Reggae’s 10” and 12” Singles
and Dubplates
Off in New York in the early 1970s, the disco craze was upon us and 12-inch vinyl “disco singles” entered the scene. This format could accommodate more music than a 7”, which translated to more time on the dance floor. Shrewd Jamaican producers quickly recognized the advantage of putting the vocal and DJ cuts on one disc for dance hall reggae and began pressing vinyl in this “discomix” format in 1976. The spacing of the grooves on a 12” single helped DJs to locate the “breaks” on the disc’s surface.
Although 12-inch singles disappeared in Jamaica in the late 1980s as the interest in dub music waned, Greensleeves in the U.K. made 12” reggae singles an art form with funny caricatures of the genre’s history on record sleeves and they continued to be a popular format there for nearly 20 years. When sales plummeted in the last few years, Greensleeves and other labels virtually abandoned the 12" format in favor of 7” singles, tripling their sales.
A 10-inch EP (Extended Play) contains more music than a 7-inch single (usually 10 to 20 minutes) but is too short to qualify as an LP.
Pioneered by reggae sound systems, dubplates are exclusive versions of a tune and are an essential part of sound clash competitions, in which rival sound systems battle to produce the most innovative specials. The lyrics are usually altered to include the name of the sound system that commissioned the recording, endorsing that sound system while pointing out the weaknesses of the opposing sound system. CDs are now the format of choice for dubplate specials.
Since the very early days of Jamaica's recording industry, collectors still prefer many of the big hits that are now world-renowned on vinyl, in any format. Tuff Gong studios in Kingston, which masters and distributes Bob Marley's records, continues to press vinyl LP's, 7- inch and 12-inch singles.
Check out the wide variety of vinyl available on eBay and collect them while you can!
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SKINHEAD REGGAE ANYWHERE I ROAM KING DJANGO STUBBORN US $4.00
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REGGAE ZION GATE CULTURE JOE GIBBS ♫ US $4.00
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SUGAR MINOTT LICK SHOT DANCEHALL BRAND X REGGAE 12 US $7.69
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BARRINGTON LEVY MARY LONG TONGUE ORIGINAL REGGAE 12 US $7.69
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HORSEMOUTH ROCKERS ALL STAR REGGAE MUSIC 12 US $7.69
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AQUIZM AQUIZIM TRUE LOVING ROOTS REGGAE ARIWA 12 US $18.56
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CHARISMA EVERYTHING FINE ONE BLOOD KING CITY REGGAE US $7.69
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BLACK HARMONY INITY ROCKERS LOVERS REGGAE 12 1982 US $7.69
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TOOTS THE MAYTALS Reggae Got Soul 1976 Orig LISTEN US $9.99
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DESMOND DEKKER Israelites REGGAE SKA SKINHEAD listen US $4.99
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KEITH DOUGLAS COOL DOWN AMINA FASHION REGGAE 12 US $7.69
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ELETA HOMER NEVER GONNA LET CASTRO BROWN REGGAE 12 US $7.69
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Prince Buster Ten Commandments SKA Pre Rap Reggae US $2.99
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DONNA RHODEN IVE FALLEN IN LOVE ITAL REGGAE 12 1981 US $7.69
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LEGATO FOOL FOR YOUR LOVE ITAL REGGAE 12 1982 US $7.69
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ROCKERS Soundtrack Reggae Movie Island JA pressing US $3.99
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KILLER REGGAE BUZRAK PRINCE ALLAH TAPPA NEW RE ISSUE ♫ US $4.00
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Ska Reggae Fanzines 5 US $1.00
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Madu BOOK OF REVLATION SCOOPS 10 2004 REGGAE ROOTS US $7.69
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Madu Jah Manya Stand Up SCOOPS 10 2004 REGGAE ROOTS US $7.69
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