Yours truly got to know the reggae genre largely thanks to the fantastic catalogue of Chris Blackwell's Island Records. Aswad, Steel Pulse, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff and of course Bob Marley & The Wailers, all recorded for the label with the iconic palm logo at one stage. These days, the label is owned by media giant Universal, also owning the rights to the entire Trojan Records catalogue and those of the Frontline releases (Big Youth, I Roy, Mighty Diamonds, Twinkle Brothers, The Gladiators...) on the Virgin label. Putting together an eight-part box like 'Sound System: The History Of Jamaican Music' should have been short to child's play. Real reggae aficionados will already own the bulk of the songs that are featured in this box, but for novice amateurs this collection offers a golden opportunity and put together with the beautifully illustrated book, a somewhat recycled version of 2002's 'Reggae Explosion: The Story Of Jamaican Music', this is a highly collectible box. The book was written by Chris Salewicz (see also 'Rude Boy: Once Upon A Time In Jamaica' and 'The Story Of Island Records: Keep On Running') and the great photos come from the archives of Adrian Booth. If you haven't heard of Booth yet, you should definitely check out the website he created: www.urbanimage.tv. The book is divided into six chapters ('Mento To Ska', 'The Birthplace Of Reggae', 'Deejays & Dubmasters', 'Roots Rock Reggae', 'The Marley Legacy' and 'Dancehall') and in a chronological and anecdotal way covers the evolution of Jamaican music. Exactly which format was used in putting together the eight discs in this box exactly worked has is not readily apparent, because the track list constantly jumps back and forth between old ska, dancehall, roots and even rhythm & blues and rock-'n-roll, making it the ideal soundtrack for people on the go.