Led by the dynamic Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert, the Maytals were at the vanguard of the reggae explosion of late 1969/early 1970, with their anthemic 'Monkey Man' among Trojan Records' earliest UK chart successes. Soon after their breakthrough single breached the UK pop charts in 1970, the iconic reggae record company issued a popular LP of the same title, featuring a dozen of the trio's most popular recordings of the past 6 months. The Maytals remained one of Jamaica's leading acts over the years that immediately followed, with their popularity resulting in a recording deal with Island Records in 1973. There swiftly followed extensive tours of the UK and mainland Europe, prompting Trojan to gather a dozen or so of their earlier works for a belated follow-up to their Monkey Man LP, namely From The Roots. Both albums feature on this essential boss reggae collection, which also includes three rare alternate versions of album tracks, notably 'Monkey Man' and 'She's My Scorcher', both of which make their CD debut.
