With recent releases in which Trojan Records have paid tribute to Lee Perry and the Treasure Isle label they have now seen fit to mark the one and only Island Records, the visionary label that put up the capital to launch Trojan back in 1967 as a vehicle for Duke Reid’s musical output, with the release of five ‘Best Of’ albums. These artists’ will be Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, Toots & The Maytals, Sly & Robbie plus Steel Pulse.

The Black Uhuru album is titled “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner”, after their 1983 revamp of their self titled 1980 album, and brings the trio’s most important works for Island together along with their two UK chart hits, ‘What Is Life’ and ‘The Great Train Robbery’.

Influential artist Winston Rodney aka Burning Spear has his collection named after his seminal 1975 album “Marcus Garvey” which showcases many of his most popular works from the mid-to-late seventies, when his rough, haunting delivery graced numerous majestically crafted songs that served to define the Roots Reggae sound.

Toots & The Maytals “Pressure Drop” goes back to the late sixties collecting works right through to the early eighties illustrating the versatility and enduring appeal of a true Jamaican legend. This dynamic artist who has covered reggae styles, from Ska to Dancehall has always been hugely popular yet many of his most important works from the seventies have remained unissued on CD….that is until now and thus making this perhaps one of the most complete collections to ever see release.

Sly & Robbie are two of the world’s most influential and successful producers, having worked with just about every leading Jamaican act as well as an array of mainstream hit-makers, including Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger, Mick Hucknall and Sinead O’Connor.

The Riddim Twins are also two of the islands finest ever session players, with their drum and bass backing heard across a plethora of releases. They launched their own Taxi Records label in 1978 and then signed with Island Records two years later. This collection, “Hot You Hot”, highlights some of the very best of their instrumental work over the two decades that followed.

Finally it’s a break away from Jamaican artists to feature one of the UK’s biggest Reggae acts Steel Pulse with "Prodigal Sons". Their debut album “Handsworth Revolution”, named after their hometown district in Birmingham, was one of the biggest selling albums of 1978 reaching #9 on the British charts just ten days after its release. The confrontational style of the three singles taken from the album "Ku Klux Klan", "Sound System" and "Prodigal Son", all featured on this collection, limited the band’s opportunities to mimic mainstream singles chart success, though all did dent its outer reaches. The remainder of songs collect the group’s finest works for Island Records from the latter part of the 20th Century.

Of the releases Johnny Hudson, Head of Marketing at Trojan Records said: “These are new compilations made especially for the 50th anniversary of Jamaican Independence. So much of this material has only ever been available on tape or vinyl so we’re hoping fans will love the new digital formats. We genuinely hope our Trojan fans enjoy listening to these gems as much as we did in compiling them. ”