Generation Dread

“Generation Dread is a vital and deeply compelling read.”—Adam McKay, award-winning writer, director, and producer (Vice, Succession, Don’t Look Up)

It really doesn't matter how many mainstream chatterers want metal to "move forward": subgenres as resilient as thrash will never disappear or lose their relevance, particularly when so many of its original progenitors are still releasing albums as monstrous as this.

The mid-70s were heady years for reggae. Chris Blackwell’s Island imprint had taken the music to the rock world, and Virgin boss Richard Branson wanted to follow suit. Aided by none other than John Lydon, the pair decamped to Kingston, JA, with a suitcase of money, and proceeded to sign some of the biggest acts of the decade. Initially the records were released on Virgin but, in March 1978, the Front Line imprint was launched to carry all the Jamaican product.

Two CD set. Four essential classic DJ albums - 2 new to CD. By the close of the 1970s, the DJ style had been long established as one of reggae music's most popular subgenres - and few producers embraced the style more enthusiastically than Kingston-based hitmaker Joe Gibbs. Throughout decade and into the next, Gibbs released a wealth of material by almost every talk-over artist on the island, from veteran pioneers such as U Roy and Count Matchuki to the cream of the second generation of toasters, notably the quartet of DJ superstars whose music fills this 2CD set. The first disc of the collection features a pair of classic 1977 long-players from two giants of the genre, namely Wade Brammer AKA Trinity - best-known for the hugely popular 'Three Piece Suit', the inspiration for Althea & Donna's UK chart-topper, 'Uptown Top Ranking' - and Michael Williams, who, as Prince Far I, first achieved international recognition with his hugely popular 1976 hit, 'Heavy Manners'. Disc 2 presents a further two albums from 1980 that respectively showcase the talents of the immensely popular Ranking Joe (Jackson) - who throughout the late 70s and early 80s cut a series of major Jamaican hits - and the talented Prince Mohammed, who also enjoyed significant success as a vocalist under his real name of George Nooks. Now, at long last, these four essential Joe Gibbs-produced LPs from the heyday of the original DJ era are brought together on this double disc set, with the Trinity and Prince Far I albums unavailable on CD for two decades, and both long-players on disc 2 making their long overdue digital debut.