Roots reggae had begun picking up speed in the early '70s and has proved remarkably tenacious it still defines Jamaican music in the minds of many enthusiasts. Some of these studio tricks remain shrouded in mystery to this day, with famed producer Lee вЂњScratchвЂќ Perry explaining his patented Black Ark sound thusly: вЂњIt was only four tracks written on the machine, but I was picking up 20 from the extra-terrestrial squad.вЂќ And yet 1975 was also a year in which major stylistic variations coexisted peacefully with each other, on both the airwaves and inside record stores. Indeed, innovators were one-upping each other in club appearances and stretching the limits of available technology. Not that reggae was experiencing any kind of stasis in 1975.

But 1975 represents the year in which reggae found itself at the peak of its mature powers: distant from the mento, ska and rock steady rhythms that had helped birth it, and a decade away from the general abandonment of live instrumentation marking Jamaican musicвЂ™s next phase.

Oh, sure, go ahead and quibble - 1969 was no slouch either (Max RomeoвЂ™s вЂњWet DreamsвЂќ and the epochal вЂњReturn of DjangoвЂќ from The Upsetters turned the island music industry on its head), and dancehall enthusiasts might suggest 1985 as equally knockout (the year King JammyвЂ™s digital вЂњUnder Mi Sleng TengвЂќ rhythm changed everything).

Not to open a can of worms here, but 1975 might be the greatest year ever for Jamaican music.

Best the 1975 albums