The Discography of Jamaican Music
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Editor’s Notes To The Second Edition
Publication of Roots Knotty Roots in the first edition was a landmark event – the culmination of many years devoted to researching Jamaican music by the editors and our many contributors. We are very proud of that work. The attempt to document 30+ years of Jamaican musical history is something often imagined by reggae music lovers, but few expected would ever materialize. The seeds for this project began on the Internet in the reggae music newsgroup and the database itself was initially built from files we created to catalog our own collections. Thanks to the help and support of many contributors, it has grown to be the most advanced reference work of its kind.
Once the first edition was distributed, contributions began to arrive from collectors around the world who supported the project by sharing their own research data with us. Even as readers were exploring their copies of the first edition, the editorial workload of additions, corrections and revisions has never slackened even briefly. Almost by definition, this is a job without end. The boundaries of Jamaican music have yet to be reached and probably never will be. Having said that, we are extremely pleased to report that we have added more than 9,000 new titles and this new edition represents a huge improvement over our first volume.
This edition actually represents much more than just new titles and added pages. The 2nd edition is 30% larger, but more importantly it is more complete and more accurate in every way possible. Virtually every line of the data file has received some revision or correction. In fact, this upgrade represents an advance over the first volume substantial enough to qualify as virtually a whole new book. Among the changes readers will find significantly more dates and more accurate dating, the removal of many gratuitous duplications, refined artist credits and expanded documentation of both UK pressings and 12” releases. US and Canadian records are now in a separate file at the back of the book.
Perhaps the most important change to the database itself is a more clearly drawn distinction between alternate releases of the same title – both local and foreign. The effort to date each unique stamper helps to clarify and makes obvious the reissues, the re-releases and re-cut tunes that might otherwise be confused with the original recording. Sometimes we have added a recording date in parentheses within the title cell to indicate the original release date. This improved accuracy has also enhanced our ability to mate Jamaican records with their correct UK counterpart – a feature that we feel is an important objective for a Jamaican music discography.
This more precise approach improves accuracy across the entire file and gives us a sharper focus on how each release fits into the big picture of any specific catalog. This is particularly helpful for the 12" pressings of a specific title because although many of these were pressed simultaneously with the 7" version, others were issued or reissued years later. We have tried whenever possible to note remixed titles and to distinguish the re-recorded versions but like so many details, that effort remains ongoing and subject to further revision as new information becomes available.
We have added a new file to this volume that represents our first effort to document the individual members of the many Jamaican vocal groups whose records form a significant body of this work. We recognize that much more needs to be done in this area, and there remain many more groups about which little is known. We felt that a more detailed documentation of group members was important enough to merit inclusion despite the incomplete nature of our file. As with all details, we continue to encourage our readers to send us additions and corrections for future editions.
As the database has become more advanced, we have accumulated a separate file of unidentified matrix numbers. In the process of working to reconcile blank label releases, some artist credits continue to be revised, but many unidentified records remain as open questions by virtually every producer. Unknown records are an inescapable reality that comes with the territory and probably contributes in no small way to the mystery and fascination that continues to motivate and challenge collectors and researchers. We think that if it were always obvious or easy, it would be just a little less fun. Certainly the task of documentation would have been completed years earlier and would not continue to be the work-in-progress it remains today.
The foremost reason that we are composing these notes for our readers is to thank them for the support that has made this second edition possible. Data contributions continue to arrive almost daily from far-flung corners of the reggae world. Were it not for the encouragement and ongoing support of readers, reviewers and contributors, it could not have been done. We are thrilled that so many fellow travelers around the world share our reggae obsession. Sales of the first edition surpassed our own modest expectations and the feedback we have received from readers, reviewers and contributors provided to be just the motivation we needed to push the project to more advanced levels.
Collectors have speculated for many years about just how many records really were made in Jamaica. Estimates have generally ranged from 30-50,000 and sometimes even higher. We believe that no one yet can say with certainty what percent of Jamaican releases are actually documented by this project. When pressed to speculate, we think this work represents a very high percentage of the more commercially successful years, but probably under-represents the earliest decade when data is most difficult to come by and most in danger of being lost forever.
We also believe there remain a substantial number of undocumented releases from the early to mid-1980s when the 12” format was the dominant medium. Many of those 12” releases appear to have had little commercial impact when first released and often disappeared with hardly a trace. Today collectors bid for them on Ebay. As we and our collections become more mature, judgments once firmly held are subject to be reconsidered and reevaluated with the luxury of perfect hindsight. Previously held convictions are subject to be overturned in unexpected ways and artists previously overlooked begin to take on a new glow in the light of the latest reissues.
- Mike & Bob, Summer, 2002