopians album "Engine 54 - Go Rock Steady" from 1968 - a British pressing on Doctor Bird in a Jamaican Wirl Records sleeve - set you back £400 - if you could find one! You get Christmas campaigns adverts, Fab 208 playlists, articles on Skinhead culture, Mods, Soul Boys, the famous 14/6d price tag for their TRL series that included the one that started it all - "Tighten Up". Speaking of that iconic album and so many other LP covers - there's even a few pages on the gorgeous and sexy Lucienne Camille - The Beautiful Face Of Reggae whose lovely figure and ample assets thrilled and tempted many a young lad browsing the swirly racks in Woolworths.

There are articles on Trojan's Island LP Revival releases - (the TRLS series with sought-after compilations like "Ride Your Donkey" and "Guns Of Navarone" along with Derrick Morgan's "Forward March!") - the famous red-covered titled sleeves of the Trojan 'Hot Shots' 45s (usually 5000-only picture sleeves for the hottest releases Trojan wanted fans to notice) - a stunning display of rarely seen International Picture Sleeves (stuff like Jimmy Cliff's "Vietnam" and Nicky Thomas' "Love Of The Common People" which of course Paul Young made a hit of in the 80ts) - right up the "This Is Trojan..." series of CD sets in 2018. There are interviews with key players stretching from 1995 to 2017 like Dave Betteridge (former Island and Trojan Managing Director) - Chips Richards (former Marketing Manager) - Graeme Walker (former Label Manager) - Jim Flynn (former Director of B&C and Trojan) - Rob Bell (former Label Manager) – Vic Keary (Sound Engineer at Chalk Farm Studios) – Rob Bell talking about Producers like Lee Perry, Bunny Lee, Clancy Eccles and Leslie Kong working in the famous Music House Studios - Phil Swain (Record Producer and Radio Presenter) and many more. There are biographies of artists towards the end of the text and peppered throughout (Ken Boothe, The Melodians, The Pioneers, Marcia Griffiths, The Maytals and more) - absolutely wonderful stuff full of memories hitherto unheard.

Even though a Discography would have been stunning icing on the cake - you cannot call this 2018 Hardback Edition publication anything other than a balls-to-the-wall triumph. Keeper of the Trojan Catalogue flame now for many years - Author LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT and the huge team that put this together (acknowledged on the last few pages) should receive accolades a-plenty for "The Story Of Trojan Records". I'll be dipping into this shapely peach for years. Well done to all involved...

PS: And for Gawd's sake - can someone in Universal please do the same for Island Records, Polydor Records, Atlantic Records etc. Why aren't these musical cultural giants catalogued in Book Form??

"The Story Of Trojan Records" by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The 2011 5CD Box Set.

"…The Child Is Black…The Child Is White…A Beautiful Sight…"

Released 29 August 2011, "The Story Of Trojan Records" is a UK Book-Sized Box Set on Universal UMC/Sanctuary 2775354.
Containing 123 tracks across 5 discs (87 are new to CD), you can also use CD1 in your PC or MAC to register the set after purchase which will entitle you to a further 12 tracks exclusive to download.
It breaks down as follows…

Disc 1: "25 Big Ones – UK Hits"
Red & White Trojan Records CD Label, 25 Tracks from 1969 to 1974, 74:56 minutes

Disc 2: "Reggae Greats – The Artists"
Pale Blue Trojan Records CD Label, 25 Tracks from 1967 to 1980, 79:44 minutes
Tracks 2-4, 7, 9-11, 15 and 23 are Previously Unreleased

Disc 3: "The Big Shots – The Producers"
Orange & Yellow Big Shot Records CD Label, 25 Tracks from 1969 to 1981, 79:50 minutes
Tracks 3 and 18 are Previously Unreleased in the UK, 12 is Previously Unreleased, 15 is a Previously Unreleased Version

Disc 4: "A To Z Of Trojan – The Labels"
Red & Yellow Attack Records CD Label, 25 Tracks from 1968 to 1977, 78:25 minutes

Disc 5: "Unreleased Gems, Rarities & Oddities"
Blue & Yellow Blue Cat Records CD Label, 23 Tracks from 1969 to 1975, 73:57 minutes
Tracks 1, 3-7, 10, 16 and 18-22 are Previously Unreleased in the UK; tracks 8-9, 11-15, 17 and 23 are Previously Unreleased

On the inside - each fully loaded CD is housed in a card sleeve with a different Trojan Records logo on the front to reflect the period - while the discs themselves also go into Trojan associated labels (as described above). The 50-page booklet contains extensive liner notes by set compiler and Reggae expert LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT (Author of "Young Gifted & Black – The Story Of Trojan Records" – see separate review) with the text peppered by period photos, album covers, trade reviews etc. There are also 4 full-length double-sided colour reproduction postcards featuring adverts for Trojan LPs and 45’s, best-seller 7” single charts from the period, gig flyers etc. Visually the cards are probably the best things in here – they’re really pretty and hugely evocative of the late Sixties and early Seventies. There’s also a small Trojan Window Sticker and even the shaped-well that houses the card sleeves in the base of the box is a repro of a May 1970 Magnetic Tape Box. It’s very nicely done indeed. JARED HAWKES did the tape transfers and the remastering was carried out at Tim Debney and Nick Watson’s FLUID MASTERING in London.

First up is the look of the set – if you look closely at the photos provided above, you will notice a slight smudging on the white and yellow Trojan logo on the front box – with the same effect carried over to the front page of the booklet. It looks like it’s dirtied - smudged with fingerprints and toner ink. I don’t know what bright spark thought this was a good idea because it isn’t. One of our customers who bought the box on the day of release brought it back to the store where he bought it from complaining bitterly that it was 'stained'. When it was pointed out to him that this 'old tape box' look was deliberate – he still didn’t want it! Hardly the effect the makers of this set would want. It may seem like a small pedantic point, but when you actually see the box – it just looks like it needs a good wash (every page in the booklet is back-grounded with the same). It’s a shame, because I wouldn’t want any person put off the real deal here – the actual content and the huge improvement in sound achieved…

A word on that first - the 'sound'. Everybody knows that Reggae and Ska from the late Sixties and early Seventies was recorded in a bucket with a hole at the bottom – it's always lo-fi and that’s part of its charm actually. But to my ears there’s a big improvement on here to what went before. I’ve reviewed 4 of Sanctuary’s DELUXE EDITIONS for Trojan Records - Tighten Up Vol.1 & 2, John Holt and Symarip – and somehow the sound achieved here trumps them all – as if someone made a concerted effort to get as many real tapes as possible. And even on the unreleased stuff like "You Didn’t Answer" by Desmond Dekker on Disc 2 or the superb "Double Barrel Man" by Dandy (a version of "Double Barrel") on Disc 5 – it’s still excellent.

Content - while people will love the improved sound of the hits on Disc 1 (Greyhound's "Black And White" still has a message that resonates to this day - lyrics above), I personally like everything on Disc 4 where the set stretches out to Trojan associated labels and their rare 45's. Stuff like "Chicken Lickin'" by Lloyd Charmers on High Note or the lovely Ska of "Freedom Train" by Brent Dowe on Summit. "Rolling Stone" by Tommy Shakespeare on Disc 5 has been a hard-to-find 45 too (a Jamaican import I believe) – and it sounds great here. The Producers set (Disc 3) has gems on it like "Put It Down, Children" by The Melodians produced by the legendary Leslie Kong in 1970 and unreleased until now. In fact most of it is an embarrassment of riches…

To sum up – with its huge haul of unreleased and first-time-on-CD goodies, this superb box set (despite reservations about how it looks) is clearly aimed at diehard collectors and is not for the faint hearted who would probably find a ten spot spent on the Deluxe Edition of "Tighten Up" will suffice. But if you're prepared to dig a bit deeper and fork out the bit extra – then "The Story Of Trojan Records" will pay dividends for years to come. As Bob Marley said "…Stir it up little darling…"

Easily 'the' Reggae Reissue Of The Year 2011.

“1000 Volts Of Holt” by JOHN HOLT. A 26 January 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION Reissue Of The 1973 UK Classic LP On Trojan Records.

“Take The Ribbon From Your Hair…Shake It Loose…And Let It Fall…”

If you already own the 2002 46-track “Expanded Version” of this iconic UK reggae album - then you’ll want to know if this January 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION with its meagre 39 tracks is worth buying – yet again! And yes and no is the typically infuriating answer…

There’s a lot on here, do let’s break it down first…

Disc 1 is entitled 1000 VOLTS…PLUS! (67:31 minutes):
1. Never, Never, Never [Shirley Bassey cover]
2. Morning of My Life [Bee Gees cover]
3. Stoned Out Of My Mind [Chi-Lites cover]
4. Baby I’m-A-Want You [Bread cover]
5. Help Me Make It Through The Night [Kris Kristofferson cover]
6. Mr. Bojangles [Jerry Jeff Walker/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover]
7. I’d Love You To Want Me [Lobo cover] (End Of Side 1)
8. Killing Me Softly With Her Song [Roberta Flack cover]
9. You Baby [Ronettes cover]
10. Too Much Love [Bread cover]
11. Girl From Ipanema [Astrid Gilberto cover]
12. Which Way You Going Baby [Susan & Terry Jacks of The Poppy Family cover] (End of Side 2)
Tracks 1 to 12 are the November 1973 UK LP “1000 Volts Of Holt” on Trojan Records TRLS 75 (it finally charted in early 1975)

13. Morning Of My Life
14. Stoned Out Of My Mind
15. Baby I’m-A-Want You
16. Help Me Make It Through The Night
17. Mr. Bojangles
18. Too Much Love
19. Girl From Ipanema
20. Which Way You Going Baby
Tracks 13 to 20 are Bonus Tracks (Jamaican Mixes). Only 2 of the Jamaican Mixes are previously unreleased - “Morning of My Life” and “Too Much Love”. The version of “Too Much Love” on the 2002 set is an extended mix at 4:21 minutes while this DELUXE EDITION cut is an edit at 2:40 minutes. Although the other 6 tracks were on the 2002 set, it should be noted that like the album, they’re all in VASTLY IMPROVED SOUND on this DELUXE EDITION.

Disc 2 is entitled 4000 VOLTS OF HOLT - RARE & UNRELEASED MASTERS
(60:30 minutes)
1. I Don’t Want To Be Lonely
2. It’s Just Because
3. My Eyes
4. Love And Affection (aka Sweet Vibrations)
5. Here Today (Gone Tomorrow)
6. If I Could Hear Her (aka Blue Dawn)
7. I Could Dance All Night
8. Maybe Some Day
9. I Played The Fool [writer unknown]
10. Got My Head On Straight
11. Come Dance With Me
12. Good Morning Sun
13. Room Full Of Tears
14. Only You
15. Lonely Times
16. Sweet Malinda
17. Love So Right [Mac Davis cover]
18. Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me [Mac Davis cover]
19. Just The Way You Are [Billy Joel cover]
All songs on Disc 2 are written by John Holt - except where noted.
Tracks 16 and 19 are from 1979 - while 17 and 18 are from 1980.
The other 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (most from an aborted album in 1975).

The 20-page booklet has photos, singles pictured, trade adverts and a detailed track-by-track breakdown of the album by LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT (he co-wrote the superb book “Young, Gifted & Black; The Story Of Trojan Records” - see separate review).
The 4-way digipak is the same as the “Tighten Up” DELUXE EDITION of 2008, the flaps have photos from the period, the see-through trays that hold the CDs have the album details underneath - and the orange and white coloured CD labels mimic the original UK 1973 Trojan vinyl LP. All of it very nicely laid out.

SOUND:
Remastered by TIM DEBNEY at Fluid Mastering, the sound quality is really fantastic and a vast improvement on the now dull-sounding 2002 issue – I’d say the tracks are now twice as loud – and not loud for the sake of it - but clear – the bass and percussion in particular, so sweet now. The improvement of sound thankfully also extends to tracks 13 to 20 (the Bonus Jamaican Mixes), which are so much more ‘reggae’ than the released soft soul versions – more edgy and genuinely excellent bonus tracks. Considering how rough most Reggae can sound - a really great job done has been done here.

While you could say that Disc 1 is a triumph (especially soundwise), I’m not so sure about the rather weedy poppy tracks on Disc 2 – they’re the sorts of lightweight pop-soul-reggae tunes that many fans and purists hate. The sound quality is excellent though. Highlights for me include “Too Much Love”, “My Love” and “It’s Just Because”. Lyrics from the huge international hit "Help Me Make It Through The Night" are the title of this review.

I saw this in a certain Megastore on Oxford Street the week of release for two coins above a twenty spot, which is a ridiculous rip off. If you can lay your hands on it at a good price - between £12 and £14 - then I’d say the DELUXE EDITION is a good buy.

Four out of five stars then.

PS: see also reviews for the DELUXE EDITIONS of the Various Artists compilation “Tighten Up” and Symarip's “Skinhead Moonstomp” (pictured below).

PPS: Dear compiler boffins at Universal - now please do "Tighten Up Vol.2" and 3 and 4 and 5 and...