Entertainment For Lively Minds
Which ska tracks?
Posted by Twangothan on 28 January 2008 - 8:55pm.
You quite often refer to ska in the p'cast - much as I like it when I hear it I don't know much about it beyond the early Bob Marley stuff - any suggestions for a handy custom built ska comp? In my experience "Best ofs" rarely are and I'd rather something from a reliable source, i.e. you lot, rather than what happens to be on a particular label's books!
Ta!
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SKA!
I'm certainly no expert, but you must get...
Prince Buster - Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records DRMSCD1)
and
The Skatalites - Guns Of Navarone: The Best Of The Skatalites (Trojan TJACD078)
A good compilation would be the Trojan Ska Box Set which might be deleted now, but you should be able to find quite easily. They produced a second box set as well.
I'll second Patrick's mention of the Trojan Ska Box
When it comes to early forms of reggae, Trojan really are THE label, as far as easily available stuff is concerned. That's not to say that all their 3CD boxes are equal, but the Ska set is one of the great ones.
All of their 3CD sets are marked as "Limited Editions", and despite their having been around on the shelves of er, "Zavvi" for yonks, they are now starting to become extinct, so grab 'em quick if you want them.
If the Ska one turns out to have shuffled off Darwin's radar, drop me a line.
Soul Jazz Records
I'd have a look at the Soul Jazz Records web site they have some brilliant re-releases and compilations
These ones I know and love;
Studio One Ska
http://www.souljazzrecords.co.uk/releases/?id=125
The Best of Don Drummond
http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.com/releases/?id=3933
Jackie Mittoo - The Keyboard King At Studio One (bit too funky to be Ska but every home should have one)
http://www.souljazzrecords.co.uk/releases/?id=186
I'm never quite sure where Ska ends and Rocksteady starts but these two are more Rocksteadyish and fantastic, a more mellow jazzy feel;
Tommy McCook and the Supersonics - Down on Bond Street
Duke Reid's Treasure Chest
That Jackie Mittoo album...
is staggeringly great. It blew me away the first time I heard it.
Hope you're right
I just ordered it from the interweb. Gave my card details over to the great Russian mafia Don in the ether, I did. Gulp.
Don't worry
Look the kids love him
"Smile", you've just been sampled
In case people aren't aware, this is "Free Soul" by the Soul Brothers, or if you're looking on iTunes, "Various Artists". Then listen to "Big Chief" by Professor Longhair to continue following the Lily Allen sample trail!
Cheers chaps
Any individual tarcks to find? What is the one Mark Ellen is always quoting - "Lion of Judah"?
Trojan on we7
Coincidentally at the time that QTrax is in the news I can point you to the we7 website http://www.we7.com/welcome for free music downloads of ten zillion Trojan tracks. You can listen to them to see if you like them first if you want. So if you get any good recommendations here look on we7 for them. Naughty people can drop the tracks into an audio editor and chop off the ad at the beginning of each track.
We7 Ska
Even as we speak I am downloading Gaz Mayall presents Top Ska Tunes for free - I'll see how I get on with the ads. No worse than some drivelling DJ I suppose.
Also I think it only costs 20p per song if you want to buy it ad free.
I'm in the mood for ska (and calypso)
Here are a few classic ska tracks that come to mind:
Phoenix City - Roland Alphonso
I'm in the mood for ska - Lord Tanamo
Guns of Navarone - The Skatalites
Monkey Ska - Derrick Harriot
(I could go on and on...)
(There are loads of good cheap ska compilations, though some are diluted with some of the more second-rate stuff from subsequent revivals. Trojan's the best bet.)
Here are a couple of novelties:
Coronation Street - Izzy Royal (a favourite of John Peel)
Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler? - Billy Childish (the current ASDA advert!)
Western Special - The Potato 5
I've noticed Mark Ellen mentioning Lion of Judah too - it's by Laurel Aitken & the Skatalites.
While you're exploring ska, I'd recommend taking in a bit of calypso as well, which is similarly innocent, sunny fun to make you bounce around the room. The Trojan calypso compilation is great. For single tracks, how about:
Must get a man - Nora Dean
'Mufridite - Count Lasher & Williams with Lyn Taitt & the Baba Brooks Band
Dumb Boy & The Parrot - Lord Cristo
Jean and Dinah - The Mighty Sparrow
(Also, I can't help recommending "Gossip Calypso" by Bernard Cribbins. You wouldn't regret it).
Isn't "Gossip Calypso"
a Lance Percival ditty?
In praise of Bernard Cribbins
"Gossip Calypso" is written by Trevor Peacock - who Wikipedia tells me is in "The Vicar Of Dibley". Not Caribbean then, but it IS a calypso, and it IS brilliant. It's Cribbins' delivery that nudges it to the level of being a classic, but you can't argue with lyrics like this:
"Ooh Mrs Ware, I do like your hair, who does it?
I go to Madame Pom-Pom round by the gas works;
With all that fruit, it looks so cute,
I can't believe it's really you - like a film star!
Have you heard dear, a little bird has told me Mrs. Tate's expecting her seventh;
Well glory be, that's three she's had since Lenny had his tonsils
out..."
Anyway, we really should be getting back to Jamaica!
Radios are great!
Hello!
Online radios from free music on demand websites are great for that! Here is an example with Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/?GEOIP=uk&url_country=en#music/radio/24
The ska radio is qui complete and valuable :).
Enjoy!