Gregory Isaacs

One of the best-known and widely respected Jamaican performers of all time, Gregory Isaacs was a true Kingston rude boy whose blend of hard-hitting roots and sweet romantic reggae captured the hearts and minds of fans over a period spanning more than two decades.

RAS Records emerged at the dawn of this fertile period and eventually cashed in thanks to a star-studded roster of talent. This exemplary collection spotlights many those stars, covering both the crooners and DJs with hits by Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, Half Pint, Pinchers, and many others. And while other MCs like Charlie Chaplin and Brigadier Jerry represent the best in rapid-rhythm rub-a-dub (sometimes mixing both rasta and secular themes), there's also plenty of updated roots tracks by the likes of Frankie Paul and Augustus Pablo's protégé Hugh Mundell.

Across four discs and 87 songs, The Reggae Box tells the tale of Jamaica's modern social and political history through a well-rounded survey of the island nation's popular music.

This whopping 30-CD box set gathers together the best of Trojan's three-disc box set series. Included are the Ska, DJ, Dub, Instrumentals, Jamaican Superstars, Lovers, Producer Series, Rocksteady, Roots, and Tribute to Bob Marley volumes, each of which can be found under Trojan Box Set for their individual reviews. What's lacking here is a booklet with additional notes and information; the bulk seems to demand some extra coverage and care, yet all that's here are the original notes of each volume – only as much text as can fit on the back of the CD sleeves. From a music standpoint, however, this box is excellent; a truly diverse and comprehensive collection. Of the 500 songs, less than ten reappear on another volume, so you get a more-than-satisfying amount of music spanning the history of the Trojan label.