Various Artists/Bands in Ska & Reggae - Various – Rise Jamaica! 2LP + John Holt Essential Collection 2LP - LP Albums (multiple items) - 2023

A fantastic limited edition 2x 2LP set, both 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 – Rise Jamaica!
Label: Trojan Records – TJDLP604, BMG – TJDLP604
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Yellow/Green
Country: UK
Released: Aug 5, 2022

Jamaican Radio Hits Of '62
A1 Al T. Joe– Rise Jamaica (Independence Time Is Here)
A2 Jimmy Cliff– Miss Jamaica
A3 Owen Gray– My One Desire
A4 Drumbago's All Stars*– Duck Soup
A5 The Beltones– Gloria (Love)
A6 Roy & Patsy*– My Happy Home
A7 Derrick Morgan– The Hop
B1 Derrick Morgan– Forward March
B2 Lloyd Clarke– Good Morning
B3 Don Drummond's Group*– Twelve Minutes To Go
B4 Jimmy Cliff– Hurricane Hattie
B5 Owen Gray– Midnight Track
B6 Derrick & Patsy*– Housewife's Choice
B7 Lord Creator– Independent Jamaica

The Duke's Dubplates '62
C1 Roland Alphonso With Duke Reid's Group*– Chick Chick
C2 Stranger & Ken– Power (Take 2)
C3 Roland Alphonso With Duke Reid's Group*– As The Teardrops Fall
C4 Cosmo & Dennis– Baby Please Don't Go
C5 Roland Alphonso With Duke Reid's Group*– Neck Tie (Take 2)
C6 Hortense Ellis– Midnight Train (Take 1)
C7 Duke Reid's All Stars– Herring Bone
D1 Roland Alphonso & Duke Reid's Group*– Double Six
D2 Stranger & Patsy– This Is Love (Take 2)
D3 Frank Cosmo– Have Mercy Baby
D4 Roland Alphonso With Duke Reid's Group*– Honey Comb
D5 Stranger & Ken– Straight Home aka I'm Going Home
D6 Duke Reid's Group*– Woodchopper's Ball (Take 2)
D7 Cosmo & Dennis– I'm Gone

Gatefold sleeve.

Sticker on cellophane:
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Jamaican independence!
Featuring the island's most popular radio hits of '62 plus previously unreleased ska classics from the vaults of sound system legend Duke Reid.




John Kenneth Holt OD (11 July 1947 – 19 October 2014) was a Jamaican reggae singer who first found fame as a member of The Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist.

John Holt – Essential Artist Collection
Label: Trojan Records – TJDLP608
Series: Essential Artist Collection – TJDLP608
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Orange Transparent
Country: UK
Released: 2023

A1 Help Me Make It Through The Night
A2 Pledging My Love
A3 Stealing, Stealing (Thief In The Night)
A4 My Heart Is Gone
A5 Looking Back
A6 I’ll Be Lonely (With Joya Landis)
A7 I Wanna Dance (May I Have This Dance)
B1 Ali Baba
B2 Stick By Me (And I’ll Stick By You)
B3 Strange Things
B4 Tonight
B5 The Further You Look (The Less You See)
B6 Wild Fire (With Dennis Brown)[7” Mix]
B7 Sweetie Come Brush Me
C1 Sister Big Stuff
C2 My Desire
C3 I’ll Take A Melody
C4 Time And The River
C5 Let’s Get It While It’s Hot
C6 Ghetto Queen
C7 Reggae From The Ghetto
D1 You Baby
D2 You Will Never Find Another Love Like Mine
D3 I See Your Face
D4 The Tide Is High
D5 Let’s Build Our Dreams (With Leroy Sibbles)
D6 Before The Next Teardrop Falls
D7 Just The Way You Are

Trojan Essential Artist Collection
28 Classic Tracks By Jamaica’s Most Popular
Balladeer - Including His UK Top Ten Chartbuster
“Help Me Make It Through The Night”
Double Orange Transparent Vinyl



Item will be shipped by registrated mail.