In his book Bass Culture, the writer Lloyd Bradley vividly evokes the era before ska and rocksteady eras in 50s and 60s Jamaica, when fans flocked to outdoor sound systems, known as ‘blues’ sessions, playing US-dominated jazz and R&B. Gradually, home-produced tracks by standout singers Derrick Morgan, Jimmy Cliff and Owen Gray emerged on labels like WIRL and Beverley, and a Jamaican take on shuffle blues became distinctive, crowned by cool guitar licks by Ernest Ranglin and sultry horn solos from the likes of Don Drummond and Rico Rodriguez.

These two generous multi-CD sets chronicle these developments with verve and colour. The first two discs of the Roots of Ska compilation display the American shuffle mode that directly influenced the embryonic Jamaican sound. Of more interest is the third disc of early JA tunes, with Theophilus Beckword’s ‘That’s Me’ and Aubrey Adams & Rico’s ‘Stew Peas and Cornflakes’ being the standouts.

A more arresting listen is the Mash It! collection. Songs such as ‘The Hop’ and ‘Cherry Home’ hold up better against the US competition and show clear rocksteady indicators: the slower, choppy time-signatures that later gave birth to reggae. The listener can easily see how Rico and Roland Alphonso soon became such influential horn men, with the latter’s ‘Bridgeview Shuffle’ sounding charmingly addictive.