Trojan Mod Reggae Box Set - Classic Reggae Music Collection for Vinyl Lovers | Perfect for Home Listening, Parties & Music Enthusiasts

Trojan's Mod Reggae box offers a bit more sonic variety than some of the other sets, which is nice. I really enjoy the ambience of this set; though the recordings span 1960-1970 and who knows how many studio settings, they tend to have a unified sound, not unlike classic fifties and early sixties Atlantic R&B recordings. So many of the tunes make me smile, whether just because of their supple, joyful playing or the throwaway humor of a song's content -- enough so that Lord Kitchner can get away with chiding a "stupid girl" in his double entendre "Dr. Kitch" and it comes off as playful rather than malicious. (Mick Jagger could have taken a cue from this, had he wanted to.)I give the box five stars, and that's even more subjective than most usual ratings. You might adjust it according to your own values, because the box ain't perfect. The music itself is probably about a 4 1/2, and it's tempting to dock the set half a star for having skimpy annotation Yes, it's a bargain set, but a booklet wouldn't jack the price up that much, would it?But maybe that's as it should be -- it's all about the music, after all. And if I start thinking that this lack of thorough annotation is a disservice to the artists, listeners, and history, I also check myself and say, "Yeah, but the sounds are available, pretty widely, and for cheap."So, what the hell. Five stars. Snag a copy.