This was one of several two-CD sets that were put together around the turn of the 1990s by the Trojan label, pulling together singles produced in the infamous Black Ark studio by the even-more-infamous producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. Featuring artists like Sharon Isaacs, the Meditations, Eric Donaldson, and the Congos, Build the Ark paired each song with its dub version, thus simultaneously showcasing both the quality of artists that were drawn to Perry’s studio during its 1970s heyday, but also Perry’s own groundbreaking — not to say utterly insane — style of remixing. Perry’s influence on reggae and on pop music generally has been both deep and broad, and this compilation is an ideal introduction to his art.

– Rick Anderson