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The '70s
Trojan continued to score major hits despite the resistance of Radio 1 and other radio stations to play it. Having built up a chain of shops, Trojan opened up the album market (mostly compilations) for reggae. Though it became the biggest reggae merchandiser in the world, it had to be sold when its parent company, B&C, became insolvent in 1975. Another ambitious label, Ashanti, went for and did go broke trying to break an expensively made album by singer Sharon Forrester.
Reggae was taken to greater heights internationally and established a reputation for serious album-orientated music by two British labels - Island and Virgin. Island started the Marley legend by unleashing two Marley albums in 1973, going on to establish many Jamaican and British artists. Virgin had many of the major reggae producers and artists working overtime on albums which it released on its 'Frontline' label. Among Virgin's huge Jamaican roster were a few British artists such as Rasta singer-songwriter Delroy Washington and Linton Kwesi Johnson, whose 'Dread Beat An Blood' album helped popularise dub poetry.
Meanwhile, majors like Polydor came on board signing Cimarons, pop indies like Ensign got hits out of Black Slate, whilst the underground was getting over-crowded with reggae specialist labels such as Grove, Klik, Tropical and Vulcan, supported by specialist distributors like Mojo and Jetstar.
By now there were numerous local reggae groups like Aswad, Misty In Roots and Steel Pulse making a name and establishing a reputation for themselves. They reflected the experiences of first generation black youths, some of whom adopted Rastafarianism, finding its Afrocentric tenets comforting in a world where they routinely faced the effects of racism and police misuse of the stop and search 'Sus' law.
Black British socio-political foundations were being laid by artists like Aswad, who kicked off their Island debut with the anti-police 'Three Babylon' (and album tracks like 'Back To Africa') and label mates Steel Pulse, who dropped their powerful debut album 'Handsworth Revolution' in 1978.
Again, another white youth group, the punks, helped widen the demand for reggae. They were feeling just as disillusioned and disenfranchised as most black youths, which resulted in a mutual relationship whereby reggae acts would often play on the same bill with punk bands, especially at the Rock Against Racism concerts. Some punk and new wave acts such as the Clash and the Police showed obvious reggae influence in their music.
In addition to introducing rock and pop influences, such as the use of rock lead guitar, the Brits really came into their own by creating the soul-reggae fusion style called lovers rock. Often sung by female singers such as Jean Adebambo and Carroll Thompson, Louisa Marks' 'Caught You In A Lie', released in 1975 and Janet Kay's 1979 number two hit, 'Silly Games', are a couple of classics in this genre.
By the end of the '70s, the 2-Tone up-dated ska revival led by groups like The Specials and Madness sparked a new interest in reggae's predecessor. Also, a new black British reggae movement was coming into its own.
