Box Sets & Specials

Featuring 101 different artists, Down In Jamaica tells this story in detail through a chronological survey of the key songs that helped define the company from early singles on obscure sublabels to the well-known VP Records brand that brought Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Wayne Wonder, and others into the international mainstream. Curated by Carter Van Pelt, VP Records’ Director Of Catalog Development, the set contains four 7-inch singles, four 12-inch singles, and four CDs, the first configuration of its kind in a box set package. The singles format was the dominant vehicle for Jamaican music from its inception, and the collection tells the story almost entirely from singles. The set takes its name from Red Fox and Naturalee’s 1989 single.

Comprising 20 rare and previously unreleased ska tracks, direct from the vaults of Duke Reid’s legendary Treasure Isle catalogue, this sumptuous box set includes ten 7” singles and presented in a vintage style sleeve Although all but one of the recordings on the set have never seen issue until now, the quality of the music remains of the highest order, and features many of Jamaica’s finest talents from the era, all backed by Kingston’s finest session players. Housed in a handsomely designed box and also including a stylishly designed inlay featuring a fascinating essay from noted vintage Jamaican music expert, Brian Keyo, the set provides the opportunity for fans to own some of the finest long lost treasures the ska era without the need of taking out a mortgage.