Product Description

Heartbeat has grown into one of the biggest reggae labels since its start in 1981. Their catalog includes original productions, as well as vintage collections featuring everything from ska and rocksteady to dub and dancehall. And while lovers of more raw and rootsy fare are advised to mostly stick to the retrospectives, listeners with an ear for the pop-oriented side of the dancehall and early ragga years will want to check this collection out. Although the cuts by the Roots Radics and Sugar Minott are just too wafer thin for their own good, the majority here is quite good, especially sides by Lee Perry, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Culture, and Big Youth. So, if your reggae tastes lie somewhere between melodic roots reggae and the digital sounds forged by producer Prince Jammy, then this disc's for you. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide