Sunday, May 20, 2018

Isa Wah - One Human Band (1983)

Rare California reggae/ska.
The band was created by Buddy Tokes who performed in other reggae/dub bands and has released lots of material as a solo artist.

HERE's a performance and interview with Buddy Tokes and his band Hiro.

The line-up changed frequently but this recording featured these musicians:
Bob "Bijou" Baszt (vocals, guitars, drums)
Craig "Ranking Z" Zangari (guitars, bass, drums)
Billy "Blamer" Snyder (vocals, keyboard)
Lee "Lebo" Richter (vocals, percussion, synth, and bass)
Craig Vreeken (vocals, trombone, synth, bass)
Mikie Jones (assistant sound tech, trumpet)
Lauren "Dub Pontiff" Miller (sound engineer, drums)

Isa Wah's live set was full of covers by The Police, Bob Marley, The Clash, The English Beat, Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, The Heptones, and others but they had a long list of originals that they played:
Refresh Yourself
Lies Lies
Economic Refugee
Fat Boy
In Love with You
Wermacht
Runnin' Down
Love Within
Friends with You
What do I Know
Flowering
Can't Just Stand There and do Nothing
Worker
Relations
Emotional Chords
Save the Smiles
Billy Boy
Free Herb
Neighborhood Watch
Grasshoppers on my Kaya
Bad B.O.
Politrix
Outlaw Man
Junta Jhats
Hiro/Wings of Life

...I don't know if any recordings of these songs exist. This may be the only release they ever put out.

A1 - Reggae Roots
A2 - No Worry
B1 - Rank and Skank
B2 - Rank N Dub

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Sunday, May 13, 2018

Hopping Penguins



The Hopping Penguins were formed in Halifax, Canada in 1982. However the didn't really get going till they relocated to Toronto.
The band is fronted by Peter Baylis, with Andrew Lordly on sax, Gary Edwards on drums, Basil Chaisson on guitar, Pete King on bass, Brad Conrad on guitar and guest appearances by Bruce Vickery, lead vocalists and percussionist. Members of the band hail from different parts of Canada.

With a repertoire of Marley-style reggae, soulful ska, straight ahead funk, rock and roll and rhythm and blues they bring an eclectic and diverse pastiche to every show. After a decade of playing ska, reggae and rock tunes on the Toronto club scene, the 7-piece band finally took the dive to try and capture their frenetic energy on tape. Cover versions of Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones" and Jimi Hendrix' "Hey Joe" highlighted their 1992 debut 'Trombone Chromosome'.

The Hopping Penguins 7" (1987)
A - 2% Milk Rap
B - The Flintstones



I Didn't Know Santa was a Rasta Man 7" (1988)
A - I Didn't Know Santa was a Rasta Man
B - Santa Rasta (version)



Trombone Chromosome (1992)
1 Oh What a Shame
2 Ska and Reggae
3 6709
4 Marlene
5 Me and Mrs. Jones
6 Hey Joe
7 Skip the Sermon
8 Rockhopper
9 Thievin'
10 Life in Hell
11 Rink Rat
12 Waterman's Luck
13 Three-Four Ska
14 2% Milk Rap
(This was posted previously on Tone and Wave but the singles were not.)



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Tootin' Ska Moon - Revenge of the Dragon (1995)

This Welsh band released two cassettes before they put out their only album in 1995. There is one song from each cassette that is not on this cd but otherwise, this is pretty much everything they have released.

Another CD was released in 2006 called Waiting Around that had many of these songs with a couple others that are not on this collection:



1 Dancing in the Sun
2 Waiting Around
3 Ripped Off
4 Los Amigos
5 Captain Rick
6 Hot Head
7 Egyptian Skank
8 Traveller's Right
9 So Boring
10 Born Sideways
11 Sunnyville
12 Revenge of the Dragon

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Grover's Headache

Southern California third wave ska-punk.

...Ain't Frontin' (demo cassette 1996)
1 Mall Girls
2 Look at me Now
3 Why Me
4 Crushed



Grover's Headache (EP 1997)
B & H
2 Teddi Bear
3 Anorexic
4 Lie Awake
5 There You Are


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