MOV reissues Lovers Rock Showcase Jamaica Style by Freddie McGregor -

MOV reissues Lovers Rock Showcase Jamaica Style by Freddie McGregor

Lovers Rock Showcase Jamaica Style

Freddie McGregor’s 1981 showcase album sits in a long story that started way back in Clarendon, Jamaica, where Freddie first stepped into Studio One at just seven years old. The ‘Big Ship’ captain grew into one of reggae’s most loved voices, giving us classics like Bobby Bobylon, Big Ship and Push Come To Shove, and even after suffering a stroke in 2022 his spirit still moves fans everywhere. That same journey leads into this album that remains one of those releases that reggae fans still talk about.

It first appeared in Jamaica as Showcase through Niney’s Observer label and the Sonic Sounds imprint, while UK buyers got it at the same moment under the title Lovers Rock Showcase Jamaica Style on Live & Love. It landed right after Freddie’s strong late-70s Studio One run and his 1979 set Mr. McGregor, and once again Niney The Observer handled production, though some sources say Freddie had a hand in the controls too. Even with the lovers rock tag on the UK version, most of the tunes lean straight into roots themes.

The musicians on this one make the lineup feel a little different from the usual Kingston studio crew. Dennis Brown holds down bass, with Freddie picking a bit himself, and Zap Pow’s Cornell Marshall on drums. Keyboards come from Jah McKaya, a name you don’t see often, alongside Keith Sterling, while Dalton Browne adds guitar and backing vocals next to Beres Hammond, who was also rolling with Zap Pow in that period. It gives the album a nice mix of familiar voices and unexpected touches.

Pressings from Jamaica split the vocals and dubs into separate cuts, while the UK edition runs six extended showcase tracks. This new Music On Vinyl reissue (out September 18, 2026) from Holland follows the UK Live & Love format. Lovers Rock Showcase Jamaica Style now comes as a numbered run of 750 copies on orange vinyl, and because of rights restrictions it’s only available to buyers in Europe.