[ali]

picked this up in Fopp Records in edinburgh this afternoon - amazing - don't know why I never really gave this stuff much attention before now - 6 quid for 3 cds and the first one is worth that on the first listen................
really excellent sounds

Trojan - Nyahbingi Box Set


I expect Juno Gad along any minute................

[David Pablo]

Originally Posted by ali

picked this up in Fopp Records in edinburgh this afternoon - amazing - don't know why I never really gave this stuff much attention before now - 6 quid for 3 cds and the first one is worth that on the first listen................
really excellent sounds

Trojan - Nyahbingi Box Set


I expect Juno Gad along any minute................

Yeah,that Trojan Box Set series is pretty amazing for the money.Each one has a few rare gems you won't find anywhere else (except maybe on another Trojan release) as
nuff producers back in the day,including Scratch Perry and Striker Lee,signed exclusive license deals with the UK based company.
I suggest getting the Roots Box (w. "Babylon Fall Down " by the Velvet Shadows),Rastafari Box(w. 3 scorchers by the mysterious Pancho Alphonso),or Dub box next.The Reggae Rarities Box has the utterly sublime yet obscure Maples' "No More Teardrops",but disc 3 ,devoted to early 70's UK Pop reggae,is a bit of an acquired taste (a reggae version of Allman Brother's "Ramlin' Man "anyone?).Some of the other sets in the series are not held in such high esteem,w. the exception of the Rocksteady Rarities Box and Rude Boy Box,which collects 3 discs of the sub-genre of ska/rocksteady
flavored rude boy music ,whose heyday was between '65-67.
The only fault I can find with the series is that,notably with the mid-sixties based sets,is you will not find material produced by Studio One,exclusively licensed through Heartbeat,(i.e.-no Wailers fare,especially crucial during the rude boy phase)or Prince Buster (who also cut a fare number of tunes associated with that sub-genre,notably his "Judge Dread" series of discs).
Unfortunately the Trojan website's online shop, which features all the Boxes in the series along with mp3 previews of all music contained on those, is currently being revamped.
Here is the link anyway
Redirecting - Trojan Records.com
I especially enjoy the Ras Michael's Dadawa ten minute plus excursions on the Nyabingi Set.
ENJOY!

[ali]

Yeah David - I agree its a great series - almost every time I go in to that store I come out with one of those boxes.........

stand out tracks for me from that first nyahbingi cd -

Ras Michael - keep cool babylon
Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation - rasta reggae
Heaven Singers - rasta dreadlocks
Bongo Herman - tribute to Don Quarrie
Dadawah - run come rally

I'm looking forward to listening to the other 2 cds soon...

another good one is the Trojan DJ Box Set

Big Youth, U Roy, Dennis Alacapone, Scotty and I Roy and lots of others. highly recommended.

[Meef Chaloin]

yeah the DJ one is amazing

The Nyahbingi box set is definately the best of the bunch imo
that dadawah set is simply superb ,We would love to put out some
nyahbingi influenced music on Springline from the uprising stars.
Another box from the series i have fondness for is the Dancehall box set
(think it's got a Pink'ish colour box?)
Trojans vol 1 & 2 dub sets in the series I have trouble with ,a lot of filler and only a few gems imo ,maybe they just didn't have the finances to license top flight dub back then ,I agree with David ,it's a shame they couldn't of sorted a deal with Studio1. They went bankrupt i think around 1975 before being ressurected a few years later as a re packaging concern of old classics so finances must of been a no no just before this time and knowing Studio1 they probably wanted a shed load of money for the pleasure..The Rude boy boxset even without Wailers is great as is the Rock Steady set ,are they still being pressed these set's ? I understand that United Artist's own the back catalog now (I think)

[ali]

here's just about everything you would ever want to know about the trojan box sets


The Trojan Box Set Statistics

As of September 2007, 69 Box Sets have been released, giving a total of 3,436 tracks. 67 of these Box Sets contain 50 tracks each, whilst the Trojan 12” Box Set contains only 35 tracks and the Trojan Reggae Rarities Box Set has 51 …the extra one being the hidden Emperor Rosko track (the cover of Whistling Jack Smith's "I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman").

67 are titled "Trojan <something> Box Set", 2 are not: Creole Reggae Box Set and RAS Reggae Box Set.

Some more basic statistics...

NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TRACKS - 3103
EARLIEST YEAR - 1956
LATEST YEAR - 2005
MOST TRACKS IN A YEAR - 301
WHICH YEAR? - 1970
LEAST TRACKS IN A YEAR - 0
WHICH YEAR? - 1959

Given there are 3103 different tracks, then there are 333 duplicates - a rate of 10.73% - thus, 89.27% are not duplicated in box sets...

Of these 3436 tracks...
Appear once - 2806
Appear 2 times - 262 (an extra 262 tracks)
Appear 3 times - 34 (an extra 68 tracks)
Appear 4 times - 1 (an extra 3 tracks)
Giving a TOTAL - 3103 (an extra 333 tracks)

Desmond Dekker & the Aces' classic Rocksteady workout 007 (SHANTY TOWN) remains the only tune that appears on 4 box sets...

Originals Box Set
Rude Boy Box Set
Ska Box Set
U.K. Hits Box Set

...while these 34 tunes appear on 3 box sets...

1) Bob Andy (O.D.) - GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (Country Reggae Box Set / Jamaican Hits Box Set / Sixties Box Set)
2) Ken Boothe O.D. - EVERYTHING I OWN (Originals Box Set / Seventies Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
3) Baba Brooks - GUNS FEVER (Instrumentals Box Set / Mod Reggae Box Set / Rude Boy Box Set)
4) Susan Cadogan - FEVER (Lovers Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set / Upsetter Box Set)
5) Susan Cadogan - HURT SO GOOD (12in. Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
6) Cimarons (aka Maroons) - CHECK OUT YOURSELF (Club Reggae Box Set / Reggae Rarities Box Set / Singles Box Set)
7) Daniel in the Lion's Den - DANCING IN THE SUN (British Reggae Box Set / Carnival Box Set / Sunshine Reggae Box Set)
8 ) Ronnie Davis - KAYA (Bob Marley Covers Box Set / Ganja Reggae Box Set / Tribute To Bob Marley Box Set)
9) Ethiopians - TRAIN TO SKAVILLE (Originals Box Set / Ska Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
10) Fabulous Flames - HOLLY HOLY (Club Reggae Box Set / Originals Box Set / Producer Series Box Set)
11) Sharon Forrester - SILLY WASN'T I? (Lovers Box Set / Lovers Rock Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set)
12) Marcia Griffiths - DON'T LET ME DOWN (Beatles Tribute Box Set / Bob Marley And Friends Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set)
13) Marcia Griffiths - FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE, THE (Bob Marley And Friends Box Set / Lovers Box Set / Reggae Chill-Out Box Set)
14) Harry J. All Stars - LIQUIDATOR, THE (Instrumentals Box Set / Originals Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
15) John Holt - REGGAE FROM THE GHETTO (Carnival Box Set / Singles Box Set / Suedehead Box Set)
16) John Holt - STICK BY ME (Jamaican Hits Box Set / Jamaican Superstars Box Set / Originals Box Set)
17) John Holt - YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE (12in. Box Set / Lovers Box Set / Lovers Rock Box Set)
18 ) Pat Kelly - BEST TIME OF MY LIFE (Carnival Box Set / Club Reggae Box Set / Jamaican Superstars Box Set)
19) King Stitt - HERBSMAN (D.J. Box Set / Ganja Reggae Box Set / Producer Series Box Set)
20) Peter & Paul Lewis - ETHIOPIAN LAND (Reggae Duets Box Set / Roots Reggae Box Set / Upsetter Box Set)
21) Dandy Livingstone - MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY, A (Originals Box Set / Rude Boy Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
22) Bob Marley & the Wailers - SUN IS SHINING (Reggae Chill-Out Box Set / Sunshine Reggae Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
23) Derrick Morgan - FAT MAN (RE-RECORDING) (Mod Reggae Box Set / Singles Box Set / Tighten Up Box Set)
24) Judy Mowatt - EMERGENCY CALL (Bob Marley And Friends Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set / Suedehead Box Set)
25) Judy Mowatt - I SHALL SING (Bob Marley And Friends Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set / Tighten Up Box Set)
26) Roy Shirley - HOLD THEM (Carnival Box Set / Jamaican Hits Box Set / Producer Series Box Set)
27) Skatalites - GUNS OF NAVARONE (Originals Box Set / Ska Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
28 ) Slickers - JOHNNY TOO BAD (Originals Box Set / Rude Boy Box Set / Tighten Up Box Set)
29) Symarip - SKINHEAD MOON STOMP (Originals Box Set / Skinhead Reggae Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
30) Nicky Thomas - LOVE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE (Country Reggae Box Set / Originals Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
31) Tony Tribe & the Rudies - RED RED WINE (Originals Box Set / Skinhead Reggae Box Set / U.K. Hits Box Set)
32) Paulette Williams - MY ISLAND (Jamaica Box Set / Reggae Sisters Box Set / Tighten Up Box Set)
33) Neville Willoughby - I LOVE JAMAICA (Carnival Box Set / Club Reggae Box Set / Jamaica Box Set)
34) Winston & George - DENHAM TOWN (Reggae Duets Box Set / Rude Boy Box Set / Ska Box Set)

There are 941 different artists represented across the 69 box sets. The 50 or so most-represented (and accounting for 1169 or 34.02% of the total) are as follows (in descending order of number of tracks):

1= 1.51% 52 John Holt
1= 1.51% 52 Upsetters
3= 1.16% 40 Dennis Brown
3= 1.16% 40 Gregory Isaacs
5= 1.02% 35 Cornell Campbell
5= 1.02% 35 Derrick Morgan
7= 0.99% 34 Delroy Wilson
8= 0.96% 33 Ken Boothe O.D.
9= 0.90% 31 Alton Ellis O.D.
10= 0.87% 30 Lee 'Scratch' Perry
11= 0.84% 29 Derrick Harriott
12= 0.76% 26 Desmond Dekker
12= 0.76% 26 Pat Kelly
14= 0.70% 24 Johnny Clarke
15= 0.67% 23 Maytals
16= 0.61% 21 I Roy
16= 0.61% 21 Pioneers
18= 0.58% 20 Max Romeo
19= 0.55% 19 Observer All Stars/Observers
20= 0.52% 18 Ethiopians
20= 0.52% 18 Byron Lee & the Dragonaires
20= 0.52% 18 Revolutionaries (with or without Sly Dunbar)
20= 0.52% 18 Lloyd 'Charmers' Terrell
24= 0.49% 17 Roland Alphonso
24= 0.49% 17 Baba Brooks
24= 0.49% 17 Barry Brown
24= 0.49% 17 Crystalites
24= 0.49% 17 Owen Gray
24= 0.49% 17 Heptones
24= 0.49% 17 Roots Radics Band
31= 0.47% 16 Horace Andy
31= 0.47% 16 Chosen Few (Original)
31= 0.47% 16 Marcia Griffiths (O.D.)
31= 0.47% 16 Tommy McCook
31= 0.47% 16 Silvertones
36= 0.44% 15 Aggrovators
36= 0.44% 15 Big Youth
36= 0.44% 15 Jimmy Cliff O.M.
36= 0.44% 15 Clancy Eccles
36= 0.44% 15 Jackie Edwards
36= 0.44% 15 Tommy McCook & the Supersonics
36= 0.44% 15 Melodians
36= 0.44% 15 Sugar Minott
36= 0.44% 15 Paragons
36= 0.44% 15 Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus
36= 0.44% 15 Nicky Thomas
36= 0.44% 15 U Roy
36= 0.44% 15 Joe White
49= 0.41% 14 Boris Gardiner (O.D.)
49= 0.41% 14 Inner Circle
49= 0.41% 14 Freddie McGregor O.D.
49= 0.41% 14 Judy Mowatt
49= 0.41% 14 Augustus Pablo
49= 0.41% 14 Slim Smith
49= 0.41% 14 Techniques
49= 0.41% 14 Linval Thompson

...and some producer STATISTICS...notice there are still 100 marked as Unspecified - listed in the next reply - any definitive info on these is welcomed.


continued..............

[ali]

There are 383 different producers represented across the 69 box sets. The 50 or so most-represented (and accounting for 2615 or 76.69% of the total) are as follows (in descending order of number of tracks):

1 10.42% 358 Edward 'Bunny' Lee Production
2 7.13% 245 Arthur 'Duke' Reid Production
3 6.64% 228 Lee 'Scratch' Perry Production
4 4.22% 145 Leslie Kong (or Beverley's) Production
5 3.11% 107 Lloyd 'Charmers' Terrell Production
6 2.91% 100 Unspecified
7 2.74% 94 Derrick Harriott Production
7 2.74% 94 Winston Holness (Niney) Production
9 2.42% 83 Sonia Pottinger (O.D.) Production
10 2.36% 81 Joe Gibbs Production
11 2.33% 80 Harry Johnson Production
12 1.69% 58 Alvin 'G.G.' Ranglin Production
13 1.57% 54 Clancy Eccles Production
14 1.37% 47 Winston Riley Production
15 1.28% 44 Dandy Livingstone Production
15 1.28% 44 Tapper Zukie Production
17 1.22% 42 Nkrumah Jah Thomas Production
18 1.14% 39 Linval Thompson Production
19 1.08% 37 Tommy Cowan Production
20 0.99% 34 Studio One Production
21 0.96% 33 Richard Khouri Production
21 0.96% 33 Roger Lomas Production
23 0.87% 30 Bush, Grape, Swan etc. Production
24 0.84% 29 Henry 'Junjo' Lawes Production
25 0.81% 28 Dr. Dread Production
25 0.81% 28 Karl 'J.J.' Johnson Production
27 0.79% 27 Byron Lee Production
28 0.76% 26 Augustus 'Gussie' Clarke Production
28 0.76% 26 Lloyd 'The Matador' Daley Production
30 0.70% 24 Sidney Crooks Production
31 0.67% 23 W.I.R.L. Production
32 0.61% 21 Rupie Edwards Production
33 0.55% 19 Sly & Robbie (or Taxi) Production
34 0.52% 18 Lynford 'Andy Capp' Anderson Production
35 0.49% 17 Federal Records Production
35 0.49% 17 Gregory Isaacs Production
37 0.47% 16 Ken Lack (Blondel Calnek) Production
38 0.44% 15 Graeme Goodall / Philligree Production
38 0.44% 15 Keith Hudson Production
38 0.44% 15 Tony Ashfield Production
41 0.38% 13 Prince Tony Robinson Production
41 0.38% 13 Scientist (Hopetown Brown) Production
41 0.38% 13 Warwick Lyn Production
44 0.35% 12 Dynamic Sound (or Dynasounds) Production
44 0.35% 12 Edmund 'Mikey' Brooks Production
44 0.35% 12 Shelley Production
47 0.32% 11 Bad Manners Production
47 0.32% 11 Charles Ross Production
47 0.32% 11 Ian & Roger Lewis Production
47 0.32% 11 Jammy's (Prince/King) Production
47 0.32% 11 Linden Pottinger Production
47 0.32% 11 Ossie Hibbert Production

There are a variety of musical styles across the box sets (remember these are my subjective judgments):

Calypso / Soca 35 1.02%
Jamaican R&B 133 3.87%
Mento 1 0.03%
Northern Soul 1 0.03%
Pop 1 0.03%
Ragga 51 1.48%
Reggae 2628 76.48%
Rocksteady 324 9.43%
Ska 202 5.88%
Ska (not 60s) 50 1.46%
Soul (Straight) 9 0.26%
Soul Instrum. 1 0.03%
TOTAL 3436 100.00%

…and I reckon there are this number of these tracks:

D.J. (Toasting) 226 6.58%
Dub (Reggae) 190 5.53%

…and…

Instrumentals 564 16.41%
Non-Instrumentals 2872 83.59%
TOTAL 3436 100.00%

…and…

Live 37 1.08%
Not live 3399 98.92%
TOTAL 3436 100.00%

…and…

Re-recordings 24 0.70%
Not re-recordings 3412 99.30%
TOTAL 3436 100.00%

…and…

Alternative title 180 5.24%
No alternative title 3256 94.76%
TOTAL 3436 100.00%

All statistics compiled by Joe Lawrance and used with kind permission. For previous statistical counts visit Trojan Forum :: Index

[steve steppa]

The Trojan INSTRUMENTAL box-set is so crucial that I did nearly a whole show for Springline Radio with just that one alone ! I also agree with Gibsy, the dub box sets were slightly disappointing, but the few gems that are on there make it worth buying in the long run, especially Niney's version of Dennis Brown, wow ! (volume 2)

[Don P]

i like the Trojan Rare Groove set