The Ska Thread

[rudeboydh]

^ yes, agreed. Also, if you haven't yet, check out Obi's solo project on P+P. Very similar to WBT, but has a little more traditional reggae feel to some of the songs. His backing band for that album is The Expanders and they are excellent too. They have 2 albums out, one is their self titled, the other is a bunch of old reggae covers. The covers one is available for download for free, so check it out. And their first one is available on vinyl.

 

Also, would like to see some WBT on vinyl really bad, but don't know if it will ever happen. Hopefully P+P will decide to press the Obi Fernandez album, but I also really like my WBT 7" that they put out.

 

 

 

Checked out Mr. Skanotto on youtube yesterday when I got home too. Wasn't a fan of what I heard...

[mikeytags]

about a week ago, Westbound asked on facebook, what covers people would want to see them record. a covers album would be pretty sweet.

[000000]

^ yes, agreed. Also, if you haven't yet, check out Obi's solo project on P+P. Very similar to WBT, but has a little more traditional reggae feel to some of the songs. His backing band for that album is The Expanders and they are excellent too. They have 2 albums out, one is their self titled, the other is a bunch of old reggae covers. The covers one is available for download for free, so check it out. And their first one is available on vinyl.

 

Also, would like to see some WBT on vinyl really bad, but don't know if it will ever happen. Hopefully P+P will decide to press the Obi Fernandez album, but I also really like my WBT 7" that they put out.

 

 

 

Checked out Mr. Skanotto on youtube yesterday when I got home too. Wasn't a fan of what I heard...

 

Yeah, his solo stuff is pretty good too.  Funny story, he actually tried to buy my trombone off of me one show that I opened for them.  Should have let him, but didn't, haha.  Makes for a cool story though.  He's one of my favorite musicians, talent all over that guy.

[000000]

about a week ago, Westbound asked on facebook, what people would want to see them record for a covers album. that would be pretty sweet.

 

sweet!  they do a great cover of "Cupid" by Sam Cooke live.

 

EDIT: More videos!

 

[mikeytags]

speaking of covers albums, has anyone heard Madness' Dangermen Sessions? I only heard it for the first time a few months ago, but there are some great tunes on there.

[rudeboydh]

Yes love that version of Cupid!  Also, Obi volunteered to play at my wedding whenever that happens.  When we set a date I'll have to message him to see if he'd still be down for it.

[rudeboydh]

speaking of covers albums, has anyone heard Madness' Dangermen Sessions? I only heard it for the first time a few months ago, but there are some great tunes on there.

 

I wish I had bought the vinyl version of it when it first came out.  It regularly goes for like 40-50 on eBay now.

[mikeytags]

I found one of my all-time favorite ska albums on vinyl last year at a local shop - Dr. Ring-Ding's Ram Di Dance on Grover. I was pretty stoked to pick that up. I've loved pretty much everything he has put out, but didn't like the latest album Skavaganza / Piping Hot at all...

[rudeboydh]

Yeah, I didn't like Piping Hot much either.  Has anybody listened to King Django's new album yet?

[kriss]

When I was 14, I mailed off a form for one of those 10 CD's for a penny kind of deals. I ordered some of the third wave/third wave tinged stuff of the time - Less Than Jake, No Doubt, etc, because I was really loving that sound. I ended up grabbing a Madness greatest hits disc as well as a cd of stretched out Skatalites songs (bought that one just because the word ska was in the band name). From there, I was in love. Found a comp called 100% British Ska a couple of years later when I was 16 and then a couple of years out of high school, began collecting ska vinyl like crazy - for awhile, I was obsessed with locating 2 Tone singles in their original sleeves with the Walt Jabasco on them (I would refuse to buy copies that had been issued stateside by Chrysalis, instead only tracking the British imports). 

 

When I moved to Chicago, I began hunting for old Blue Beat records - anything that had stamps on it indicating that it might have come from Prince Buster's shop in Jamaica at some point or another. That led into a downward spiral towards collecting tons of Studio One compilations, rocksteady comps (tons of Treasure Isle stuff) and then eventually skinhead reggae (super early Trojan and Dandy Livingston, stuff like that) as well as dub, a genre that still sticks with me to this day. In all, I've probably got 400-500 records spread across the entire breadth of Jamaican music, even some Mento and Calypso stuff. I seriously love ska. 

 

One time, several years ago, when I was in NYC, I actually made it out to Coxsone Dodd's (the guy behind Studio One) store. By that point, he'd been long passed away, but his daughter (or maybe, at that point, grand daughter?) was running the shop and any time I would ask about a particular record, she'd take it and put it on the turntable and play five second shards of each song to let me hear - just like I'd read about them doing in record shops back in Jamaica. Pretty amazing experience. Her son was sitting in the backroom listening to crunk rap on the computer. hahah

[rudeboydh]

That's pretty cool!  I need to get my hands on more first wave stuff.  All I have is a few 7"s and a few comps.

 

But yeah, pretty much all of 2-tone's stuff, but I have it on the Chrysalis label.  I'm totally cool with that.  I got it all pretty cheap, and I'm just glad to have it on vinyl.

[kriss]

Yeah, totally. Even with the Chrysalis stuff, most of them still had the 2 Tone center labels, so it doesn't really matter. Nowadays, I wouldn't really care, but back in the mid 2000's, when I was barely 20 and was way more into it, I had to have the originals. 

 

If you ever come across any of the comps that Souljazz have been putting out over the last 10 years, grab them and don't think twice. Stuff is seriously great - the % series (100%, 200%, etc) as well as Studio One Dub, Studio One Rude Boys, etc - all great. I have a few of the three LP boxsets that Trojan was putting out for awhile, basically overviews of ska or dub or rocksteady and even early 80's DJ/sleng teng stuff when shit started going Casio. Those go for a good bit, these days, so I'm glad I grabbed them when they were still cheap. Wish I'd gotten ahold of more of them, though...

[rudeboydh]

Yeah, I have the 100% ska one and I really like it.  Do you have any Moon records or any other 80's American ska?  I've got the Skaface comp and 2 Bim Skala Bim records and that's about it.

[kriss]

I have a little bit of American ska - Toasters 'Skaboom', 'Skankin' 'Round The World', stuff like that. Largely, though, my collection is mostly first wave. American 2 Tone never seemed to catch me in the same way - didn't have the potency of even the British stuff.

[rudeboydh]

I have a little bit of American ska - Toasters 'Skaboom', 'Skankin' 'Round The World', stuff like that. Largely, though, my collection is mostly first wave. American 2 Tone never seemed to catch me in the same way - didn't have the potency of even the British stuff.

 

Yeah, I have to agree with you a little there, but I still like it.  I would just like to have some of those Moon 7"s.  The Slackers, Pietasters or Let's go Bowling ones specifically.

[mikeytags]

I also got Skavoovie and the Epitones - Ripe , and NYSJE - Low Blow at the same as the Dr. Ring-Ding. That was a good day. I think those are the best 3 albums Moon ever released, IMO

[randomfortunepa]

I had those Moon Ska 7"s and sold them before I moved to Philly for a deposit. MU330 too... Im hoping to pick them up again in the future. The only one I have left is Inspecter 7.

[mclz]

Everyone needs to listen to this band so maybe they'll get back together and tour again.

 

 

 

EDIT: Also this tune:

Although the band is from Boston, their drummer is from the same town as me and is only a couple years older than me. We know a good amount of the same people.

[rudeboydh]

Sammy Kay is about 700 away from his goal and the campaign has about 3 weeks left.

 

http://bigtun.es/projects/index/2

[rudeboydh]

I've been emailing Tom from Whatevski about hooking up a copy of the Question since I missed the campaign as well and he's been telling me the band might have leftover copies available but he's gonna get me the info.  He told me a couple weeks ago the tests were just approved.  He wanted me to get back to him this week so hopefully I can find out for sure and I'll let you know as well.

 

Have you heard anything about the leftovers yet?

[rudeboydh]

Go to http://www.bigtun.es and show some support for Sammy Kay on his last day!  His goal is met, but you've got to preorder to get that exclusive red vinyl.  Also, only 2 days left for the other project that's going on, which is an awesome 7" series.  I did my pledge today, and it was $20 for Sammy Kay on red vinyl and 30$ on the 6X 7"s.  5$ shipping and $55 total. 

 

Also, anybody looking for The Question repress, they should have a few copies on tour and they MAY throw a few copies up in a webstore somewhere, I'm assuming Whatevski but don't know.  If anybody goes to see them on tour and wants to hook me up with a copy, it'll be much appreciated.

[Emo Revival]

Just found this album http://www.discogs.com/Falling-Sickness-Right-On-Time/master/342232 at work today. Never been into 90's ska that much, but I'm digging this

[rudeboydh]

Cool, I've never heard of them.  I'll have to give them a listen when I get home from work.

 

And the Sammy Kay project has been funded!  Great news.  Last day of the 7" series too.  I read somewhere yesterday that the 7"s will be pressed on gold vinyl, which I didn't know.  If anybody doesn't know, here's what the splits are gonna be:

 

Volume 1 - Crazy Baldhead / Sammy K.
Volume 2 - Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7/Green Room Rockers
Volume 3 - Bad Cards / Reggay Lords
Volume 4 - Jesse wagner / Vic Ruggiero
Volume 5 - King Django / The Snails

There's lots of rewards still available, including test pressings. 

[toomany45s]

Anyone order the Slackers stuff from bigtun.es? I've got the new music sitting all zipped up on my computer, but I refuse to listen to it until the vinyl arrives...seems like it's been forever! Looking forward to hearing Wasted Days CD Version on Vinyl, and the LP Version, although I have two copies of the original LP.

 

I also have to second the above statement about The Bandulus, "The Times We Had". Great Rocksteady/Soul/Ska. The first record 'Ska Reggae and Soul" is pretty awesome as well, and they have some tunes released that were dubbed out by McPullish which are fantastic also.

[rudeboydh]

Yes!  I'm so glad this thread got revived!

 

Go download your Bigtunes shit right now, the new Slackers EP is fucking great! 

 

Also, pick up the new Sammy Kay record right now if you didn't fund the Bigtunes campaign and get the super-limited solid red vinyl.  The red haze is sick looking too!  Not to mention this is one of my favorite ska records to come out this year. 

 

 

 

You guys should also really check out the new Debonaires record that came out earlier this year as well, as well as David Hillyard's California, both excellent records!