Various: The Trojan Story

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Reggae compilations drop as often as rain these days, but the subtitle here - "the label that defined reggae" - is no exaggeration. The Trojan catalogue includes Desmond Dekker, the Ethiopians, the Maytals, King Stitt, U-Roy, early Bob Marley, Lee Perry (as producer and performer), Max Romeo, the Heptones, Prince Far I and many more.

It's a suss reggae collection that doesn't have a shelf of Trojan albums, many of which have been reissued on vinyl and CD down the decades. This 47-track double disc, with liner notes by the British reggae expert Ian McCann, favours many of the artists' most popular or defining songs so is an excellent intro to the label. There are unexpected gems: one of the three Bob tracks is the rare More Axe (a slower treatment of Small Axe), Slim Smith's smooth but often overlooked My Conversation, Andy Capp's James Brown-influenced The Law and the Ethiopians' Hong Kong Flu ("It's a killer, you got to rub up with the longer water").

From ska and rock steady to reggae, Trojan was there. You should be, too.

Label: Metro/Triton