1976 saw the explosion of punk rock and it’s unlikely championing of roots reggae.. Step Forward Youth provides a detailed study of reggae in England in the late 1970s on a 36-track collection of essential recordings that helped forge an alliance between the worlds of reggae, punk, and new wave. The set collects both hit Jamaican reggae originals such as Junior Murvin’s iconic “Police and Thieves” and Culture’s “Two Sevens Clash,” with British reggae recordings such as Steel Pulse’s powerful “Ku Klux Klan” and obscure roots reggae heat such as Barry Ford Band’s “Rebel” to provide a musical soundtrack for a key moment in music history. Other artists featured include Lee Perry, Gregory Isaacs, Augustus Pablo, Dennis Brown, Michael Rose, Aswad, and more. The extensive 4,500 word liner notes by Noel Hawks contextualize the origins of the movement by exploring social, cultural, and economic factors and how popular music changed as a result.
Track Listing
Disc 1
1.King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo
2. Mafia - Lloyd Parks
3. A Noisy Place - I Roy
4. Turn The Heater On - Keith Hudson
5. Fade Away - Junior Byles
6. None Shall Escape Dub – The Aggrovators
7. The Barber Feel It - Dr Alimantado & Jah Stitch
8. Jah Is I Guiding Star –Tappa Zukie
9. Cokane In My Brain – Dillinger
10. Police and Thieves - Junior Murvin
11. Ballistic Affair - Leroy Smart
12. War - Wailing Souls & Ranking Trevor
13. Heavy Manners - Prince Far I
14. Police And Youth In The Grove – Have Sound Will Travel
15. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner – Michael Rose
16. Roast Fish & Cornbread - Lee Perry
17. Three Piece Suit – Trinity
18. Three Piece Chicken & Chips - Ranking Trevor
Disc 2
1. Rebel - Barry Ford Band
2. Three Babylon – Aswad
3. Two Sevens Clash – Culture
4. Mr Cop - Gregory Isaacs
5. Point Blank Observer Style - I Roy
6. Beat Them In Dub – The Aggrovators
7. Cool Runnings - Prince Mohammed
8. Hole In The Bucket - Nigger Kojak and Liza
9. Equal Rights Style - Dennis Brown & Big Youth
10. Pablo Meets Mr Bassie - Augustus Pablo
11. The Black Star Liner – Reggae Regular
12. UK Skanking - Capital Letters
13. Ku Klux Klan - Steel Pusle
14. Cool Out Son - Junior Murvin
15. Pistol Boy - Militant Barry
16. Zion Gate - Horace Andy & Jah Stitch
17. Drunken Master - Ranking Joe
18 Good Memories – Prince Jazzbo