VA ‎– King Edwards Presents Ska-Volution

King Edwards was one of the biggest sound systems in the early 60s, ran by two brothers, Vincent Edwards and George Edwards. Though a name largely unfamiliar to fans of Jamaican music, the system was up there with Duke Reid The Trojan and Sir Coxsone's Downbeat in terms of popularity though the duo walked away from the music industry, one of them becoming an MP.

This compilation collects various King Edwards productions and what can I say, this is about as good as ska gets. One of the things people forget about early ska was the heavy influence from calypso (on the vocal tunes) and jazz (on the instrumentals), the latter made very explicit with Roland Alphonso's "Jazz Ska". Very short but very playable, listen to stuff like "Shank I Sheck" and "Lonely Man" and you'll be amazed at how music so straightforward and primitive production-wise can be so jaw-droppingly cinematic.This is a crucial ska selection!

There´s a wonderful interview with Vincent Edward on this page.

Tracklist:

1. Roland Alphonso - Jazz Ska
2. Bobby Aitken - Mister Judge
3. Higgs & Wilson - Love Not For Me
4. Ronald Wilson - Lonely Man
5. Eric Morris - Little District
6. Baba Brooks - Bus Strike
7. Baba Brooks - Shank I Sheck
8. Eric Morris - Suddenly
9. Upcoming Willows - Jones Town Special
10. Lord Tanamo - I Had A Dream
11. Lester Sterling - Lunch Time
12. Lloyd Briscoe - Fabulous Eyes


VA ‎– King Edwards Presents Ska-Volution
(320 kbps, cover art included)