Ska (1 Viewer)

[billygannon]

Right... there's whole Specials thing. And "Mirror in the Bathroom" and all that.

Anyone got any suggestions for good Ska bands?

 

[Cyprus Avenue]

The Specials
The Beat
Bad Manners
Madness
Selecter

also, quite a good new UK one The Supatones

Dead 60's also have a heavy two-tone influence


lots more Ska bands, but these are good places to start

 

[egg_]

The Skatellites. I think it's them that do the ska version of the James Bond theme, which is amazing
I'm a sucker for ska, of there's a ska rhythm in any old shite I just can't help but like it. Similar for polka

 

[billygannon]

Similar for polka

Ahem... if I may...
you're polka-dotty.

 

[RSJ]

Wearing a skatalites hoodie right now actually! Their stuff is amongst the best of the old stuff. Ethiopians also, and toots and the maytels.

Had a deadly compilation once with one disc all the old ska stuff and one all the Uk stuff, came out about two years ago, never got me hands on it since i lost mine.

Oh and get "on the radio" by the selector and, if you can, "Marcus Garvey" by The Skatalites (b-side to Guns Of Navarone), two wicked tunes.

 

[Deleted member 3435]

that james bond one is deadly.

you heard shanty town/oo7 medly? it's grreat.

listen to desmond dekker too.

just realised that i know a lot more great ska choons than i do artists.

it's one of those genre's innit?

 

[glen]

No Doubt.

 

[Politakill]

Capdown

 

[RSJ]

Interestingly enough, Alex Désert, who plays Jake the blind dude in Becker, is in a class ska band called Hepcat. They were one of the bigger bands amongst the ska revival in the 90s.

 

[nEiLo]

The Beat are amazing.

 

[Napalm]

Capdown

Lightyear!

 

[Scientician 0.8]

I've mainly got Ska compilations as I've no record player and lots of the individual cds are really fookin expensive but here's some recommendations.

The aforementioned Skatalites, especially the tracks, Guns of Navarone, Simmer Down, Don de Lion, Cherry Brandy and (Music Is my) Occupation. They play about twice a year in The Village. Their gigs are grrreat.

Desmond Dekker and The Aces, especially Israelites, 007 (Shanty Town), Get Up Edina, Unity, and You Can Get It If You Really Want It. I think he's had one or two bands since The Aces. He also did an album with the Specials in the early nineties but it was shite. He played in Derry either in 2005 or 2004 but I didn't go see him.

Prince Buster did the great track Madness, Hard Man Fe Dead and a skanky ska version of My Girl.

Toots and the Maytals did Monkey Man, Pressure Drop and a ska version of Country Roads that's fairly daycent.

The Paragons did one of the original versions of The Tide is High. Their music was more rocksteady than ska but definitely worth a gander.

Lord Tanamo with Dr Ring Ding and the Senior Allstars released an album of ska classics in 2000. It's pretty good. Dr. Ring Ding and the Junior Allstars are a German ska band but I haven't heard any of their own stuff.

Others to look out for, Lee Perry with The Upsetters, Stranger & Patsy, Justin Hinds & The Dominoes and Symarip

Both The Selecter and The Skatalites (and one or two other bands i think) did skanky versions of the James Bond Theme.

 

[RatRaceRunner]

Sublime

 

[Donkey OJ]

http://tinyurl.com/ah8se

great Ska comp. havent read the reviews but fuck the reviews. buy it. your quest for ska will end here. for the moment in anyways.

 

[RatRaceRunner]

The beats first album, Just Cant stop it is great,
Anything by the specials(the original specials not the band that go by there name now),
The ordinary boys do a class cover of Little Bitch and a good bit of their stuff has a touch of two tone,
+prince buster

 

[Scientician 0.8]

http://tinyurl.com/ah8se

great Ska comp. havent read the reviews but fuck the reviews. buy it. your quest for ska will end here. for the moment in anyways.

Yes indeed, that looks excellent. I have many of the tracks on other compilations. It annoys me a bit. There's lots of compos available with loads of overlap.

 

[AMC]

The post that mentinoed Desmond Dekker and The Aces etc..
is a good start.

Symarip
Pioneers
The Members
The Ruts
The Upsetters
Fun Boy Three
Toots & The Maytalls

 

[Jerry Twig]

Interestingly enough, Alex Désert, who plays Jake the blind dude in Becker, is in a class ska band called Hepcat. They were one of the bigger bands amongst the ska revival in the 90s.

He's in the Slackers, not Hepcat.
The Slackers are more of a reggae band. Their version of Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive is brilliant.

Best place to start is the Trojan Ska Box Set in my opinion.

 

[Jerry Twig]

He's in the Slackers, not Hepcat.

sorry jedi, my bad. you are indeed correct. don't know why i always thought he was in the slackers.

 

[RSJ]

sorry jedi, my bad. you are indeed correct. don't know why i always thought he was in the slackers.

I always get the two mixed up myself aswell, though all i have of the slackers is on that Give 'Em The Boot comp (which also has that incredible Silencers tune on it). Is their albums any good?