VA - Harmony, Melody & Style: Lovers Rock & Rare Groove in the UK 1975-1992 [2CD Set] (2012)

2012 two CD collection. Harmony, Melody and Style tells the story of Lovers Rock, which exploded in the UK in 1975, when an ex-Caribbean population of producers, artists and audience who had grown up in London, created for the first time a new uniquely British Reggae sound. Lovers Rock mixed American Soul music with Jamaican Reggae. At the heart of Lovers Rock remained the soundsystem culture that Jamaican producers brought from the Caribbean and transposed to inner city London life. Harmony, Melody and Style tells the story of Lovers Rock - from its soundsystem beginnings, its commercial explosion at the start of the 1980s and its underground continuance into the next decade as the founding producers continued to effortlessly absorb and mutate American soul, disco and rare groove styles into a distinctly British reggae sensibility. The album includes classic and rare tracks and comes with extensive text, as well as interviews with artists, musicians and producers who helped define lovers rock as well as exclusive photography.