SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (1967)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL+9006+A // SOL+9006+B

Lee Oswald (Roland Alphonso & Lester Sterling); Bridge View (Roland Alphonso); President Kennedy (Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling & Group); Further East (Don Drummond); Ska In Vienna Woods (Skatalites); You're So Delightful (Roland Alphonso & The Skatalites) // Four Corners (Roland Alphonso & Alley Cats); Scrap Iron (Don Drummond); Feeling Good (Roland Alphonso & His Upsetters); Royal Flush (Don Drummond); Ball Of Fire (Roland Alphonso & The Skatalites); Christine Keiler (Roland Alphonso & The Skatalites)

UK issue with stamped matrix. ((Click sleeve to enlarge.))

This is a wholly instrumental collection of tracks previously issued as singles credited to various members of the Skatalites, the full title of which is SKA AUTHENTIC : PRESENTING THE ORIGINAL SKA-TALITES FROM JAMAICA. (Not to be confused with the Various Artists compilation from 1964 entitled SKA AUTHENTIC FROM STUDIO 1 : PRESENTING THE SKA-TALITES, which shares the same sleeve design.) It was originally issued in the UK in 1967 on a red and white Studio One hanging microphone label and re-issued and re-pressed innumerable times since then. The original UK sleeve can be recognised by the orange background to the 'AUTHENTIC' box.The version of Ska In Vienna Woods on this issue features a vocal introduction and scat percussion. Only 11 tracks are listed on the sleeve, omitting Ska In Vienna Woods.

Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Royal Flush; Feeling Good; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler // Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful

US issue on the distinctive red and yellow label with the West Sunrise Hwy, Freeport address. The sleeve carries the 'Printed in Jamaica by Adprographics Ltd.' credit. Sides A and B are transposed from previous issues, and just to confuse matters further, the labels are printed on the wrong side of the vinyl.

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (c.1979)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL 9006 A // SOL 9006 B

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (1967)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL+9006+A // SOL+9006+B

Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful // Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Feeling Good; Royal Flush; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler

Jamaican re-presses using the UK stampers and issued in the UK sleeve. ((Click sleeve to enlarge.))

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (c.1976)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: CN-2886-A // CN-2886-B

Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful // Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Royal Flush; Feeling Good; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler

Jamaican issue in an Adprographics sleeve, with a red background to the 'AUTHENTIC' box. (Thanks to Johan Westin for supplying information and images for this release.) ((Click sleeve to enlarge.))

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL 9006 B ONE // SOL 9006 A TWO

Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful // Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Royal Flush; Feeling Good; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler

Jamaican issues in the Adprographics sleeve. The ONE and TWO matrix denotes the correct sides but are scratched into the run-out upside down. The labels are also printed on the wrong side of the vinyl.

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (c.1979)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL 9006 B // SOL 9006 A

Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful // Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Royal Flush; Feeling Good; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler

US issue on labels with the Fulton Street, Brooklyn address.

SKA AUTHENTIC³
The Skatalites (1994)

Studio One SOCD 9006

Lee Harvey Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Mother-In-Law (Lee Perry); Musical Communication; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful; Four Corners; Dance The Ska (Delroy & Paulette); Teach The Ska (Lord Brynner); Royal Flush; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler; Heavens Declare (Maytals); Ska-Ba; Exodus

Two CD editions were released (the first in 1994) with the same tracks but different 'sleeve' illustrations.

As if differentiating between two different vinyl releases of SKA AUTHENTIC isn't complicated enough, this Studio One re-issue (which can be found on both CD and vinyl) only confuses things further. We get three tracks from the original Jamaican SKA AUTHENTIC¹, seven tracks from the UK edition (including the alternative version of Ska In Vienna Woods), two tracks that both releases have in common, plus four tracks that don't appear on either. And track 11 is actually Royal Flush, rather than Scrap Iron as listed.

SKA AUTHENTIC³
The Skatalites (c.1994)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SKA Authentic SOLP-9006-A K.K.Mastering
matrix: CSLP-9006-B SKA Authentic K.K.Mastering

Lee Harvey Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Mother-In-Law (Lee Perry); Musical Communication; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful; Four Corners // Dance The Ska (Delroy & Paulette); Teach The Ska (Lord Brynner); Royal Flush; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler; Heavens Declare (Maytals); Ska-Ba; Exodus

The vinyl edition of the CD issue. All 16 tracks are listed on the reverse of the sleeve. ((Click sleeve to enlarge.))

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (c.1972)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: FCD 7336 A // FCD

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: SOL+9006+A // SOL+9006+B

Lee Oswald; Bridge View; President Kennedy; Further East; Ska In Vienna Woods; You're So Delightful // Four Corners; Scrap Iron; Feeling Good; Royal Flush; Ball Of Fire; Christine Keiler

Later Jamaican re-presses with stamped matriix numbers in the UK sleeve. ((Click sleeve to enlarge.))
(Magenta and cream label illustration courtesy of Lionvibes.)

SKA AUTHENTIC²
The Skatalites (c.1972)

Studio One SOL 9006
matrix: FCD 7336 A // FCD