Listen to the Music - Caltone's Jamaican 45's (1966-69)

Listen to the Music is an outstanding collection of late-‘60s ska, rocksteady, and early reggae from the esteemed Caltone imprint. Though Caltone was never as successful as contemporary labels like Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle or Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One, it nonetheless boasts one of the most consistently excellent catalogs of the period, thanks in large part to the sharp ears and canny business sense of label head Ken Lack. His deep connections in the Jamaican music scene ensured the collaboration of the island’s finest musicians. Saxophone giant Tommy McCook and his band The Supersonics provide the rock-solid instrumental backing on many of these recordings, including The Clarendonians’ devastating “Lonely Lover” and Honey Boy Martin’s tough-as-nails rudeboy classic “Dreader Than Dread."