Various Artists - 'Trojan Document' (Trojan) Released 26/06/06

Portishead's Andy Smith goes cratedigging into the old reggae history department and comes up with a chronology of reggae and the twists and turns of its expression through the lifted brass of ska, the pop songs of rocksteady, roots toots, dancehall and bass dub. A generous 31 morsels though many are short tracks - lots of old time dancehall, rare gems and golden nuggets.

Laurel Aitken opens the tinny with 'Hey Bartender' with a boogie woogie funky piano and a hiccup in the "hey", and straight into Derrick Morgan's 'Blazing Fire' with its Orange Street ska from 1963 still fresh and vital - "...you said it/ you are a blazin' fire...", such a rude and top tune. Justin Hinds 'Carry Go Bring Come' has the calypso flavour with brassy ska and MC pioneers in evidence, Don Drummond with riding riddims on 'Don D Lion' and subtly muted-brass on this well cut wax. Desmond Decker's 'Get Up Edina' has a funky quick-step ska tune with tooting brass and "...and I'm gonna send you back to your momma...", the Upsetters deliver 'A Live Injection' - a keyboard whizzer.

The tunes change with the Rocksteady numbers as songs become more evident parlaying with Motown for pop appeal with the charmed track that is 'Tighten Up' by The Untouchables - a bridge between black music and mass pop appeal. "...no need to hurry...", 'Take It Easy' by Hopeton Lewis - the seminal tune with the soft skipping vocals, neat fretwork and bong bong bass, a timeless classic. John Holt steps up with his 'Ali Baba' and the 40 thieves, Teddy Bears, Tom Tom the Pipers Son, Bo Peep, Alice, the Blind Mice all cropping up with the skanking backbeat and bass warble-joy. 'Tom Drunk' by U-Roy sees MCing primary and riddim riding high, the dancehall dub of 'Blood Dunza' by Johnny Clarke more introspective and slow dub cropping up twice with a total dub mash followed by the King Tubby's 'Channel One feel It' for the sensi-tive. More dub and the dynamite dancehall of 'Cuss Cuss' by Lloyd Robinson with a top song and all parts in tact with keyboard frollics and the bass and brass of 'Soul Scorcher' by Karl Bryan & Harry J All Stars.

On board throughout comes an annoying MC who does his task by narrating the tracks and styles and lots of DJ Andy Smith which comes across like the old cheese and marmite sandwich. Avoiding the cliche in favour of the historical document, Andy Smith jocks with lots of tasty tunes for any adventurous DJ as well as the music lover. Tunes thin out on the pop of rocksteady, but the ska, dub and dancehall are template.