Ska of 2015

One of the reasons I do this blog is because so much of this music is very hard to find. It's not issued physically and is not often made available for download by the bands themselves so we are stuck with the low quality rips we find somewhere online like on Youtube or crappy blogs (like this one) so I strongly support bands re-releasing their old hard-to-find stuff. In previous years bands like SLK, The Funaddicts, Dub Rifles, Culture Shock, and The Skatterbrains have made their music available and several more bands followed suit in 2015.

Before there was a California mod/ska band called The Uptones there was already a ska/reggae band from Arizona called The Uptones who released a four-song 7" in 1982 which was featured on Tone and Wave in 2011 HERE. Although they only released that one record they did record several more songs in the studio which were not released until 2015. Their 24-track cd is available on the Original Uptones' official site.

Since I'm on the subject of early 80s bands from Arizona, some of you may remember THIS POST I did of the band The Effects who also released a 7" and an LP by the same name "Video Game" which was a great example of 80s new wave ska:

I do have the Video Game album but I have never posted it and, honestly, I'm surprised nobody has ever requested it.  A couple years after releasing Neurotic Love Luke Skood released a solo album called It's All Pink that contained a few ska songs and then, in the nineties,  Shadrach Powell released a couple albums with his band Kongo Shock.
  As far as I know these two Effects albums have not been re-released but the Effects (or, at least, core members) reunited and released new music in 2015 and have played shows with the also-reunited Kongo Shock. The Effects new album Feels So Good contains 8 tracks: 3 are re-recordings of songs from the Video Game album and one is a re-recording of the song "That's Whatcha Get for Trying" from the Neurotic Love album. As far as I know you're hearing the other four songs for the first time.



Another band that has made their old material available is the British reggae band from Bath the Rhythmites who released their only album Integration in 1989. Integration has been hard to find over the years and I myself don't own a copy. We, the good ska people of the world, were fortunate enough to have this album posted on a blog several years back and that is the only version of this album I have heard until now. I can say with confidence that I have all of their other releases and I may post them some day but now it's important to support this release.

The Canadian band Roots Roundup formed in 1985 and released several independent releases including two albums on cassette, and they put out a 16-track "greatest hits" compilation in 1997 called "Rootrospective" which sold out quickly and has become a collectors' item itself. Rootsrospective has been re-released in 2015 and is available in limited quantities HERE.

......................................................................................................



If I have to answer the question "What's your favorite ska album of 2015?" I would feel pressured into saying something like Mephiskapheles or Rhoda Dakar but there were a lot of great releases in 2015 that I preferred over these ones.

If you saw my post for my picks for 2014 I mentioned that I wanted to include The Pisdicables EP but I thought their stuff didn't really fit in with the other songs. Now I say their stuff fits in perfectly. I love ska. I love punk. I see where "ska-punk" has become a sound unto itself and it doesn't really represent ska or punk. To balance the two in the shadow of 'third wave' has become a challenge for bands. Very few can pull it off even for a song or two. Can you imagine a band that perfectly balances ska and punk without become the dreaded ska-punk? Now imagine that they pull it off, not only in a song or two, but in every song in their repertoire.

This is my favorite ska album of 2015.

The Pisdicables - Will We Never Learn?

The Pisdicables put out my favorite album in 2015 but my favorite songs came from these bands:

Chainska Brassika - Bad Habits


Chainska Brassika will be putting out their first album in 2016.



The Kubricks - Ghosts


The Kubricks released an expanded version of their Wasters and Wannabes EP in 2015 which includes their two singles from 2015 Ghosts and Rave with the Rebel plus an unreleased song called Lead Me Away featuring soul singer Sharlene Hector available on CD Baby.

Heavyball released their first album Black Eye Diaries which had tracks from their previous releases including a new song (not ska) called Unhappy Now


The album is available on iTunes and Amazon UK

Heavyball - Smalltown Boy



The New York dub-pop band Heavensbee featuring members of Bigger Thomas and Rude Boy George released their first album Soul Mates

Another band I heard this past year that I really liked was a California ska punk-band called  The Ironies:



......................................................................................................


I threw together a bunch of songs I listened to in 2015 (that were released in 2015). Some of them I have already mentioned, most I haven't.


Part 1
Chainska Brassika - Bad Habits
Andy Keys Clark - The Rude Boy From Another Dimension
Dub Righters - Rude Boi
Dutch Ska Express - All Aboard
Inter City Crazy Train - High Life/Low Life
Land of the Giants - Crazy Lady
Lucky Luxury - I Need You
On Your Marx - Voila
Roots Roundup - Sea of Sound
Saloon Soldiers - Sir Williams
Sketchie - For Better or Worse
The Foamers - Oblivion Generation
The Salad Circus - You Won't Pin Me Down
The Suppressors - Jump Up Girl
The Defekters - War Games
Copacetics - Same Mistakes

Part 2 
Pisdicables - Never Learn
Skasouls - Not to Blame
Bigtopp - King of the Hill
Dollface - A Leaf
Guess What - Jacobin Clash
Kubricks - Ghosts
Lexicons - Call and Reply
Newmatics - YoGetUp
Pacha Mamma - Don't Bring Yourself Down
Rude King - Home Wrecker
Spred the Dub - So Sad
The Hacklers - Get Out
The New Riddim - Caroline
The Strike - War Zone
Uppertones - Closer to the Bone


Download Part 1

Download Part 2








 




 

Ram Jam Band - Free Town 7"s (1980/1981)

A - Free Town part 2
B - Free Town part 3

A - Freetown
B - Do What?

DOWNLOAD BOTH


Thanks to Bruce for providing the rip of the Freetown/Do What single!

Schwarz Weiss Mafia

 Schwarz Weiss Mafia S/T 7" (1983)
A1 - XY-Zimmermann (Dub-Version)
A2 - Grosstadtwolken
B1 - Der Maler Malt Die Ampel Rot
B2 - Härribuhn

Schwarz Weiss Mafia demo tape (1985)
1 Mafia Hymne
2 Dr. Sommer
3 Wilma
4 Josephine

Die Ska-Band 7" (1986)
A - Edward
B - Tanz Den Ska


DOWNLOAD

va Rude Vibes (1995)

1 Intensified -Carnival
2 Ruder Than You - Uncle Albert
3 The Bakesys - The Lick
4 Skankin' Pickle - Hate
5 The Porkers - Buds for Brains
6 Secret Cajun Band - Teenage Smokers
7 Kingpins - Spy Vs. Spy
8 The Invaders - Such a Jerk
9 MU330 - Got Caught
10 The Peacocks - In Any Case
11 Unsteady - The Cost
12 Steady Ernest - Singular I
13 Ngobo Ngobo - No One Cares

DOWNLOAD

Rank Outsiders - That is it 7" (1980)

A - That Is It
B - Crazy Things




DOWNLOAD

The Blackpools Skampilation volume 1 (1993) cassette

1 King Willy - Watermelon Man
2 King Willy - Storm Warning
3 King Willy - Feelin' High
4 The Israelites - Sally Brown
5 The Israelites - Eternally
6 The Israelites - Roots
7 Orange Street - Rudeboy 3rd Generation
8 Orange Street - Undercover
9 Orange Street - SKA SKA SKA
10 Ye Olde English - Big 5
11 Ye Olde English - I'm Free
12 Ye Olde English - Doobies at Sunrise

DOWNLOAD

Dallas 7" (1980)

A - The Bobby Patrick Band - Dallas
B - The Jamaican Survivers - Attack of the Maffia


DOWNLOAD

The Rag [Utrecht, NL] - Master of Disaster 7" (1989)

A - Master of Disaster
B - Overtures




DOWNLOAD

Harry James - Little Brown Jug

This is not the sort of thing I would normally post on Tone and Wave but I'm posting it for two reasons: first, I have had multiple requests for it and, secondly, it is possibly the only known copy of Harry James performing Little Brown Jug in the studio. As far as I know it was never pressed for release and this aluminum-acetate is the only known copy. It was recorded at Cook Recorders in Los Angeles that usually recorded black gospel music but I know nothing about when it was recorded. I was told it predates Glenn Miller's version but that can't be true. Miller's version was recorded in 1939 and the 7" 45 format wasn't used until 1949. If anybody has any more information please share.

Actually, if anybody knows of any version of Little Brown Jug by Harry James please let me know.

A - Little Brown Jug
B - Little Brown Jug with recording mistakes*


 DOWNLOAD


*I'm guessing "side B" is the first recording and the side with the writing that I call "side A" is the second take. Either that, or they recorded side A and got drunk/high and recorded side B and it was even worse so they scrapped it and never released it.

Jay Dittamo - I Should Have Left You 7" (1980)

A - I Should Have Left You

B - Playing Games

DOWNLOAD

va Alive! Rock City (1980)

Compilation of live recordings from some lesser known California bands including the only recordings that I know of the ska band Two Tones and a reggae song by Ace & the Eights who did release a single which was not ska. I do have it and I wanted to post it when I posted this LP but I can't find it right now. I'll update the link at some point.

1 Lifers - Missing Person
2 Two Tones - Reggae Woman

3 Two Tones - Random Riff
4 Elements of Style - Oh Bob
5 Elements of Style - Sacred Objects
6 JJ10 - Factory Limits
7 Impostors - Trouble
8 Impostors - Leave Me Alone
9 Ultrasheen - Super Bad
10 Ultrasheen - Danceannette
11 Dickheads - (S)he Love You
12 Ace & the Eights - Dead End
13 Ace & the Eights - Touch of Style



DOWNLOAD

Abducted - Just Like You (1997)

Third wave ska from Southern California including a really good cover of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al".

1 Just Like You
2 Work
3 Circus
4 Back in Time
5 Gravity
6 Heavy Metal Girl
7 Time
8 Girls Suck
9 You Can Call Me Al
10 *Secret Track*




DOWNLOAD

Regulators [U.K.] - demo tape (year unknown)

This band was from London and I don't know if they released anything else aside from this cassette. I don't know what year this was released but I'm guessing early 90s.
There are 6 songs - three of which are covers, and three are originals.

1 Longshot Kickee Bucket
2 Tyrone
3 Who is That Speaker?
4 5446 (Was My Number)
5 Spanish Ska
6 Monkey Man


"Whos is that Speaker?"


DOWNLOAD

R.F. and the Radar Angels - Double Shot 7" (1981)

R.F. and the Radar Angels was a mod-rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. This is their first release. The classic rock-n-roll styled b-side was included on their only album "Picture of Linda" but, for some reason, their only ska-inspired song, a cover of the Dick Holler & the Holidays song "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" that was made famous by The Swinging Medallions was not included on the album.

A - Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)

B - Chi Chi

This DOWNLOAD includes the very rare single and the cd version of "Picture of Linda".

Tenants - You Shit Me to Tears (1999)

Australian band The Tenants' debut release. There are 4 tracks on this CD but only the title track is ska. This song appeared on the (year 2000) compilation Triple J Hottest 100 Volume 7

1 You Shit Me to Tears
2 Joanne Wants a Pony
3 39 Steps
4 I See Red



DOWNLOAD

Zatopek

Zatopek was a jazz-punk band from Berlin, Germany who named themselves after a Czechoslovak long-distance runner. 

They are not a ska band! If you like The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo you might like them. The only reason that I'm posting this record is because it is always sold online as a ska record.

1 Italo
2 Maxi on Bahamas
3 Strangers in the Night
4 Ach Wie Gut (das Ich Nich Beichten Geh')
5 Dispo Funk
6 Mord + Totschlag
7 Blinde Tollwut
8 Buschmann
9 James
10 Abschiedskuss



DOWNLOAD

Detonators - Dance! EP (1982)

British new wave/punk band that had a ska song on this EP.
A1 - Don't Talk
A2 - Opening a Modern Art
B1 - Restless Kid
B2 - Passé

"Don't Talk"


DOWNLOAD

Plastik Bags - On the Rox 7" (1979)

Extremely rare Belgian single.

A - On the Rox

B - De Monki


DOWNLOAD

va Stonehenge 7" compilation (1987)

A1 - Culture Shock - Stonehenge
A2 - Rhythmites - We Don't Want
B1 - Military Surplus - Time of the Dispossessed
B2 - Hippy Slags - Sunlight on the Truncheons

 "Rhythmites - We Don't Want"
   

"Military Surplus - Time of the Dispossessed"
 


DOWNLOAD

Cats Under the Stars - Louie Louie 7" (1982)

This record is probably a one-off. I know nothing about the band and I have not found any information online about any other releases. As you can see by the record sleeve, they were from Minneapolis, Minnesota and the title track is a ska-inspired cover of the Richard Berry classic. Nowhere near as ska as the Toots and the Maytals version, in fact, not very ska at all. But it is sold on eBay every now and then as a ska record.

It's not very good but it is very rare.

A - Louie Louie

B - Blue Ghosts

DOWNLOAD

Hot Chocolate Band - Give Peace a Chance 7" (1969)

Hot Chocolate Band later changed their name to Hot Chocolate and they had a hit that you might recognize.
They had a Jamaican singer Errol Brown who had an extensive list of records that he released on his own. His/Hot Chocolate Band's  first release was this cover of John Lennon's song that Errol changed the lyrics to. Lennon approved and this single was released on the Beatles' label Apple Records.

A - Give Peace a Chance

B - Living Without Tommorow

DOWNLOAD 


Errol Brown died in May of 2015.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 As some of you may know Tone and Wave is based out of San Bernardino California. I, Jason Duncan, am a social worker with San Bernardino County's Department of Social Services. The victims in yesterday's attack were my co-workers. In fact, the person responsible was also my co-worker. I try not to use this blog for my own personal agenda but just this once I think it's okay.

Like you, I have my personal views on gun control, religious extremism and every thing else. In the end we all have different views on many things.

Do you remember the old Dave Mason song "We Just Disagree"?
"There ain't no good guy...there ain't no bad guy...there's only you and me and we just disagree..."

I'd like to believe that this is how it is. But, what pushes somebody who disagrees with you to murder innocent people?

Religion is the backdrop but is it really about religion? Could it be that it's really about how we as people treat everybody else around us? That whole "You're either with us or you're against us" mentality?

Treat everybody with respect. Be nice to everybody.

Wise Guise - I Guess Some One Up There Don't Like Me 7" (1985)

This Dutch band didn't have very many releases. The A-side here is an attempt at rap that didn't go over too well. They released it at least two different times. The other time had a B-side called "Seize the Time" which also may have been ska-inspired. I don't know, I never heard it.

A -  I Guess Some One Up There Don't Like Me
B - Hustle the Muscle


DOWNLOAD

Nancy Nova - Made in Japan 7" (1982) [LINK UPDATED 09/11/2016]

Innocently racist ska-inspired new wave from this British new wave/disco artist. She had several singles released in the early 80s but this is the one that stands out for the Tone and Wave audience.

A - Made in Japan
B - Jealousy





DOWNLOAD

Diamond Dogs [Netherlands] - Today 7" (1981)

This is not a very good post.


 First of all, this is not a ska song and, to call it "ska-inspired" is a stretch. There is that vague upstroke but that's it.
Second, this is my rip of my own record that is warped. The sound quality sucks. The only reason that I'm posting it is that it is a good song and I intend to replace my copy some day. When I do I will post a better version if anybody gives a damn.

A - Today
B - El Salvador Kids


DOWNLOAD

unknown ska song

I got an email from somebody asking me what this song is and, to be honest, I don't know. Does anybody recognize this song?

The Edge Bros. - Video 7" (1982)

I know absolutely nothing about this record. I'm certain they are an American band but that's it.

A - Video
B - Video (instrumental)



DOWNLOAD

Blind Alley - Matthew and Son 7" (1981) [UPDATED INFO]

These guys were from Turin, Italy and this is their only release. They did record some other songs between 1980-1982 that were released on CD in 2013 HERE.

A - Matthew and Son
B - On the Streets Again

DOWNLOAD


As Anonymous commented this band is not the Blind Alley from Italy, but a band by the same name from Belgium. I found very little about them before I made this post but I did find something about a Belgian band. I had a 50-50 chance of getting this right and I blew it. As I've said every other time I got something wrong - which is quite often: "This is the first time I've ever been wrong about anything and it feels weird".

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

(...and thank you Anonymous for the clarification!)    

Tonic - Oh! Ma Nana 7" (1980)

 

 Belgian disco/new wave band that released at least three more singles that I know of. Depending on what your idea of what 'ska' is this might not be their only ska-inspired release but it is as ska as they get. For being a Belgian band I think they're singing in French.

A - Oh! Ma Nana
B - L' Autre Facette



DOWNLOAD

The Tickets [Geneva, Switzerland]

 The Tickets was a new wave band from Switzerland. Sometimes they sounded like they were trying to sound like Elvis Costello and a bit less than half of their stuff had a ska-reggae influence.

The Tickets (1980)

1 Electricity
2 Oh Baby
3 Can't Feel
4 Just Don't Know
5 Take All the Love
6 What Are You Doing?
7 Nothing But the Rain
8 Little Girl
9 Too Many BS's
10 Your Love

"Can't Feel"

DOWNLOAD The Tickets - The Tickets

Nobody's Children (1981)
1 Can't Keep It In
2 1981
3 Nobody's Children
4 Which Day is Today?
5 Turn It Up
6 Crazy Lover
7 Whatcha Gonna Do?
8 Ray
9 No Way Out
10 Love in My Life

"1981"

"Which Day is Today?"

DOWNLOAD The Tickets - Nobody's Children

Jim Parker - The Vegas Vampire (1967)

Jim Parker was The Vegas Vampire, a vampire of late night Shock Theater and Vegas Vampire shows at KHBV/KVVU, Channel 5, in Henderson, Nevada, and broadcast to the greater Las Vegas, Nevada area from the late 1960s through the 1970s. The Vegas Vampire's show featured grade-“B” horror films, monster films, and science fiction films. The show was as ridiculous as you would expect. 

This song was featured on Elvira Presents Vinyl Macabre-Oldies But Ghoulies (Vol. 1) released in 1983.


DOWNLOAD

Rick Nolov - And I Love Her 7" (1983)

A - And I Love Her (Beatles cover)
B - Come Back Suzanne

Both songs are ska.



I have included both singles in THIS POST as well.



DOWNLOAD

Modsters - Happy Hour 12" (1987)

This is a band from (I'm guessing) Southern California's Inland Empire. This is, most likely, the only thing they ever released as a band. This record has some ska-inspired new wave/mod/power pop with a couple of straight forward ska songs. I'm slightly convinced that their song "Put Your Hands Down There" was the inspiration for Reel Big Fish's "She Has a Girlfriend Now". Don't quote me on that.
Unless it's true.

1 Everyone
2 Happy Hour
3 Daddy's Little...
4 Sam I Am
5 Put Your Hands Down There
6 I've Been Hurt
(A great, accurate rendition of the Bill Deal and the Rhondells hit:)


DOWNLOAD

......................................................................................................

I was wrong (and that's a good thing.) The Modsters did have at least one other record which I knew nothing about. Thanks to Bruce who provided this incredible find:

Modsters - Looking Through You 7" (1984)

A1 - Why aren't You Dreaming?
A2 - Someday
B1 - Daddy's Little Girl
B2 - The Kids

DOWNLOAD



 

The Capsones - Bah! (1982)

The Capsones were a quirky new wave band from Amsterdam that often showed a ska influence. They existed from 1981 to 1984 and they released two singles "De Diligence b/w The Rag" and "Mambo Italiano b/w Funky Machine" in 1982 before releasing this album. All four songs from the singles are on this album. If they have ever recorded anything else I don't know about it.

1 Hot Tits
2 Diligence
3 Walkman
4 Miami
5 Helpless
6 Mambo Italiano
7 The Rag
8 Funky Machine
9 Not My Type
10 Goodbye Cruel World



DOWNLOAD

RFBI - Jah is Alive and Well (1996)

Reggae Foundation Band, Inc. was a reggae band from Riverside California. Vocalist Ras Donovan-I is still performing and recording. Here he is on ReverbNation.

1 Solid Foundation
2 Healing of the Nation
3 Word is One Love
4 What Goes Round Comes Around
5 Prophecy
6 Prophecy Dub
7 Reggae Fever
8 It's Been Too Long
9 Hallelujah
10 Badness
11 Badness Dub
12 Ragga Muffin Song

 DOWNLOAD

"Healing of the Nation"


"It's Been Too Long"

Plastic Bertrand - Sha La La Lee 7" (1979)

A - Sha La La Lee
B - Dance Dance





DOWNLOAD

Re-Ups part 1

I have not checked any of these links. If there's a problem let me know.

Let's Go Bowling - 1988 demo tape
Let's Go Bowling - Does The Spiral Live [updated 04/24/2016]
Let's Go Bowling - Rude 69 7"
Sax Maniax
6 Feet Under
004
Allsorts - Happy Happy Happy
Boxboys
Casino Royale - Skaravanpetrol 
Klang - Dots and Dashes
Klang - The Pop Theory
Furious Turtles
Trowsers - Drop 'Em
Trowsers - Solitary Confinement
Nighthawks - Skank It Up (1980)
Class Action
Shot Black & White - Understand
Spy Eye
Strange Fruit - At Last (Unicorn Records 1990)
Blechreiz - Out Tonight
Blechreiz - Who Napped JB?
Volecanoes
Off The Shelf - Made In Australia
Headline
Lodgers
Lou and the Hollywood Bananas
Targets - Unity Beat (1986)

Almost there...

Tone and Wave should be up-and-running this Sunday.

I'm going to focus on some re-uploads but there will be some new stuff posted. Not really new stuff, but old stuff that I haven't posted before. You know what I mean.

Thanks to everybody who left comments and to everybody who offered to help me replace anything I may have lost. Ska people are the most civil people in the world.
Thankfully, though, I don't think I lost anything. I back up anything on discs that I don't have on vinyl, cd, or cassette. It was the re-converting all of the vinyl, cds, and cassettes that took so long. There were a few casualties along the way. I lost several good records to this 'Global Warming' thing we got going on. When nobody's home, and the air conditioner isn't on, my living room gets to be over 120 degrees F. Vinyl records usually don't warp at this temperature but my thermometer only goes up to 120 so it actually gets hotter than that. My 12" "Meet the Skeletones" has warped beyond repair. Luckily I had that one backed up. I did lose a copy of "Tough Cookies and the Deliverers 7"" but I have two copies of that so I'm going to be okay. The only two rare ska records I lost are Mark Foggo's "Advertising" 7" - which is hard to find, and Diamond Dogs - "Today" 7"  which are the only two that I've lost that I never posted and never backed up. I'm not bothered. It'll be a fun challenge to find the Mark Foggo one again and the Diamond Dogs one is readily available and isn't really ska in the truest sense but, here's the thing, I don't have much left that is pure ska. I have a lot of rare records that are ska-ish and I will be posting those but as far as ska goes - we did it. I started the damned thing but it was really a group effort. Tone and Wave is the greatest website and resource for rare ska of the eighties and early nineties but I did not do this alone. You guys have taught me so much and provided some incredible stuff that I could not have known about on my own.

Tone and Wave started on December 27th 2007. It would have started earlier but I really thought that ska was dead and nobody would care. It started out slow but picked up momentum as the years went by. There were a few times when I thought it was over, lots of people who wanted to shut it down for copyright reasons, but here we are today. I want to see it make it to the 10-year mark before it gets shut down. December 27th 2017. That's the goal. I don't really have enough rare music to stretch it out that long so I will be doing a lot of re-posts, but stick with it. I still have a wish-list with over 30 records on it. I have already knocked the rarest-of-the-rare off that list so it's all downhill from here.


I have gotten so many requests for re-ups that I can't keep up with them all. I'm sorry but I have to ignore all previous requests. The starting line is here. Let me know what you want and I'll get it to you.

toneandwave@gmail.com