The A-Z of Island Records at 50

May 29, 2009 - By SIMON COSYNS

IT began 50 years ago in the back streets of Kingston, Jamaica, and became one of the world's best-loved labels.

To mark the anniversary of Island Records, a series of three-CD albums are being released - Island Life (a stunning overview), Meet On The Ledge (concentrating on folk music) and War Ina Babylon (covering the reggae heritage).


There's also a picture book, Keep On Running: The Story Of Island Records.


Here is our ultimate A to Z guide to all things Island, now part of music giant Universal:


A is for All Right Now and Addicted To Love. Free's 1970 anthem was a No1 hit in more than 20 countries - hairy, sweaty, basic, brilliant blues rock. And who could forget suave Robert Palmer and his jaw-dropping formation of glam girls with guitars?


B is for Bob Marley. The dreadlocked icon who took reggae from Trenchtown, Jamaica, to the world. One Love, Exodus, Is This Love and Redemption Song spread universal messages of love, peace and freedom.


C is for Chris Blackwell. He formed the label in 1959 and, by the Seventies, was the music industry's most influential tastemaker.


D is for Nick Drake. Never a star during his life cut short by an overdose, Drake's stock has risen with each passing year. Gentle, soulful, careworn vocals set to fluid acoustic arrangements made debut album Five Leaves Left a timeless treasure.


E is for Eno. A preening peacock in make-up and sequins during his days as Roxy Music's sound whizz, Brian Eno cut a more demure figure as an Island solo artist, making albums like the serene Another Green World. He went on to produce another Island act... U2.


F is for folk rock. The earnest woolly jumper brigade gave way to cool folkies signed by Island in the late Sixties... Fairport Convention (with future solo stars Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson), John Martyn and Fotheringay.


G is for Grace Jones. One of the most striking, elegant (and scary) figures in contemporary music. Her cool electro-pop hits like Nightclubbing and Slave To The Rhythm evoked sleaze and style in equal doses.


H is for The Harder They Come. The soundtrack to a Jamaican gangster movie starring singer Jimmy Cliff is reggae's defining album. Songs include You Can Get It If You Really Want and Many Rivers To Cross.


I is for The Incredible String Band. Past their peak when they joined the label, the Scots folk-rock oddballs were still incredible on Island record Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air.


J is for Jamaica. Where it all began in 1959. Blackwell started the label by recording the island's ska music. Three years later, he could be found selling records out of the back of his car to the UK's Jamaican population.


K is for King Crimson and Keane. With due respect to Pink Floyd, Yes and Genesis, 1969's In The Court Of The Crimson King (with its nightmare pink and blue face on the cover) is the daddy of prog-rock albums.


L is for Legend. The Bob Marley compilation is the biggest-selling reggae album of all-time, a fitting tribute to the singer who died in 1981.


M is for Millie and Mika. Island's first big breakthrough was Millie's reggae/ska My Boy Lollipop in 1964. Forty-four years later, pop sensation Mika, one of the label's rising stars, had a hit with Lollipop from debut album Life In Cartoon Motion.


N is for Nirvana. Not Kurt Cobain's grunge outfit but whimsical British psychedelic popsters who were early signings to Island. Their debut album The Story Of Simon Simopath (hated by the other Nirvana's faithful) lays claim to be the first concept album.


O is for The Orb. The chill-out pioneers made Island their home for much of the Nineties, the decade of dance.


P is for Pulp and PJ Harvey. With Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and West Country siren PJ, the label found themselves with two mercurial and marvellous talents. Jarv sang Common People while PJ asked Is This Desire?


Q is for Quintessence. Barmy English prog-rock band who drew on jazz and Indian music to create their trancelike soundscapes. Three albums for Island, a couple more for RCA and then they disappeared in a cloud of sweetly scented smoke.


R is for Roxy Music. The art-rock stylists led by Bryan Ferry gave their clothes designers higher billing than their producers. Beneath the glam veneer were superb musicianship and dazzling songs - Virginia Plain, Street Life and Do The Strand among them.


S is for Sparks and Sugababes. The manic Mael brothers exploded on to the charts in 1974 with This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Us. Typically quirky, undeniably imaginative Island signings. The label's pop credentials were enhanced in recent years by the silky skills of girl group Sugababes.


T is for Traffic and Tom Waits. A key early signing, psychedelic rockers Traffic showcased the precocious talents of Steve Winwood. He went on to deliver a No3 album for Island with 1980's Arc Of A Diver.


U is for U2. They told SFTW earlier this year they were just "four chancers from Dublin who got lucky". The biggest band in the world made seminal albums for the label such as The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.


V is for Video Killed The Radio Star. The Island purists probably held up their hands in horror but this insanely ridiculous piece of bubblegum pop gave The Buggles a monster hit.


W is for Amy Winehouse. She may be wayward but Amy delivered one of Island's most successful albums ever - Back To Black. With her sultry, soulful voice and towering beehive, she conjured up a retro-styled classic that won comparisons with Billie Holiday.

X is for X-Clan. One of many hip-hop acts associated with Island through their US subsidiaries. Brooklyn's X-Clan caused controversy in the early Nineties with their militant, supercharged raps.


Y is for Yusuf. The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens was Island's first superstar, the ultimate bedsit troubadour behind albums such as Tea For The Tillerman and Teaser And The Firecat. Now after 30 years away, he's back on Island.


Z is for ZTT. Island hooked up with producer Trevor Horn's label to release the barnstorming Frankie Goes To Hollywood double album Welcome To The Pleasuredome. It included hits Relax, Two Tribes and The Power Of Love.


Further notes from an Island: Aswad (Reggae West London-style), The B52's (space-punk-disco serving of Rock Lobster), Dr Strangely Strange (super-weird Irish folkies), Tom Tom Club (rhythmic brilliance from Talking Heads offshoot), John Cale (post-Velvet Underground solo sorties), Eddie And The Hot Rods (Island's nod to punk).

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