Looking for some ska tunes/bands to look into, so hit me with your suggestions/recommendations from old school to new school.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Recommend me some good Ska Tunes/Bands Please!
- Thread starter MMcG
- Start date
there are 3:
the specials
the selecter
sorry, there is no 3rd.
only two.
the specials
the selecter
sorry, there is no 3rd.
only two.
Old school... top pick: English Beat
Bad Manners are amusing too.
Bad Manners are amusing too.
The Specials huh? I know I should have heard of them before, but why haven't I?? Weird
detachable penis....
wait that's a song and it isn't ska either
nevermind
wait that's a song and it isn't ska either
nevermind
The Specials, the Actual Tigers, Mighty Mighty Bosstones (their older stuff), Skatelites and the Clash.
To me, they're an easy crossover and many songs blend well in ska mixes.
reggae (and esp dub) had their mark, for sure, but ska?
And, if all else fails, just throw in "A message to you Rudy."
The Expendables
Slightly Stoopid
Of course Sublime (The new "Everything Under the Sun" Box set rocks
Slightly Stoopid
Of course Sublime (The new "Everything Under the Sun" Box set rocks
Pietasters
Oh boy...where shall I start...let's break this into trad-styled and ska-punk styled...
Toasters
Slackers
Allstonians
Skavoovie & the Epitones
Isaac Green & the Skalars
Radiation Kings
Metro Stylee
Pilfers
Spring Heeled Jack
Dance Hall Crashers (though they don't like being called ska)
Edna's Goldfish
Pietasters
Animal Chin
Siren 6!
Mephiskapheles
Many of these bands above are defunct but almost all of them have myspace pages where you can sample some of their music. Many of the albums will be out of print or hard to find, especially since Moon Ska went under.
Feel free to ask away as I had a close connection w/ the late 90's/early 00's ska scene and still have a soft spot in my heart for the music. I have seen almost all of those bands on multiple occassions and probably own most of each bands' releases.
-ska todd
Toasters
Slackers
Allstonians
Skavoovie & the Epitones
Isaac Green & the Skalars
Radiation Kings
Metro Stylee
Pilfers
Spring Heeled Jack
Dance Hall Crashers (though they don't like being called ska)
Edna's Goldfish
Pietasters
Animal Chin
Siren 6!
Mephiskapheles
Many of these bands above are defunct but almost all of them have myspace pages where you can sample some of their music. Many of the albums will be out of print or hard to find, especially since Moon Ska went under.
Feel free to ask away as I had a close connection w/ the late 90's/early 00's ska scene and still have a soft spot in my heart for the music. I have seen almost all of those bands on multiple occassions and probably own most of each bands' releases.
-ska todd
streetlight manifesto
It all ties weirdly tothe steven wright of the rock world:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174442
no mention of Bim Skala Bim?
enough said!
Awesome...time to hit Pandora. Thanks! Nothing like ska to pump up a monday afternoon
No mention of Long Island's own Scofflaws?
mad caddies
Yeah, that whole album is a lot of fun. My favorites off the album are Doomsday, Saba, Shotgun, and of course the Bumblebee Tuna jingle.
Some other favs include Mr Cranky and Los Miserables Brass Band.
I could never get into the Scofflaws personally. Always too bar room shtick for me. "William Shatner" was a fun sing along though. I lump em along w/ Spider Nick. Scofflaws, Spider Nick, One Groovy Coconut, and Blue Beats are essentially all the same band (original Scofflaws) w/ revolving line-ups. Out of the Long Island bands of the period I prefer the more energetic, all ages targeted bands like Edna's Goldfish & Step Lively. Deja 1 shows anyone?
When I want bar style drunkards I personally opt for the Pietasters.
-ska todd
Ahah. Yes, I recall the 'Enterprise under attack, stumble from one side of the room to the other' breakdown the couple of times I saw them.
Skarmageddon comps were ok for discovering new bands but generally filled w/ crap. Two of my favorite 90's ska comps were "Girls Go Ska" and "Welcome to Skannecticut". The Moon Ska promo samplers were usually decent too.
-ska todd
what about teh mighty mighty sucktones.
LOL! Perfect.
MADNESS!
Dicky Betts of The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones wrote on some liner notes that his autograph from the singer is one of his most prized possesions, and helped him enter the music business.
Dicky Betts of The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones wrote on some liner notes that his autograph from the singer is one of his most prized possesions, and helped him enter the music business.
Dicky Barret? What's become of MMB now that he's out?
That's a very awesome CD. I don't know why I think they're similar, but if you like Mephiskapheles, there is a good chance you'll like the Blue Meanies, too. Definatly not in the same vein, but good music none the less.
I think ska-todd already recommended The Slackers. I can not urge you to check them out enough. They are awesome.
Also, if you're into that internet thing, try and check out the new Big D and The Kids Table album, Strictly Rude. They're known for playing lots of ska-punk, but this new album has loads of more traditional songs on it. Not to mention, a few of the dub tracks on there are good, too.
The Planet Smashers are always good for a listen. Check into them. The Cat Empire is a Australian band that does a lot of fun stuff. Not all of it is ska, but most take advantage of their jazzy-ska-bigband sound. The Hub City Stompers are fun, as well.
And if you want ska-punk, defiantly check out the Arrogant Sons Of Bitches, ASOB. The Sonic Boom Six, is fun, too. Someone already mentioned Streetlight Manifesto, but they are nearly life-changing.
There are too many good ska bands to recommend!
PS: Bikegeek, that's probably the best avatar ever. Were you one of the cool kids with a tattoo?
of course, there's always the definitive ska compilation (i wonder if i still have my old copy):
Judge Dread. Best Reggae performer to ever die on stage, for sure
for PUNK ROCK SKA, I am suprised to not see mention (unless I missed it) of Operation Ivy (one of my all time favs.) I saw them when I was like 15... they pulled up in this old 70's station wagon with a metal box welded to the roof, they proced to pull their equipment out, including little 10 watt practice amps that could have been the main contributing factor in their skanky sound! They were really a fun band!
Fuggin cool thread. The Allstonians played on my roof on Allston St. We tried to recreate the U2 video where the cops came and made them stop playing. Nobody called the cops though. Fun times....
Heh, nope, but I thought about getting one. Probably best that I didn't since I got into them late and probably didn't see enough shows to have broken even on the ink. I did see them at least 6 or 7 times though, including an awesome set at the Simple Machines Records "funeral" in DC and a gig in San Diego where I snuck out of a dinner with the company CEO to attend the show.
And that reminds me of a GREAT Japanese ska band named Kemuri. I saw them twice, once at "Ska Against Racism" in 97 or so and another time opening for Mustard Plug(?). SO much energy and just totally tight.
I saw Big D open for Metro Stylee back around 98 and thought nothing of them really. Low and behold they stuck it out and have become one of the acts holding the scene together. Kudos to them for that. Same for ASOB, them and little Long Island bands like Sprout, Seven to One, and tons of others used to always open the local shows here. You'd never have thunk they'd develop into something "big" of sorts in the scene.
And an Allstonian owns a bike shop in Somerville
-ska todd