Various Artists/Bands in Ska & Reggae - Various – The Trojan Story 3LP - 50th Anniversary - LP Box set - 2021

A fantastic limited edition LP boxset, new and sealed

Trojan Records is a British record label founded by Jamaican Duke Reid, Lee Gopthal and Chris Blackwell in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica. The truck had "Duke Reid - The Trojan King of Sounds" painted on the sides, and the music played by Reid became known as the Trojan Sound.

The label had almost 30 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart between 1969 and 1976.


Trojan Records was founded in 1968 when Lee Gopthal, who operated the Musicland record retail chain and owned Beat & Commercial Records, pooled his Jamaican music interests with those of Chris Blackwell’s Island Records. Until 1975, they were based at a warehouse in Neasden Lane, Willesden, London.

Trojan was instrumental in introducing reggae to a global audience and, by 1970, had secured a series of major UK chart hits. Successful Trojan artists from this period include Judge Dread, Tony Tribe, Lee "Scratch" Perry's Upsetters, Bob and Marcia, Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, the Harry J All Stars, The Maytals, The Melodians, Nicky Thomas and Dave and Ansel Collins.

The bulk of the company’s successes came via licences for Jamaican music supplied by producers such as Duke Reid, Harry Johnson and Leslie Kong. While the company’s focus was firmly on the sale of 7” singles, it also launched a series of popular, budget-priced compilations such as Tighten Up, Club Reggae and Reggae Chartbusters.[2]

In 1972, Chris Blackwell decided to withdraw Island Records interests in Trojan.[2] By this time, the company was trying to broaden the appeal of reggae by re-mastering and overdubbing string arrangements on the original recordings. While the move initially paid dividends, the costs involved began to take their toll on the company's finances. In 1975, the company was liquidated and its assets acquired by Marcel Rodd's Saga Records, which had previously largely focused on releasing budget LPs.

In 1985, record collector and accountant Colin Newman purchased Trojan Records. Over the years that ensued, the company mainly concentrated on re-releasing much of its back catalogue, issuing numerous ska, rocksteady and reggae recordings. Among their most popular releases were the Trojan Box Set series, each featuring 50 songs on a three-CD (or vinyl record) set in a "clamshell" box. In addition, Trojan licensed reggae classics for a number of TV commercial campaigns, most notably for TDK, Adidas and the 2000 UEFA European Football Championship.

The Sanctuary Records Group purchased Trojan Records in 2001 and continued to focus on the label's back catalogue, under the general management of Laurence Cane-Honeysett. In 2002, Trojan's new owners acquired former UK rival record company, Creole Records, previously owned by Bruce White and Gary Himmelfarb's US-based RAS Records. In August 2007, Universal Music Group (UMG) had acquired 90% of Sanctuary Records after announcing in June a share offer that valued Sanctuary at $US87.68 million. In 2013, UMG sold their entire Sanctuary back catalogue including Trojan to BMG, as part of a divestment programme that was a mandatory condition set by EU regulators when UMG acquired EMI in 2012.

In 2018, the company celebrated 50 years in the business.

Various – The Trojan Story
Label: Trojan Records – TJBOX009
Series: The Trojan Story
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Reissue, 50th Anniversary
Country: UK
Released: Jun 18, 2021

A1 Lord Tanamo– Invitation To Jamaica
A2 Derrick Morgan– Fat Man
A3 Jackie Edwards– Tell Me Darling
A4 Owen Gray– Running Around
A5 Jimmy Cliff– Miss Jamaica
A6 Derrick And Patsy– Housewife's Choice
A7 The Continentals (3)– Give Me All Your Love
A8 Owen Gray– Darling Patricia
B1 Stranger Cole– Rough And Tough
B2 Kentrick Patrick– Man To Man
B3 Stranger & Ken– Uno - Dos - Tres
B4 Al T. Joe– Slow Boat
B5 Duke Reid's Group*– Rude Boy
B6 Higgs & Wilson– Gone Is Yesterday
B7 Lord Tanamo– I'm In The Mood For Ska
B8 The Baba Brooks Band– Virginia Ska
B9 Justin Hinds & The Dominoes– Satan
C1 Baba Brooks & His Band*– One Eyed Giant
C2 Joe White and Chuck– Every Night
C3 Baba Brooks & His Band*– King Size
C4 The Astronauts– Syncopate
C5 Winston & George– Keep The Pressure On
C6 The Techniques– Oh Babe
C7 The Ethiopians– Train To Skaville
C8 Dandy Livingstone– Rudy, A Message To You
D1 Honey Boy Martin & The Voices (6)– Dreader Than Dread
D2 The Three Tops– It's Raining
D3 The Ethiopians– The Whip
D4 Desmond Dekker & The Aces– Pretty Africa
D5 Alton Ellis & The Flames– Rock Steady
D6 Ewan & Jerry– Rock Steady Train
D7 Sugar Simone– King Without A Throne
D8 Phyllis Dillon– Perfidia
E1 Roy Shirley– Musical Train
E2 Derrick Morgan– Do The Beng Beng
E3 Lynn Taitt & The Jets– Way Of Life
E4 Tommy McCook & The Supersonics– Second Fiddle
E5 Lee 'Scratch' Perry*– People Funny Boy
E6 The Tennors– I've Got To Get You Out Of My Mind
E7 The Maytals– Do The Reggay
E8 The Slickers– Nana
F1 Delano Stewart*– Tell Me Baby
F2 The Reggae Boys– Mama Look Deh
F3 The Ethiopians– Hong Kong Flu
F4 The Maytals– Pressure Drop
F5 The Soul Mates*– Them A Laugh And A Ki Ki
F6 The Melodians– Walking In The Rain
F7 Carl Dawkins– Satisfaction
F8 The Maytones– Black And White
F9 The Charmers– Rasta Never Fails

3LPs + 50 page booklet in a hardbacked book packaging.
The records are housed in the book, no seperate covers.

Alternate track listing to the original 1971 compilation.

50 years following its original release, this hugely influential album has been revisited by Bell, along with reggae musician, Rusty Zinn, who have succeeded in improving what was already an almost perfect collection.

Presented in the original eye-catching artwork, the set is further enhanced by a highly illustrated 50-page booklet in which Bell relates the stories behind the release and the 50 tracks featured on the compilation.



Item will be shipped by registrated mail.