A journey into the first 100 vinyl covers of Greensleeves, one of the world’s largest reggae labels

Greensleeves Records is the label founded in 1977 by Chris Sedgwick and Chris Cracknell, and it’s the focus of One Love Books’ Alexander Newman’s latest release, the second edition of Greensleeves The First 100 Covers. The iconic label – which gained a blue plaque at its Shepherd’s Bush base in 2023 to commemorate its cultural impact – is recognised as one of the world’s largest reggae and dancehall music labels, releasing music by the likes of Clint Eastwood and General Saint, Sister Nancy, Yellowman, and more recently, Shaggy and Beenie Man. Back when Bob Marley dominated the market, Greensleeves provided a persevering alternative to the myopic mainstream.

The new book is an expanded second edition of Alex’s first issue, released 15 years ago under DJ name Al Fingers in collaboration with streetwear label Stüssy. The brand initially approached Alex to compile a mixtape and, to make ease of copyright, Alex partnered with Greensleeves Records in the mixtape's making. This then evolved into the book, Greensleeves The First 100 Covers, and a clothing collection. Album cover art from the label sits at the heart of this book, alongside interviews with the label founders and contributors, as well as additional imagery from the Greensleeves archive. One of Alex’s interviewees, the late Dave Hendley, marked an important pillar of Greensleeves’ visual history as the designer of the label’s first LP, Dr Alimantado’s first album Best Dressed Chicken in Town; an influential vessel in the punk-reggae pipeline.

“Many of the covers in the book are illustrated, but when artists came over to the UK from Jamaica, Greensleeves sometimes had the chance to organise a photoshoot,” Alex tells us. Two examples stand out to Alex, from both worlds. For the illustrated, what stands out are Tony McDermott’s classic album covers for recording engineer Scientist. Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires features a cacophony of monsters and ghouls, depicted like a scene from the myth of Orpheus, except the boat sailing down the River Styx supports Scientist and a Jamaican soundsystem. For the photographic, John Holt’s album Police In Helicopter features the singer chased down by a helicopter whilst holding onto a ganja bag. Linval Thompson was photographed on the top of Tower Bridge for his album Baby Father. “Tony and the photographer, Tim O’Sullivan, had to bribe a guard with a bottle of whisky to get access,” says Alex. In light of such innovative covers, as time went on photography began to be favoured by artists over illustrations – one reason being the increasing influence of hip-hop’s album art and artists wanting to show off their style and fashion. Much of the graphic material featured in the book belongs to Tony McDermott, Greensleeves’ long-time artist and graphic designer who defined the label’s aesthetic from its early days.

For the new book’s look, Alex embraced tradition for the cover in referencing the original by creating an obi strip, the paper band around a vinyl sleeve popularised by Japanese import releases, using the cover graphic from the first edition, featuring the spines of Greensleeves’ first 100 LPs. Underneath the obi strip, characters from the 1979 Greensleeves 12” sleeve – one of Tony McDermott’s classic graphics for the label – can be found. The cover was developed with London-based studio Light Project Photography, a frequent collaborator of Alex’s.

The book’s front features a recreation of a Greensleeves record, paired with a central label printing the name of the book. In patchwork fashion, the book’s outward appearance is not just a cover, but an extension of the archival work within its pages. “When choosing typefaces for a book, I try to connect them to the subject matter in some way, so I used Zurich for the quotes and chapter headings – a font that Tony used frequently in his work for Greensleeves,” Alex shares.

Having full access to the Greensleeves archive, Alex uncovered glittering photographs that didn’t make it to album covers, snaps of artists like Sister Nancy, the singer behind the reggae hit Bam Bam, a track sampled across contemporary Black music from Lauryn Hill to Jay-Z. Alex ends: “Photography from reggae and dancehall hasn’t been celebrated in the same way as that from rock, jazz, or other genres, so it felt important to shine a light on this imagery and give it the attention it deserves.”

Greensleeves: The First 100 Covers Book, the second edition, is now available for purchase at One Love Books’ online shop.