Trojan Explosion – Trojan Records

TROJAN EXPLOSION – TROJAN RECORDS 1988

Trojan Explosion sits right in Trojan Records’ late-’80s catalogue, but the music reaches back to the label’s classic era, pulling together a tidy run of ska, rocksteady, and roots staples that helped define the UK’s reggae canon. Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Small Axe” and the Maytals’ “54-46 Was My Number” are the kind of cuts that still hit with real weight, while Desmond Dekker and the Aces’ “007 (Shanty Town)” keeps that street-level swagger alive. Bob and Marcia’s “Young, Gifted and Black” and Dave and Ansel Collins’ “Double Barrel” add the crossover shine that made Trojan such a force in Britain. Issued in 1988, this one works like a snapshot of the label’s archive at a point when Trojan was already curating its own history.

Trojan Explosion Tracklist:

1. 07-The Maytals-54-46 Was My Number-Yard
2. 19-Desmond Dekker And The Aces-007 (Shanty Town)-Yard
3. Bob And Marcia – Young Gifted And Black
4. Bob Marley And The Wailers – Small Axe
5. Boris Gardiner – Elizabethan Reggae
6. Dandy Livingstone – Reggae In Your Jeggae
7. Dave And Ansel Collins – Double Barrel
8. Desmond Dekker And The Ace – You Can Get It If You Really W
9. Eric Donaldson – Cherry Oh Baby
10. Harry J. All Stars – Liquidator
11. Jimmy Cliff – Wonderful World Beautiful Peop
12. Roland Alphonso – Phoenix City
13. The Ethiopians – Dollar Of Soul
14. The Maytals – Pomps And Pride
15. The Melodians – Sweet Sensation
16. The Pioneers – Let Your Yeah Be Yeah
17. The Pioneers – Mama Look
18. The Slickers – Johnny Too Bad
19. The Soulmates – Them A Laugh And A Kiki
20. The Upsetters – Return Of Django