Though the quality of foreign pressing was typically better, some were actually mastered from Jamaican 45s and many were totally unauthorized.Back home, African imagery appeared on some labels in the rock steady era it became more commonplace once reggae emerged in the late ‘60s, when businesslike reggae labels were also established in New York and Toronto. Many early labels drew from the imagery of their American counterparts, but as ska rose to the fore as a thoroughly home-grown form, the label artwork gradually became more individual.Meanwhile, Jamaican expatriates started issuing 45s on small UK independents, typically featuring graphics-free logos. A cultural revolution arrived when downtown Kingston sound system operators began pressing 45s of local talent adapting American rhythm and blues. As Jamaica now presses more 45s than anywhere else in the world, understanding the seven-inch is mandatory to comprehending reggae’s complex progression.In the early 1950’s, Jamaican entrepreneurs began issuing 78s the style was the indigenous folk form called mento, and such releases were aimed at visiting tourists or shipped abroad to compete with calypso.
Most contemporary artists activate their careers with 45s and it is that format, more than vinyl albums and certainly more than CDs, that give them continued momentum in a notoriously fickle marketplace.
With the Notting Hill Carnival just around the corner, we’re rewinding a decade to bring you David Katz’s timeless and authoritative collection of the 20 best reggae 7″s ever made.First published in in 2003, esteemed reggae fan, writer and all-round fountain of knowledge David Katz celebrates the enduring legacy of reggae’s favourite format, the 7″ single.Words: David KatzThe Jamaican music industry is now roughly 50 years old read: 60 years old and the seven-inch single is still its main focus.
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