If you were not aware, the growing international interest in Jamaican music as the 60s progressed emboldened increasing numbers of dynamic and ambitious music makers on the island to launch their own record labels.

By the close of the decade, Kingston’s recording industry was awash with such talent, with this new generation of enterprising record producers including such future luminaries as Lee Perry, Joe Gibbs, Bunny Lee, Harry Johnson, Lloyd Charmers and the man whose early productions provide the focus of this compilation: George Phillips AKA Phil Pratt.

The singer-turned-producer whose initial recordings had been distributed by former Skatalites’ road manager Ken Lack introduced his Sunshot Records label early in 1969, finding almost immediate success with major Jamaican hits by celebrated singer Ken Boothe.

Encouraged by these early triumphs, Pratt swiftly expanded his artists roster to include other major stars on the burgeoning reggae scene, with the likes of John Holt, Dennis Alcapone, Pat Kelly and Horace Andy all scoring significant hits with the producer. This first Doctor Bird volume of Phil Pratt’s productions brings together almost the entirety of output from his from the first two years of his career as a record label manager and features numerous major hits alongside an abundance of obscurities that have remained unissued since their original release over 50 years ago.

DISC ONE:
1. Artibella - Ken Boothe
2. Victory - The Phil Pratt All Stars
3. Can’t Fight Me Down - Ken Boothe
4. Silver and Gold - Charley Ace *
5. My Heart Is Gone - John Holt
6. Cut Throat - The Phil Pratt All Stars *
7. Picture Or No Picture - Dennis Alcapone
8. I’m Not For Sale - Ken Boothe
9. Book Of Books - Charlie Ace
10. Musical Dove - Phillip Samuel *
11. Give To Me - Ken Boothe
12. Musical Chalice - Charlie Ace *
13. Heart Made Of Stone - Jackie Bernard *
14. Why - Ken Boothe
15. Strange Things - John Holt
16. Strange Mood – The Phil Pratt All Stars
17. Our Forefathers Died In The Sand - Carl Moore
18. Strange Mood (bongo version) - Bongo Herman
19. Morning - Ken Boothe
20. Your Own Thing - The Twinkle Brothers
21. Hallelujah aka My Sweet Lord - Lloyd Charmers *
22. I May Never (See My Baby Anymore) - Horace Andy
23. Running Child - Errol Dunkley
24. Rebel Nyah - The Tidals *
25. Rasta Fire - Phil Pratt All Stars *
* Tracks new to CD

This first ever anthology of Sunshot Records opens on the rocksteady perfection of Artibella (Ken Boothe), the silky smooth Victory (The Phil Pratt All Stars), the rhythmical beauty Can’t Fight Me Down (Ken Boothe) and the dubstep joys of the titular Silver and Gold (Charley Ace), and then we get the totally boss track My Heart Is Gone (John Holt), the top class Cut Throat (The Phil Pratt All Stars), the all-encompassing Picture Or No Picture (a master sound system expert in the late Dennis Alcapone), and the big tune I’m Not For Sale (Ken Boothe), before we are brought forth the old school rocksteady vibe of Book Of Books (Charlie Ace), the formidable Musical Dove (Phillip Samuel), the melodiously impassioned Give To Me (Ken Boothe) and the heartfelt Musical Chalice, again by Charlie Ace.

Along next are the rhythmically cultured tones that showcase Heart Made Of Stone (Jackie Bernard), the free flowing Why (Ken Boothe), the haunting Strange Things (John Holt), then we lick it back, selector-hued Strange Mood (The Phil Pratt All Stars), and they are in turn backed by the jaunty mood of Our Forefathers Died In The Sand (Carl Moore), the groovy Strange Mood (bongo version) (Bongo Herman), a brilliant Fugs/ Tuli cover of Morning (Ken Boothe), and we get brought forth the exciting Your Own Thing (The Twinkle Brothers), the Gospel-tinged Hallelujah aka My Sweet Lord (Lloyd Charmers), the gigantic I May Never (See My Baby Anymore) (Horace Andy), and then the rocksteady Running Child (Errol Dunkley), the Reggae top cut Rebel Nyah (The Tidals) and rounds out on the Caribbean beats that drive Rasta Fire (Phil Pratt All Stars).

DISC TWO: PAT KELLY ‘BREEZING’
1 They Talk About Love
2 Soulful Love
3 I Wish It Would Rain *
4 Both Sides Now *
5 Bridge Over Troubled Waters *
6 How Long (Sunshot mix) *
7 That Special Love
8 Steal Away *
9 It Couldn’t Be *
10 He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother *
11 Love Skank - Phil Pratt All Star [Bonus Track]
12 This A Butter - Dennis Alcapone [Bonus Track]
13 Talk About Version - Bongo Herman [Bonus Track]
14 Miss Wine-E Wine-E - Ken Boothe [Bonus Track]
15 Baby Don’t You Do It - Delroy Wilson [Bonus Track]
16 Pee-Pa-Do Festival - The Tropic Shadows [Bonus Track] *
17 Sweet Wanton - Barrington Spence [Bonus Track] *
18 Phil Pratt Ranch - Bongo Herman [Bonus Track] *
19 One In Three - The Kingstonians [Bonus Track] *
20 Living In A White Men Land - Alton Ellis [Bonus Track]
21 Where Must I Go - Barrington Spence [Bonus Track]
22 What About The Half - Dennis Brown [Bonus Track]
23 What About The Half (Version) - The Soul Syndicate [Bonus Track] *
24 Give Me Justice - John Holt [Bonus Track] *
25 Our Anniversary - The Tropic Shadows [Bonus Track]
* Tracks new to CD

Including numerous Jamaican chart hits, we next get ten tracks from Paul Kelly, the late prolific, influential Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer and innovative musician, and which begins with the emotively real They Talk About Love, the dutiful reggae tip cut Soulful Love, the soulful I Wish It Would Rain and the emboldened reggae of Both Sides Now, and they are backed by a sumptuous Bridge Over Troubled Waters, his luxuriant How Long (Sunshot mix), the rousingly embodied That Special Love, and his set closes out on the smooth-styled Steal Away, a heartfelt It Couldn’t Be and a delightfully stellar He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

We then get the certified Love Skank (Phil Pratt All Star), the infectiously-vocalized This A Butter (Dennis Alcapone), the smoothly-imbibed Talk About Version (Bongo Herman) and the fruitful reggae of Miss Wine-E Wine-E (Ken Boothe), which are followed seamlessly by the beautifully unique Baby Don’t You Do It (Delroy Wilson), the Piru Papa sequence show within Pee-Pa-Do Festival (The Tropic Shadows), the nicely arranged Sweet Wanton (Barrington Spence) and the legendary Phil Pratt Ranch (Bongo Herman), the new collection coming to a close now on the beautifully scored One In Three (The Kingstonians), then the Godfather of rocksteady Alton Ellis brings us Living In A White Men Land, the beautifully-stanced Where Must I Go (Barrington Spence), then he Jamaican prince of reggae songs Dennis Brown gifts us What About The Half (Dennis Brown), and finally the breathtaking What About The Half (Version) (The Soul Syndicate) and the stone show of both Give Me Justice (John Holt) and the formidable Our Anniversary (The Tropic Shadows).