this page is two things:
-a rip-off of David Boyk's Bollywood for the Skeptical web page. endearingly so!
-an attempt to bring to light the truly glorious side of an oft-ostractized and generally misunderstood genre of music.
that being said, unlike Bollywood for the Skeptical, this mix will probably not make you twice as cool as you are now.
lord knows there's a limited quotient of cool left on this good earth and much of it can be found keepin' it real in coltrane's tomb.
this mix, however, will introduce the casual listener to some bands, singers, and songwriters whose coolness might have otherwise
gone unnoticed due to the fact that ska has suffered huge setbacks in PR with today's tastefully discriminatory audience
(the very same audience that did NOT blow up DOOP headquarters!). i hope that you'll discover something new about ska and
enjoy what the music has to offer when it's not being torn up and bastardized by middle-school fucks who've never listened to
an al green record (read: me in the 8th grade).
ska has a rich history and more recordings than you can shake an ass at. i've put together a a collection of songs here that i feel represents what i love about the music. other ska enthusiasts will surely have different tastes and will prioritize a different set of artists (notice that prince buster is nowhere to be found here, but the slackers have two tracks). my goal is to show the progression of roots ska through rocksteady, early reggae, and even a few two-tone and third-wave revival tracks that deserve respect. the result should be a diversity of sound that is more accessible than a purists' compilation (read: trojan ska) but true to the original spirit of the music. plus, the bonus track is one ridiculous slice of awesome in which the chorus consists of the singer, derrick harriot, impersonating his girlfriend.
| Track | Band/Singer | Year | Best heard on... | 01. | Intro |
| 02. | I Can't Wait | Hepcat | 1998 | Right on Time |
| 03. | Hey, Bartender | Laurel Aitken | 1961 | Trojan Ska Box Set, Vol. 2 |
| 04. | Knowing | The Slackers | 1998 | The Question |
| 05. | Rudie Can't Fail | The Clash | 1979 | London Calling |
| 06. | The Hop | Derrick Morgan | N/A | Trojan Ska Box Set, Vol. 2 |
| 07. | Ain't That Bad | The Heptones | N/A | The Meaning of Life |
| 08. | Rain from the Skies | Delroy Wilson | 1969 | Good All Over |
| 09. | Night Boat to Cairo | Madness | 1979 | One Step Beyond |
| 10. | Addis Ababa | The Skatalites | N/A | Foundation Ska |
| 11. | Sick Fish | Let's Go Bowling | 1991 | Music to Bowl By |
| 12. | Concrete Jungle | The Specials | 1979 | The Specials |
| 13. | It Mek | Desmond Dekker and the Aces | 1968 | Desmond Dekker and the Aces |
| 14. | Sweet and Dandy | Toots and the Maytals | 1969 | The Harder They Come Soundtrack |
| 15. | Married Girl | The Slackers | 1997 | Redlight |
| 16. | Down Berry Wood | Bad Manners | 1997 | Heavy Petting |
| BONUS | Derrick! | Derrick Harriott | N/A | Trojan Ska Box Set, Vol. 2 |
 this ain't ska, but it's the first and hottest file that comes up on google. |
 this is pretty ska, and pretty hot- but not as hot as our packanatomicalizing friend. |
 coxsone dodd, truly ska and truly hot. rest in peace, bredrin. |
a key misconception of ska's sound is that it is singularly defined by the presence of horns and an annoyingly monotonous upstroked guitar. while the "ska" upbeat indeed plays a significant role, the technical distinction of traditional ska is actually an inversion of rhythm carried out through the drums and bass. the magic of a ska rhythm section, allowing a band's music to range from simply danceable to highly cerebral, takes its cue from the roots of ska itself and has been degraded in each transformation the music has undergone during waves of revival. when you listen to ska, pay attention in particular to the placement of drumbeats, use of cymbals, and inclusion of non-western percussion.
ska reached its peak during the mid-1960s, when jamaican musicians reached an unprecedented level of recording and performing. the legendary skatalites, a supergroup composed of 11+ master performers, technically existed for a year and still managed to be insanely prolific during the buildup to and execution of their short career. american soul reached the shores of the island and infused many ska singers with the spark they needed to achieve liftoff. the music was exciting, opportunity was high, and the idiom was fairly optimistic. towards the end of the decade, ska began to evolve into rocksteady and would eventually mutate into full-blown reggae.
the sound of roots ska, along with the newer forms of jamaican music, reached the british isles soon after. during the development of punk rock in the 1970s, ska and reggae began fermenting in british clubs and exploded onto the late 70s scene in what would be known as the two-tone revolution, or the second wave of ska. notable icons of ska subculture such as the black mod suit getup and black-and-white checks were born at this time. racism and politics played key roles in the substance of the music. ska was again exciting, with a newly threatening edge to it and just enough changes in the formula to shake things up without watering down the tradition. as punk waned, however, so did two-tone, and, like punk, the music seeped into the american underground for another decade of fermentation.
 laurel aitken |
 the wailin' wailers |
 the specials |
 vig ruggiero |
the results of the 80s and 90s fusion of two-tone influences with multiple genres of underground rock, however, were varying in quality. the stylistic distinctions of roots ska had withered away and were replaced by entirely different sonic anchors. by the time third-wave ska exploded in the mid-90s, any musical connections to coxsone dodd, desmond dekker, and the like were indistinguishable amongst cheesy guitar distortion, clichéd punk drumbeats, and grating, soul-less vocal performances. i like to argue that third-wave can sometimes be quite fresh and enjoyable based on its own merit (less than jake's pezcore still holds a place in my heart), but i would hesitate to call it ska. if you want to get me to a ska show, take me to the hall where the people dress well and dance friendly, for i hear not but the sweet sounds of jamaica. accept no substitutes and hear no lies, and your refinement shall perservere!
now that it comes to it, i'm realizing that most of my knowledge of ska has not come from the internet. AllMusic, if anything, can get you started on learning about individual bands as a piece of the puzzle. a google search will yield one of many standard histories of the music, but the best way to get to know ska is to immerse yourself in the decades of source material it has to offer. the records from which I've taken songs for this mix are a good a place as any (particularly Foundation Ska, the definitive Skatalites record, and Redlight, the most consistent Slackers record). notables not represented here included Joe Higgs, Prince Buster, Jackie Mittoo, Lee Perry, and all the two-tone and third-wave bands whose meanderings couldn't pass the test for this particular tracklist. truth be told, some of you will find absolutely no value in this music i love so dearly- but for the rest of you, just follow as your ear pleases and find that brand of ska that gets you moving to the music. may you not be judged, unless that sound turns out to be Five-Iron Frenzy.
wikipedia entry
allmusic entry
the story of jamaica's music
the internet is insane. i made this web page primarily for viewing amongst friends and never expected random ska fanatics and even vinnie from less than jake to e-mail in their responses to the compilation. not that any of those responses are unwelcome- i'm just a bit shocked at how quickly it all spread. i feel i should definitely respond to an e-mail from one Chandler, who is not the first person to point out the complete lack of mention of the toasters on this page. originally, i was going to avoid third-wave bands entirely, but a third-wave skeptic friend of mine was hoping to get some insight into more recent bands so i posted addendum #1 as an afterthought. i'll have to say flat-out that i'm just not into the toasters, and that bias definitely affected what i wrote here. i'll go back through their catalog to give it another go, and i must acknowledge that they are considered by many to be the pioneers of third-wave ska.
this page was designed to introduce casual music listeners to an often-overlooked genre, but any ska lover will be able to see my personal influence and biases when looking at this tracklist and my reccomendations. i don't mean to disregard moonska- when i was fifteen and had a chance to visit new york city, the one place i wanted to visit was MOON SKA RECORDS (in all seriousness, it was the first time i left california and i didn't give a shit about anything except finding moon ska). i was overwhelmed by the coolness of it all when i finally walked in, and i grasp onto my two relics from that visit to this day: a skatalites patch that i wear on my jacket and the shopping bag i received with the CDs and patch i bought there. to be honest, however, i never enjoyed the moon bands as much as i enjoyed the fine groups on asian man, epitaph, etc. this is a matter of personal taste and it happens to affect the amount of information i can give about other bands. this shouldn't, however, stop you from exploring other ska bands and finding what you really enjoy. and enjoy you shall!
i've realized that almost all of the comments i've received from people who expected other bands to be on this page concern two-tone and third-wave ska. i want to reiterate that this page's focus is the evolution of traditional ska. to this end please remember that it is still a personal web page, is in no way comprehensive, and probably won't be edited any further in order to protect its original intent. that being said, i appreciate all of the friendly comments and constructive criticism- it's good to know people still have such an interest in ska.
-james
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