Soundsystem Dub Plate Specials 1975–1979 is one of the better dub collection releases of the year. The label keeps a majority of their track listings off the books until they are released. The artists included on this comp includue long-standing sound system pioneers Leroy Smart, Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Cornell Campbell, Pat Kelly, Slim Smith, Delroy Wilson, and Jackie Mittoo.
The sound systems of Jamaica were always the people’s radio station. Tunes were tried and tested in the lion’s den of the dance to see which songs rose to the top and became the most popular. This was the litmus test and the first step to a track’s commercial release to capitalize its hotness on the circuit. When the dub/version hit big in Jamaica in the early- to mid-’70s this was also the case, and many times the version cut of a track would even prove more popular than its vocal counterpart. Jamaican Recordings have compiled some great ’70s dub plates that rocked the sound systems in fine style.