Basement 5 - 1965 - 1980 (1980)
1 Riot
2 No Ball Games
3 Hard Work
4 Immigration
5 Last White Christmas
6 Heavy Traffic
7 Union Games
8 Too Soon
9 Omega Man
Basement 5 - Silicon Chip 7" (1980)
A - Silicon Chip
B - Chip Butty
Basement 5 - Last White Christmas 10" (1980)
A - Last White Christmas
B - Paranoiaclaustrophobia
Basement 5 - Peel Session (1980)
1 Last White Christmas
2 No Ball Games
3 Silicon Chip
4 Immigration
Basement 5 - Basement 5 In Dub (1980)
1 Paranoiaclaustrophobia
2 Work Dub
3 Games Dub
4 Immigrant Dub
5 Holocaust Dub
1 20 Penny Nail
2 Don't Hate Me
3 Watch Out!
4 Shut Up and Drink Your Jo
5 Perfect Order
6 Outlaw
7 They Don't Like It
8 Being Struck
9 Dirty Pictures
10 People Grow Up
This wasn't a great year for ska. Every now and then (it almost seems like the years alternate from one to the next) everybody slows down and all of the "ska" releases are reggae. It's boring.
I prefer the up-tempo stuff with a ska beat and there were some good releases this year but not many. Individual songs stood out above full albums or EPs. In fact I can't think of one release from 2019 that I can listen to all the way through. So many songs start out as a great ska song and then goes into a reggae or pop-punk or (egads) funk. Come on people. Stop ruining your own songs by trying to appeal to too many different interests. If you play a ska song then, for fuck's sake, play a ska song. Ska from beginning to end.
A few of the selections on this playlist do that. Start out as ska but becomes something else. But I kept them in there because I had a hard time scraping up 35 songs this year. My end-of-the-year posts usually have 50 songs but that wasn't going to happen. These are songs I actually like, not just stuff I feel like I have to put on there.
In the spirit of brutal honesty there were some anticipated releases this year that I was very disappointed with. Top of that list is The Specials. I seriously didn't appreciate one single second of that album. The content was as drab as the cover. Of course the cover inspired my picture up there because I wasn't all that enthused about this past year in ska myself.
One thing I like to see is when old bands make their music accessible. If they all did that there would be no interest in blogs like this one. But the only two noteworthy releases I know of are The Tigers who made their classic album "Savage Music" available on iTunes and they even included the song "Religion for the Hungry" which was non-album b-side which I do have but I never posted it on the blog before. The only other one I know of is a little-known California band called One Legged Bob who only ever released one 4-track 7" in 1996 called "The Unbearable Lightness of Bob". They put out "Best of One Legged Bob" on CD Baby which has the 4 songs from the 7" and three unreleased studio songs with three live tracks. I have never posted the 7" before but, even though they made the recordings available, I might still post it because I think the record sounds much better than the version available on CD Baby.
Some of the releases that I can't complain about are
Rantanplans - Stay Rudel, Stay Rebel,
Crepitans - Tribulations,
Rocksteady Conspiracy - Rough and Sweet
Roy Ellis "Mr. Symarip" and the Transylvanians - Almighty Ska
Steady 45s - Meaning of Love single
Void Union - Return of the Super Vape
The Beat - Public Confidential (RIP Ranking Roger)
Scotch Bonnets - Come On Over
Eastern Standard Time - Time for Change
Culture Shock - Found it in a Skip (not great but still a must-have)
The Offenders - Class of Nations
Death of Guitar Pop - In Over Our Heads
Mark Foggo's Skasters - Ska Pig Returns
The Max's Kansas City compilation is also essential and Buck-O-Nine, Big D and the Kids Table, and The Planet Smashers also had some new releases in 2019 as well as the 90s band The Miggedys who haven't released anything since 1995. Get The Miggedys - Destined for Mispronunciation.
The one release I regret not being able to hear this past year is an unreleased song that was put out on a 7" by the band The G-Men called "Bottle of Dog".
Here's the songs I enjoyed this past year. When I listen to them all together I have my doubts about whether a few of them should be on here but I really do like them so they get to stay with no promise that you will like them.
This is a flexi that was included in an issue of Patches Magazine in 1980. It's Madness talking about their upcoming album "Absolutely". It starts out with the guys singing Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me" acapella then they play a few seconds of instrumental versions of "Close Escape" and "Solid Gone".
My copy here looks okay but it sounds pretty bad. That's a flexi for you. A much better version of the guys singing "Release Me" was included on the anthology "The Business (The Definitive Singles Collection) that was released in 1993. The other two fragments were not included in the collection and are only available on this release.
I tried posting swing music on my other blog but it wasn't well received. I guess there's no real place for it but it makes more sense to post it on a ska blog rather than on a punk/new wave blog so here we are.
The song "Hey Santa" was later re-recorded but this is the original and, in my opinion, much better version.
The b-side is only available on this single. It's a joke that only works the first time you hear it.
I love this single and I hope at least one other person out there appreciates it.
1 Hey Santa!!! (I'm not Sharin' My Baby this Xmas)
2 The Gift
This is upsetting. I have only ever seen one copy of this. I sold it to somebody and they returned it because it arrived in several jagged pieces. As rare as it was, there is now one less copy than before thanks to the US Postal Service.
Look at this. Can you believe this shit? On a few occasions I have received records in this condition and somehow it's always the really rare stuff.
This is a square double-sided flexi and it's indescribably rare. I could emphasize how rare it is by repeating the words "super super" or using the terms "ultra" or "mega".
The band was from New Orleans and they released two records that I'm aware of but I heard from somebody who knows this kid who heard from a guy that they recorded more than that. I'm not sure and I don't actually care.
I heard the song "Gun Rush" many years ago and had to track this record down. It is rare 2Tone style ska. The other songs on the record aren't ska except for "The Line" which is definitely ska-influenced. The other songs are surf / skronk / no-wave and I've heard that their other record is along these lines with no ska at all so I'm not really willing to pay the price their other record commands unless I hear it first.
Listen to this song "Gun Rush" and tell me you wouldn't try to hunt this thing down yourself.
Download it. Save it. It will likely be the only time in your life you will hear of this record. No matter how many copies they made, flexies don't survive very long. I got real lucky finding it in the condition I did.
1 Gun Rush
2 Surfin' Communist Guerillas
3 Naugahyde
4 The Line
Third wave ska-punk from Philadelphia. I posted their 7" many years ago. I included it in this download for those of you who missed it the first time around. This CD has not been posted before.
1 You are the Ketchup in My Coffee
2 The Confidants
3 Not What I'm Dreaming
4 I do Not Think I Would Have Some Fun
5 Orange is a Good Color for Love
6 Soldier Boy
7 I Was Riding Riding
8 Gentrification Skank
Kubie was a moderately successful glam rock / pub rock artist who put out a couple of albums in the 70s.
I'm guessing he tried to re-invent himself with this release. He even changed the spelling of his name from "Kubie" to "Kuby" for this one (even though it's spelled "Kubie" on the record itself).
He really changed his sound. The b-side is the same old pub rock that you would expect from him but the a-side is an impressive 2 Tone style ska classic.
This band was from Basel, Switzerland. They played post-punk with a heavy ska influence. This is their only release but both of the recordings on this single appeared on a compilation called "What's Happening" which also has two other songs by Man Without Future, one of which is also a ska song.
I do have the cassette and I'll try and post it soon.
Blue Beat in My Soul (2001)
1 Godzilla - Yes, I'm Rocking
2 The Crooked Beat - New Complexion
3 Rudy Willy's Sound System - Rude Boy Invasion
4 The Bakesys - Grass is Greener
5 Somersault - Black & White Unite
6 Calamities - Clockwork Blue
7 Ska Trek - Lightning, Earthquake, & Thunder
8 Prince Nutty - Man on the Top
9 Schwarz Auf Weiss - Madchen die Jungs - Gegenssatze Ziehen Sich An
10 The Xplosions - Grey Skies
11 Kalles Kaviar - Perfidious Game
12 Ska't - Where are You From
13 Downbeat Snapper - How Should I Know?
14 Intensified - Treasure Island
Blue Beat in My Soul - The Second Step (2003)
1 The Magadogs - Come On (ext. version)
2 Maskapone - One Ticket Flight
3 beNUTS - Ska Summer Night
4 The Braces - The Designer Song (demo version)
5 Schwarz Auf Weiss - Full Flavour
6 Rebelation - Rockers
7 Dubplate 48 - Don't Cry Over Me
8 Western Special - See Them Drop
9 Luana Point - Les liaisongs Dangereuses
10 Go Jimmy Go - Push Me Out
11 Pama International - Love We Give
12 Downbeat Snapper - Walk Over Water (longer version)
13 The Dreamlets - Someday We're Gonna Love Again
14 The Liptones - No Way Out
15 Yellow Umbrella - Candela
16 Corey Dixon & the Zvooks - Runaway Love
17 Smoke Like a Fish - One in a Million
18 The Special Guests - Talking Out
This is a Dutch punk/ska band that released this one single and a song called "Slave" that was on a live compilation called Heel Erg Punk Vol.1, which I included in this download. Aside from that I don't know of any other recordings.
They had a mature sound for a young punk band. For fans of OPIV and Rancid's ska stuff. So much like Rancid that I'm willing to bet that the song "What it's Like" started out as a cover of Rancid's "I Wanna Riot" that morphed into its own song. I know that might not sound very promising but, like I said, they have a mature sound. It works really well.
A - What it's Like B1 - Trip to Heaven B2 - Vicious Circle * - Slave
1 Kingston 10 - Concordance
2 Steady Ups - Dub Disaster
3 The Speakeasies - Cardiac Arrest
4 The Mot!ves Project - Boy Next Door/Candy
5 Full Spectrum - Aravah
6 The Soul Stingers - China Dread
7 General Rudie - Rainy Days
8 The Empire All-Stars - Alone Again
9 The Delroys - Can't Stop Cryin'
10 The Debonaires - Tribute to Tommy McCook/Roland
11 Amusic Skazz Band - Jazzing You
12 Downbeat Snapper - My Woman
13 The Dynamos - Heartbreaker
14 The B3's - Devil Blues Boogie
15 The Tile Renters - One Last Time
16 The Legends of Brass - Horchata
17 Yellow Umbrella - Rise & Fall
18 So. Cal. Shocks of Mighty - Revenge of the Poon Poon
Lot's more stuff was put up on eBay today with lots more to follow. I really am getting rid of everything but it's taking a while to go through everything to see what I want to rip. A lot of things I'm just saving a song or two. A lot of the records I'm just ripping and saving as WAV files that I hope to actually listen to some day.
I'm posting this one because I posted their album "Toxeuphoria" which ironically did not include the song "Toxeuphoria" but it is the b-side to the single. The a-side "Pickney Gal" is on the album.
This is part one of a three part series that had otherwise unreleased tracks from several bands. I will be posting the others two in the future.
I lamented in my previous post that I was disappointed that I had not found an unknown Ngobo Ngobo track, but this compilation has one - the song "Shades of Madness" was not on any other release that I know of. It's a good song too.
1 Ngobo Ngobo - So What
2 Arpioni - Noi Vogliamo un altro Mondo
3 Eskalator - Monster Mash
4 The Butlers - High Spirit
5 Skatala - Budapest
6 Engine 54 - A Rest
7 Ngobo Ngobo - Shades of Madness
8 Arpioni - Il Paese dei Balocchi
9 Eskalator - Shy Boy
10 The Butlers - Paint it Black
11 Skatala - Skatalahits
12 Engine 54 - No Duty, No Love
13 Loaded - Love Affair with Everyday Livin'
This is a compilation with two punk songs and two ska songs. I bought this thinking I had stumbled on a rare Ngobo Ngobo song called "Good for U, Man" but, as it turns out, it's the song "Good for Nothing Man" that was on their demo and their first album.
On a positive note, the Blechreiz song is a rarity that is unique to this release.
A1 - Ngobo Ngobo - Good for You, Man
A2 - Die Kassierer - Tot, Tot, Tot
B1 - The Shamrocks - Empty Brain
B2 - Blechreiz - Mike Hammer
Clear Cut was a band from St. Helens, Merseyside, UK. They were known for their "zany" live performances from 1979 through 1984. In that time they recorded one single. I haven't found anything else that they may have recorded. No live shows. Nothing.
"Clear Cut were a St Helens-based band comprising of Steve Briers
(guitar, vocals), Dave Cotham (sax, flute, synth, vocals), Steve Moyers
(bass, vocals), Garry Rowlands (drums, vocals) and Dave Wardlaw (guitar,
synth, vocals). They formed in 1979 and performed at venues throughout
the North West and had a massive following in the St Helens and Wigan
areas. In the early '80s they made television appearances on Granada TV
and recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport. Their first single,
"Eagle Eye" was released on Recorded Delivery Records in 1981" This snippet and photo was respectfully stolen from THIS SITE.
This is the only release from this German band whose members later formed the band Datashock for some reason. I am only presuming that this was released in 1987 but nobody really knows.
It's not ska in the purest sense but it is ska enough that it belongs in this blog.
You know these guys because of Steps in the Alley. I did have my own copy of this record as you can see from the scans, but the rips were sent to me by your friend and mine Rude Rich. His rips sounded great so I never bothered to rip the record myself.
A (One) - I Don't Care
A (Two) - Unity
This record is listed as being released in 1990 but you can see on the cover that it was recorded live at their last concert in 1991. Either there's a misprint somewhere or these guys are capable of time travel.
This one is all about the B-Side which is ska/reggae but the A-side is a soul song. I didn't spend too much time editing the A-side because I know you won't listen to it anyway.
1 Gang Ska
2 White Wine and Crackerfood
3 SheepSka
4 Frog's Don't Cry
5 I Can't Stand it No More
6 Skaman
7 Baboushka
8 Everything Crash
9 Sad Mind
10 Through with My Baby
11 The Tuberculucas
12 Dance With Me
13 Marlena DOWNLOAD from MEGA
There was a punk band in Sweden in the late 70s called Raid who needed a singer. A vocalist from a band called Ă HMHS (Ă t Hell Me Hela Skiten) joined and brought his guitarist with him forming a new band called Grannarna Klagar (Complaining Neighbor). They played hardcore noisy punk but eventually started experimenting with ska, reggae, disco, and funk.
They shortened their name to Grannarna before recording this single and the band broke up shortly after it was released. It didn't become very well known outside of their local scene. Maybe that's because whenever the band was asked about their record they lied about the title of the record and the songs which they later admitted wasn't the greatest marketing strategy.
They attempted several times to regroup but it never happened.
This is the only studio recording the band ever made but you can hear some of their live songs as well as some songs from drummer Kari Sjoblom's side projects HERE.
A - Hissen
B - Olle
Olle is a cautionary song about drugs, and Hissen has something to do with an elevator.
The Shriners from Provo, Utah were sometimes called The Shriners of Ska. They played intense upbeat ska that appealed to fans of the 2 Tone sound as well as those who liked more of a third wave ska-punk style.
The Shriners of Ska LIVE! (1996)
1 Dancehall Ska
2 Metro North
3 Rise Up
4 Rude Bwoy on the Run
The Shriners - Finally Got a Cushman (1996)
1 Metro N
2 Rise Up
3 Dance Hall Ska
4 Juanitas
5 Barbara Mae
6 Rude Boy on the Run
*untitled live instrumental
All four songs on the tape are on the CD but the ones on the tape are live and the ones on the CD are studio versions. The spellings of some of the song titles vary between the two so I spelled them the way they are on each release.
Short story short - I'm selling my music. All of it. Not because I want to, but because I have to.
I hate selling on eBay and I don't have time to post anything so my wife has been putting everything up. She's handling all of the communications.
It may take a few months to put it all up so keep checking back. Everything is going up with a low starting bid - even that one record that ten of you contacted me about that nobody wanted to pay for. It's up for $5.00 so fight amongst yourselves.
Shipping will be combined. I'm not trying to make a profit off of shipping. If I overcharge I usually refund the difference if it's a reasonable amount.
The good thing about all of this is I'm coming across things that I forgot I had. I've been ripping everything like mad. I don't have time to listen to it or edit any of it right now. When time allows I will post as much as I can on either blog.
I have to consider whether or not it's realistic to keep the blogs going at this time. Even if I have to quit I probably have enough things already ripped to keep going about another year. A lot can happen in a year so I might just pick up where I left off or put it on hold for a while. Who knows. Let's see what happens.
The Professionals - Watch Your Step
1 (untitled)
2 Towne Club Hep Step
3 1st Degree
4 .38 Baby
5 The Professional
6 Smokin'
7 Progress
8 Black Cat Joe
9 Love Me So
10 Screwed
11 What You Need
12 (untitled) DOWNLOAD "Watch Your Step" from MEGA
This was an Italian band who never really released anything aside from this one single and a song on a compilation called Skandalo Al Sole - 13 Antinazi Songs from Italia. I have included that song with this download.
Ska punk band from Lexington, Kentucky. I think this is their only release but they did appear on compilations. I have three of their tracks from comps so I have included them with this download.
TREVOR KNIGHT - Sail Away LP 78
-
Another from the FUNKMYROCK list I have been working on getting and
ripping. Hasn't really stuck in my brain yet as only one listen to record
but it i...
Trashcan Records Vol 16 "Lowland Losers" Part 2
-
A killer collection of mostly uncomped rare Belgian and Dutch beat. Lots of
obscurities here... two wild bubblegum groovers by Mike Verdrengh (written
by 4...
They’re eating right out of your hand...
-
Splendid atmospheric, shoegazer-adjacent fare from 1992. Melody Maker
says: *...nerve-sizzling guitars and evocative soul voices.*
**Please do not revea...
V/A - Abstract Records Punk Collection 1995
-
One more great piece from the *Punk Collectors Series* and the material on
this beauty is dedicated to the equally high quality *Abstract Records*
label,...
GO! 47 CANADIAN HC BANDS Various Artists 1997
-
*Discogs*
*Hardcore punk compilation from Canada on the Fans of Bad Productions
record label. - Blogatrix *
*Tracklist*
1 Soy (4)– Arbiters...
I'm From Barcelona - Forever Today
-
Banda: *I'm From Barcelona*
Disco: *Forever Today*
Ano: 2011
GĂȘnero: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop, Chamber Pop
Faixas:
1. Charlie Parke...
Modcast #599: The Time Is Now
-
Is there a new mod renaissance upon us? That is the question I've been
asking myself since last year. Sitting in Seattle casting my jaundiced eye
on the s...
Tough At The Top - Johnny B. Rotten (1988)
-
b/w Oh My Body
Self professed Glam/Punk/Pub Rock 3 piece from the Rushden area (Although
Northampton are laying a claim to them)
*Bryn Evans* (Voc Bass)...
The Skarantinos
-
This is by request :
https://theskarantinos.bandcamp.com/album/the-skarantinos
Django Capone asked me to promote his new band and gladly i will do thi...
Skooch - Skooch EP (1999)
-
*Posted by Request *
American 90s pop punk with a horn section. I don't know what state they're
from or if they have ever released anything else.
...
New single "Tell A Stranger"
-
My new single "Tell A Stranger" is out now on Bandcamp and all the regular
streaming platforms. There is a B-Side that is exclusive to Bandcamp. It's
the...
Espiando en los 80's Venezuela Vol 2
-
1-Jah Jah Children - Vamos a Bailar
2-Henry Stephen - I Don't Know
3-Fabrica de Sueños - Tu Estilo de Amar
4-Callejon 88 - Negrito Fiel
5-Colina...
# 569 Ricky & the Spitfires - Rock'n'roll singer
-
Side a: Rock'n'roll singer
Side b: It's against the rules
DK 1978
Very fine powerpop record by this South African R'n'R group. It was
released on a danish...
Yo SĂ Le Brinco - Desgracias, Gracias (2022)
-
“Somos una banda de punk rock originarios de leon gto. Decidimos hacer la
banda en tiempos pandemicos con el pretexto de poder salir del encierro y
distra...
Ore Ska Band
-
* ============================================================ Artist : Ore
Ska Band Album : ITOKASHI Genre : -=Ska-Punk=- Bitrate : VBR ~31...
New Heavensbee Album "We Mean Business" Released
-
After nearly 2 years of writing and recording, I'm excited to finally share
a pre-order link for the new Heavensbee album "We Mean Business" which will ...
No Comply
-
*Biography : *
No Comply are from Belgrade, Serbia. The band started in 2001, and made a
come back couple of years ago. A very good band from a country ...
AGGRESSIVE
-
ALEMANIA
Aggressive son una banda Street Punk Oi! de Ruhrpott, Alemania.
2015- Spit Blood
01- Aggressive
02- Chain Reaction
03- Alone With The Wolve...
