Blood and Fire

What the press say:

In America the releases of the Blood and Fire label from England have been received as something like the holy grail as most of this music - some of Jamaica's finest - was previously unavailable to anyone but diehard 7" fanatics, an increasingly internecine community of curmudgeons and control freaks that includes some of my best friends. Junior Byles and Friends - 129 Beat Street : Ja-Man Special 1975 - 1978 might seem like a cumbersome title, especially for a CD that has only four Junior Byles cuts, but they are four cuts previously available only on 7" and include the sublime "Remember Me" and the glorious "Pitchy Patchy" (and are generally offered in extended mixes that incorporate the B-side dub sections) so I'm not complaining. Bonus points offered for the inclusion of Pablo Moses' "One People" and Bim Sherman's "Mighty Ruler", both must-own knockout tracks and both also offered in extended mixes. Brigadier Jerry, U Brown (the subject of a previous Blood and Fire release) and Dave Robinson and Neville Tate, along with Rupert Reid who joins Byles on two cuts and offers his own "See The Dread Deh" round out the set. As always with this label the extensive and informative liner notes cover the subject, in this case the short-lived but productive Ja-Man label, with interview material, photos and graphics that add an extra dimension to the superb music. Chuck Foster, The Beat (USA), November - December 1998