"Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the creation of Rocksteady, 17 North Parade presents First Class Rocksteady; a comprehensive 40-track collection of the pivotal selections from that genre that preceded reggae in Jamaica. The sound was a mid-step between ska, which was the leading island sound, and reggae; a sound that slows the tempo but keeps the guitar accent on the upbeat. The collection captures the early work from some of the genre’s defining artists including Lee “Scratch” Perry, The Techniques (featuring Slim Smith), Desmond Dekker, Johnny Nash and many others." - VP Records