Mark Winston

Listening to the Bees is a collaborative exploration by two writers to illuminate the most profound human questions: Who are we? Who do we want to be in the world?

The first British reggae sub-genre to achieve ‘outernational’ success and influence the music of Jamaica, lovers rock was a dominating force in the UK scene, from the mid-Seventies through to the close of the Eighties. Developed largely as a counterpoint to the more militant style of roots reggae, the romantically-themed genre was heavily influenced by the styles of US R&B and the predominantly soulful Jamaican rock steady sound of the Sixties. Despite the style achieving mainstream success with a number of major UK chart hits, lovers rock received scant attention in the mainstream media until the screening of Steve’s McQueen’s award-winning 2020 BBC TV series, “Small Axe”, the highlight of which was an aptly titled episode that paid tribute to the style and its impact upon British culture. Since then, interest in the genre has continued to grow internationally and reflecting this trend comes this handsomely packaged album which is presented in 2 physical formats – 2x LP and 3CD.

The first British reggae sub-genre to achieve ‘outernational’ success and influence the music of Jamaica, lovers rock was a dominating force in the UK scene, from the mid-Seventies through to the close of the Eighties. Developed largely as a counterpoint to the more militant style of roots reggae, the romantically-themed genre was heavily influenced by the styles of US R&B and the predominantly soulful Jamaican rock steady sound of the Sixties. Despite the style achieving mainstream success with a number of major UK chart hits, lovers rock received scant attention in the mainstream media until the screening of Steve’s McQueen’s award-winning 2020 BBC TV series, “Small Axe”, the highlight of which was an aptly titled episode that paid tribute to the style and its impact upon British culture. Since then, interest in the genre has continued to grow internationally and reflecting this trend comes this handsomely packaged album which is presented in 2 physical formats – 2x LP and 3CD.

At the start of the 1970s a select group of up-and-coming record company bosses who had first made their mark during the late ‘60s were seriously challenging the supremacy of Jamaica’s established musical elite. This soon-to-be reggae royalty included such influential figures as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Harry Johnson, Bunny Lee, Winston Riley and the man whose output provides the focus for this 2CD set, Joe Gibbs. Having already enjoyed numerous rock steady and boss reggae hits, Gibbs expanded an already impressive roster of artists to include some of the island’s most popular acts, notably The Heptones, Judy Mowatt and Dennis Alcapone. ‘Freedom To The People’ includes the very best of the producer’s output from 1971 to 1972, a period during which he further cemented his reputation as one of the most creative and successful forces on the Jamaican music scene.
Packed with an array of reggae hits alongside an equally impressive number of long-lost gems that have remained unavailable on any format for half a century, the collection is an essential addition to the collections of all self-respecting fans of vintage Jamaican sounds.

"Lovers Rock" is considered the first British reggae sub-genre to enjoy supranational success. Influenced by the Jamaican sound, Lovers Rock became the predominant genre of the UK scene in the mid-seventies until the late eighties
Developed as a counter-movement to the more militant style of roots reggae, Lovers Rock was influenced mainly by American R&B and the soulful soul of the Jamaican rock steady sound of the sixties.