This double CD plus DVD and book combo offers a fascinating glimpse into pan-Caribbean music and culture from the 1920s to the 1970s, with the archive collection of original Pathé newsreels on the DVD particularly resonant, but there’s a seeming randomness to the project that irks.

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Francisco Fellove: Charismatic soul singer

Francisco "el Gran" Fellove, who died in Mexico on 15 February at the age of 89, was a Cuban soul star regarded as one of the pioneers of the genre known as "filin". One of Cuba's most charismatic performers, he was celebrated for his tropical music on songs like "El Jamaiquino" and "Mango Mangue" – which he wrote when he was 16 or 17 and was recorded by Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and the flautist Johnny Pacheco, among others.

Snoop Lion in his new Rastafarian guise earlier this month

From Dogg to Lion: Rastas divided over rapper's conversion

Bunny Wailer accuses Snoop Lion of embracing Rastafarianism simply to publicise his new reggae album. Tim Walker reports

IoS album review: Solus 3, Corner of the Dub (Solus 3)

Not exactly a dub version of last year's Corner of the World. More a dub sidestep, perhaps. But then what would you expect of a combo which comprises bass, drums and harp, plus voices/samples? Only asking.

Album: Soothsayers, Human Nature, Red Earth Records

Although this London band have shifted focus towards a more roots reggae vibe, the emphasis is still on capturing the spirit of the 1970s Jamaican and Nigerian music that inspires them.

Album: The Orb featuring Lee Scratch Perry, The Observer in the Star House (Cooking Vinyl)

"Hearing is a feeling," sings Lee Scratch Perry on "Ball of Fire", "I am the maddest, scooby-dooby-doo" – and who would gainsay either claim?

Album: Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Disco Devil - The Jamaican Discomixes (Trojan)

Legend and fallible memory suggest that the extended 12-inch mixes from Perry's Black Ark studio are the holy grail of late-1970s reggae.

Album: Toots and the Maytals, Unplugged on Strawberry Hill (Metropolis)

Even deprived of a cooking Jamaican band, Toots Hibbert can still rouse the spirit thanks mainly to the possession of the most soulful voice in reggae.

Album: Various Artists, Bass Culture Vols 1-4 (Nascente)

The imminent 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence has prompted a rash of exhaustive reggae retrospectives, the best being this 4 x 2CD series.

Album: Various artists, Studio One Sound (Soul Jazz)

Soul Jazz continues its unending commitment to the recesses of CS Dodd's back catalogue.

Falco in 2009 aboard his boat 'Fleur de Lys', a converted German vessel from the Second World War

Albert Falco: Diver who worked with Jacques Cousteau

The underwater films of the late Jacques Cousteau enchanted and entranced several generations of cinema-goers and TV viewers throughout the 1950s, '60s and '70s and played an important part in raising environmental awareness. The diver, Albert Falco, was Cousteau's right-hand man for 37 years and helped make the Oscar-winning documentaries The Silent World in 1956 and World Without Sun in 1964, as well as the celebrated television series The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau.

Whistles' gold owl pendant, £35, Whistles.co.uk

Album: Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again (Polydor)

Michael Kiwanuka continues the folk-soul tradition of Bill Withers and Terry Callier on this debut album. Sensitively produced by The Bees' Paul Butler, it's a pleasant enough handful of easy-going songs, in which the focus on warmth has left them lacking bite.

Radio 2 fans get ready to roll up for reggae show

Listeners to BBC Radio 2 are to sample the ganja-scented atmosphere of the reggae dancehall for the first time when the station launches a late-night, weekly "spliff hour".

Album: Eliza Carthy, Neptune (Hem Hem)

The 10 songs on Neptune apparently reflect the last 10 years of Eliza Carthy's life, as she moves between relationships and confronts the duties of maturity.

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The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
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Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
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The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
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As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

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Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

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Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

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The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

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Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

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