The Cool Ruler (which became one of his nicknames) and Soon Forward albums, however, failed to sell as well as expected, although they are now considered among his best work. In 1981, he made his first appearance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival (returning annually until 1991), and he moved on to the Charisma Records offshoot Pre, who released his The Lonely Lover (another nickname that stuck) and More Gregory albums along with a string of increasingly successful singles including 'Tune In', 'Permanent Lover', 'Wailing Rudy' and 'Tribute to Waddy'. He signed to Island Records and released the record that finally saw him break through to a wider audience, 'Night Nurse', the title track from his first album for the label ( Night Nurse (1982)). Although 'Night Nurse' was not a chart hit in either the UK or US, it was hugely popular in clubs and received heavy radio play, and the album reached number 32 in the UK. It was also used in adverts for an over the counter cold & flu remedy of the same name. This success for Isaacs coincided with drug problems with cocaine that saw him serve a six-month prison sentence in Kingston in 1982 for possession of unlicensed firearms. Isaacs claimed that he had the weapons only for protection, but it emerged that this was his 27th arrest and that he had become involved in drug dealing and was addicted to crack cocaine.
Torrent lee scratch perry discography crack# He celebrated his release from prison with his second album for Island, Out Deh! (1983). He was featured in the 1982 documentary Land of Look Behind.