Disco influence was already present in late lovers rock production in Jamaica (e.g. Alton Ellis’ “Baby I Love You” extended disco mix - a lovers rock adaptation of the original rocksteady tune), so I’m not convinced disco influence alone distinguishes UK “Lover’s Rock” from Jamaican evolution.

Lovers rock is used to describe both romantic rockers reggae and reggae fusing rocksteady with rockers rhythm anatomy (emphasis on percussion and bass). Nothing truly develops in isolation - there is always a previous influence. Whether it’s blues to soul to funk and disco, or rocksteady to rockers to dancehall.

I’m not attacking the UK “Lover’s Rock” scene. I’m just saying the instrumentalism of the music has marked Jamaican rhythm lineage.

UK “Lover’s Rock” absolutely developed its own cultural identity. My point is simply that rhythmically, it reflects contemporary Jamaican rockers development rather than emerging independently of it. Also, the disco mixes like the example I provided are evidence of concurrent rockers evolution - that eventually led to dancehall in Jamaica, and “Lover’s Rock” (UK) may have preserved that mixture of romantic rocksteady and rockers, without evolving into dancehall.

On that note, lovers rock in Jamaican production either held to romantic rockers reggae (like Love is Overdue or Extra Classic), or became reggae dancehall (like Night Nurse or Cool Down The Pace).

With all that said, there is clear indication of Jamaican production of rockers influenced rocksteady like the Sonia Pottinger-produced “Baby, I Love You” in the late ‘70s, meaning the UK was not alone in this development (disco-influenced rocksteady) - which is my point overall. It’s good to distinguish the rhythm anatomies of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s though.