P.O. Rich - Porridge (1981)

German reggae/ska band with this lone release (I think...). Eight ska and/or reggae tracks, one acoustic ballad, and one solo instrumental.

Singer Junior Pinnock went on to form the more successful reggae band Umoya. 

1 Free them Children
2 Rudi
3 GP Prison
4 Yeti
5 Magara
6 Dance
7 Sex-Dub
8 Jah Music
9 Mulata
10 Sunny Day

Hear the song "Dance".

Hear the song "Rudi".

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Skabba the Hut - Skabba the Hut demo tape (1998)

...from Wikipedia:

"Skabba the Hutt were a Ska punk band that featured current The Bravery frontman/songwriter Sam Endicott on bass and keyboard-player John Conway, CSI: Miami actor Jonathan Togo, actor/filmmaker Will Carlough, session drummer Chris Markwood, solo-musician/voiceover-artist Brian Grosz and musician/illustrator Seth Berkowitz.
They served as the house band for season three of Comedy Central's Premium Blend under the name The El Conquistadors. The band later shortened the name to Conquistador, moved away from ska and embraced a New Wave sound. Conquistador would later release one album entitled What's Up Fireball?'."

1 Fat Guy on My Head
2 Beatdown Stomp
3 Salt in the Wounds
4 Ballad of Captain Morgan
5 Film History and Theory
6 Work in the Tubes
7 Crimson Guard

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Static Activity - The Epically Blazing Adventures of Static Activity in the Land of Zing! 7" (1984)

A1 - Uprot
A2 - Dumb
B1 - Nick of Time
B2 - Sugar & Spice
B3 - Gould

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Blechreiz - demo tape (1988)

1 My Name is Bond
2 News from U.K.
3 Grauschleier
4 Crazy Elevator
5 Don Tango
6 Tequila
7 The Flirt
8 J+P Beat
9 Blaustich

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Professor Plum [New Jersey]

Professor Plum - In the Dining Room with the Candlestick (demo tape 1996 or 1997)
1 Love Song
2 Open Up Your Eyes
3 Come On
4 Mr. Evil
5 Mystery Track

Professor Plum - Master Plan EP (1998)
1 Raising the Roof
2 Respect Our Scene
3 Come On
4 Master Plan
5 I Have Her

Professor Plum - A Change of Plans (2001)
1 A Change of Plans
2 Farther Apart
3 Procrastination
4 With Eyes Like That
5 Respect Our Scene
6 Cuz of You
7 The Will to Breathe
8 Crazy
9 Make Up Your Mind
10 Master Plan
11 More Than Friends
12 No Friend of Mine
13 The Stories Will Live On

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Quito & the Sandgang - Hot Love 12" (1983)

Quito Rymer is a musician from the Virgin Islands who has released several recordings over the years starting in 1987...

...wait...1987...?

This record here is from 1983 and there is no information about it online. Even Quito doesn't acknowledge that it exists.

There are three tracks:
A - Hot Love
B1 - Still on My Mind
B2 - Call Me Baby

"Still on My Mind" is a straight-forward reggae tune taken from the Bob Marley play book but the other two tracks have a new wave/rock-n-roll sound to them. Perfect for the early 80s post-2Tone era.

Great record all around. You can see how superior it is to his other releases.

You can ask him why he doesn't flaunt this monumental recording in person when you next vacation in the Virgin Islands at Quito's Gazebo & Inn.

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Scram - Stand Up (1987) [REPOST] & Kingsessing Trials (1990)

This trio (Matt Mungan - vocals and guitar, Greg Mungan - bass and vocals, and Craig Heim - drums / percussion) were pretty well known in Philadelphia in the mid 80s but they have pretty much disappeared from people's minds since then. It might have to do with them changing their sound and releasing their second album Kingsessing Trails in 1990 when they went the route of the Red Hot Chili Pepper bandwagon and experimented with soul, funk, and jazz sounds. 
I like this one though. This is their first. Two of the songs on this record have appeared elsewhere: Something to Cling to was on a 1986 7" compilation called That Was Then...This is Now!, and the John Lennon cover Imagine that was released on "Another Shot for Bracken"

1 Here Tonite
2 Freedom
3 Our World
4 Something to Cling to
5 Just How Much
6 Stand Up
7 Imagine
8 Move a Mountain
9 Don't Say a Word

1 Can't Get Over It
2 Forward, Onward
3 Whose Side You're On
4 Power!
5 Piece of the Pie
6 Passing Me By
7 I 1 2 Thang Q
8 Don't Run Away
9 Fire! (Jimi Hendrix cover)
10 Listen to Your Momma
11 Never the Same

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The Royalties [New Jersey]

The Royalties 7" (1997)
A - SSR DIY
B - Avoid the Crime

A different version of "Avoid the Crime" appeared on their album but "SSR DIY" is unique to this 7".

The Royalties - Endless Nights (1998)
1 Frankenstein Ska
2 Jabberwocky
3 The Dream
4 The Enlightened One
5 Shut Down
6 Oh Please
7 Hamamatsu
8 Our Promise
9 Avoid the Crime
10 Thirty Pieces of Silver
11 The Mirror
12 Heart and Soul

I think this is their only album. I know they have at least three other songs that I don't have that were released on compilations:

Time to Care
Injustices
Judas Charmer

If anybody has any of these three songs or more info about the group or any other releases they have please share.






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Millennium - Enter at Your Own Risk (1999)

1 There Goes the Neighborhood
2 Fear
3 Mr. CIA
4 AWOL on the Holodeck
5 Fate Loves the Fearless
6 Me No Wa
7 Slip Away
8 Tumble Down
9 Old 45's
10 Meltdown
11 The Enemy
12 Speed of Light

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Pipanannakim - Willie Can 7" (1983)

Female-fronted 2Tone-ish A-side with a ballad on the B-side. If the eighties had a smell this record would have an overwhelming stench.

I'm not completely sure how to pronounce the band's name but I'm guessing it's "Pip an' Anna Kim"

A - Willie Can
B - Heart Talk

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The Turnstyles - Suburbia (1998)

3rd wave ska-punk from New Jersey.

1 Just My Luck
2 I Was Wrong
3 Burn
4 The Way it Used to Be
5 Shut Up and Dance
6 Skankinstein
7 Pandemonium
8 Society at Large

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The Bank - Shape Up 7" (1981)

I know absolutely nothing about this band. I don't know where they were from or if they released anything else.

In the last couple of decades I have only ever seen this for sale twice.
It's not quite ska. It's female-fronted new wave with a ska aftertaste but I think most of us like this sort of thing, right?

A - Shape Up
B - Turn Around

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Little Murders - Four Songs from Little Murders (cassette 1982)

 1 She's the One
2 After the Fire
3 She Said
4 One Hundred Drugs

Little Murders is a prolific mod/power pop band from Australia. They put out lots of albums but I think this is the song "She Said" from this EP is their only true ska song. They dabbled with the ska sound in a couple other songs and I included the "Take Me, I'm Yours" single in this download because the b-side has a very prominent ska sound even though it's not really a ska song.

...and, no, the a-side is NOT a cover of the Squeeze song that was covered by Tim Curry.

A - Take Me, I'm Yours
B - Things Will be Different

Listen to "She Said".


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va Let's Skank - An Open Minded Approach to Ska (1996)

1 Malarians - Ben Gunn
2 The Jumpstarts - This is What I Do
3 Cosmic - Vital Rhythm
4 La Ruda Salska - Taper La Manche
5 Ceux Qui Marchent Debout - Big Meal
6 Persian Jones - Venezuela
7 Unsteady - The Cost
8 Red Wings Mosquito Strings - L'Affaire Harry
9 The Mudsharks - You Got Me So Twisted
10 400000 - Chercher le Chameau
11 Engine 54 - Big 5
12 Crazy Skankers - Big Game
13 The Regulators - Healing Ska
14 Kargols - Pacifiste
15 Johnny Socko - If I Didn't Have a Goiter
16 Marcel et Son Orchestre - Chantel
17 The Miggedys - American Girl
18 Sideburn - Mika's Dream
19 Arpioni - Cambia Canale
20 Dr. Calypso - Mr. Farlops

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Difficult Music - Not the Kind of Boy 7" (1984)

This Dutch band put out this one single. The A-side is a decent new wave rock song but the B-side is an instrumental - a saxophone/keyboard/trumpet-heavy ska rendition of Erik Satie's Gnossienne Nr.1. You never really see this kind of arrangement for an eighties ska single.

Very rare.

A - Not the Kind of Boy
B - Inch of Love

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Bette Bright [REPOST]

Bette Bright is married to Suggs from Madness. She was formerly in a band called Deaf School before she teamed up with Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols and members of Clive Langer and the Boxes to form The Illuminations. Clive Langer produced Madness' early albums, and the Illuminations keyboardist Ben Barson is brother of Madness' keyboardist Mike Barson.

Bette was also sang for the Dutch post-punk/pop band Gruppo Sportivo and she appeared in The Great Rock and Roll Swindle as well as Madness' video for "One Better Day"
Here are all 5 of her singles:

My Boyfriend's Back (1978)
A - My Boyfriend's Back
B - Hold on, I'm Coming

The Captain of Your Ship (1979)
A - The Captain of Your Ship
B - Those Greedy Eyes

Hello, I am Your Heart (1980)
A - Hello, I am Your Heart
B - All Girls Lie

Some Girls Have All the Luck (1981)
A - Some Girls Have All the Luck
B - Tender Touch

When You Were Mine (1981)
A - When You Were Mine
B - Soulful Dress

"Rhythm Breaks the Ice" (1981) - her only album.
1 When You Were Mine
2 On a Night Like This
3 Hello, I Am Your Heart
4 All Girls Lie
5 Take What You Find
6 Talking Whispers
7 Thunder and Lightning
8 Shoorah Shoorah
9 Some Girls Have All the Luck
10 Tender Touch
11 Hold On

Yeah, the 2 singles "Hello, I am Your Heart" and "Some Girls Have All the Luck"
are on the full-length - both A and B sides...same versions, but damnit, I'm a collector so I have the singles and therefore I feel more 'complete'. I trust you understand.

There is a bit of a ska influence in the later recordings, but she was not exactly a ska artist. Even still, her version of "Hold on, I'm Coming" is sexy and worth the listen.

DOWNLOAD the LP and all of the singles in one download from MEGA

Painted Saints - Kampai! (1986)

The is one of the best punk-ska records you've never heard. One slow punk anthem, two up-tempo punk rock songs, a fast ska-punk song, and one of the best eighties ska songs I've ever heard.
This band was from Connecticut and I don't know anything else about them.
I say this a lot, but I can't believe this record isn't more well known.

Listen to the first track "Loathe".

See what I mean?

1 Loathe
2 Violence Breeds Violence
3 Undone
4 Nothing from Something
5 Barren Terror

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Nighthawks - Trouble Taking Over 7" (1981)

A - Trouble Taking Over
B - Europe Calling

Hear "Trouble Taking Over"

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The Scamps - Je t'aime (Moi non Plus) 7" (1980)

A - Je t'aime (Moi non Plus) [Instrumental Serge Gainsbourg cover]
B - Nicole [Instrumental]

"Nicole sounds like "Heart and Soul" mixed with Santo and Johnny's "Sleepwalk".

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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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