Take It Easy Riddim – Various Labels

Take It Easy Riddim dates back to 1966 and traces one of Jamaican music’s key early rocksteady turns, with the foundation cut by Hopeton Lewis’s Take It Easy leading the way. The compilation pulls together later versions from artists like Delroy Wilson, Beenie Man, Johnny Clarke, Sanchez, and Donna Marie, alongside the original feel from Lewis’s classic recording. It’s tied to a wide mix of producers and labels, including Winston Riley, Bunny Lee, King Tubby, Harry J, and the Techniques camp, which helps show how long this rhythm kept circulating through reggae and dancehall. The set’s core hook is that slow, relaxed groove that helped define the rocksteady shift, and the lineup makes clear how adaptable the riddim became across different eras.