THE REGGAE reissue market has always been a vibrant one. With all the classic albums made in Jamaica during the late 1960s and 1970s, there is plenty to spread around for some time to come.

There were some key reissues in 2008. VP Records' 17 North Parade series was the most ambitious, as it covers the Chin family's 50th year in the music business, starting with their Randy's label in the late 1950s.

The past two years have seen VP rerelease albums by Yellowman, Barrington Levy, Toyan and Cocoa Tea. Last year, they redistributed albums from the catalogues of Henry 'Junjo' Lawes and George Phang, two of the most successful record producers of the early 1980s.

Shanachie Records are not as busy in the reggae market as they were in the 1980s and 1990s. But the New York City company has some of the best titles in roots-reggae from the 1970s, including Augustus Pablo's East of The River Nile, which was recorded in 1978. It was reissued in 2008.

Trojan Records was one of the first companies to distribute Jamaican popular music internationally. The London-based label continues to release hit-laden compilations, but last year, they resurrected 1000 Volts of Holt, the 1973 album by singer John Holt.

Like Shanachie, Heartbeat Records of Massachusetts has scaled down considerably in recent years. In 2008, they reissued singer Johnny Osbourne's Truths and Rights, a seminal dancehall album first done at Studio One in the early 1970s.