Comarec - With a Girl Like You 7" (1977)

 Comarec -or- The Comarec Band was a band from the Netherlands who released this one single. The A-side is an original song and the B-side is a cover of the Box Tops' classic song. 

Both A and B sides were done in quasi 2-Tone style ska which is more impressive when you realize that this record predates the 1979 ska revival by two years.   

A- With a Girl Like You

B - The Letter

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

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...

Odessus - How Can I Trust You? 12" (1979)

 Rare British ska/reggae. 

A - How Can I Trust You?

B - Unity

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

DOWNLOAD from Pixeldrain

The Jubilees - Reggae Carnival (1972)

 This was a British band way ahead of the times. Five years before there was any hint of a ska revival The Jubilees released this reggae album.

1 Peace in the Far East

2 A Tear Fell

3 Moon Hop

4 Chain Gang

5 Farewell to My Baby

6 Cathy Come Home

7 South Sea Stomp

8 Rambling Rose

9 Something to Remind Me of You

10 Moon River

11 Tell Me Baby

12 I Need Your Loving

DOWNLOAD from Zippyshare

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

 

...

The Neighbors - Nuclear Family 7'' (1979)

 

This is a rare example of the ska influence in California in the late 70s. The A-side is a great female-fronted new wave/punk tune. The B-side is a ska-punk song that was way ahead of its time. Third wave ska punk from 1979? Awesome.

A - Nuclear Family

B - Punk in Paradise

toneandwave · Punks In Paradise

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Atlantic Five - I Was Walking 7" (1979)

 Very rare record from this French band. I don't know what they were thinking with the A-side but the B-side needs to be heard. The B-side could have been a pop-reggae/ska hit in 1984 but it was released in 1979. People just weren't ready for it yet. I love that haunting keyboard, especially at the end of the song. .

Somebody on Discogs said that this might be an all-female band but that makes me wonder if they've actually heard it. Are these female vocals? I don't think so. 

A - I Was Walking

B - I Adore You 

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

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Caraiban Boys

Caraiban Boys - The Pitchmen Sound 7" (1978)

A - Pitchmen Sound

B - Jamaica Stomp

Caraiban Boys - Guitar Shuffle 7" (1979)

A - Guitar Shuffle

B - What a Night

 

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

 

DOWNLOAD from Zippyshare

 

DiVersion - Champs Elysees 7" (1979) [LINK FIXED]

A couple of cover songs from this unknown British band. The A-side is a cover of Prince Buster's "Take it Easy" and the B-side is a cover of "Rough Rider" that was written by Eddy Grant in 1967 for his band The Four Gees. It was the B-Side for their Ethiopia single but I think everybody has covered it since. Prince Buster being the notable cover. So, essentially, this record is a couple of Prince Buster covers. I just didn't want to say it that way.

I know I scanned my record but I can't find my scans so I respectfully stole the images from Discogs.

'Cause I'm gangster like that.

A - Champs Elysees
B - Rough Rider

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Oh, and I think (I didn't say I know for sure) this record is what inspired Ocean 11 to do the song "Take it Cheazy".

I Jog & the Tracksuits

I Jog & the Tracksuits - Red Box 7" (1978)

A - Red Box
B - Worrying Man

The Tracksuits - Jah, Jah, Jah 7" (1979)

A - Jah, Jah, Jah
B - Tao, Tao, Tao

I Jog & the Tracksuits - Bedroom Tune 7" (1982)

A - Bedroom Tune
B - Optimists Song

DOWNLOAD ALL 3 from MEGA

DOWNLOAD ALL 3 from Zippyshare

Mr. Safety - The New Revolution Think 7" (1975)

This was ahead of its time.

Jason Conrad was a musician/actor in Britain in the early 70s who witnessed a child being killed by a car. He became an advocate for safety and toured Britain warning children about the dangers of automobiles. He did this through a live stage show and through music.

At one point Frankie Laine (He sang the theme to Rawhide and had a hit with Jezebel but, on  an unrelated personal note, one of my favorite songs is his version of "The Cry of the Wild Goose") invited him to America to do his safety lectures leading to him moving to Florida where he founded the Children's Safety Foundation inc.

Read more about Jason Conrad and the Safety campaign HERE.

The reason I think this is a notable post is because the B-Side sounds like it was an effort to pass this safety message through the ska pop-culture sound that was happening at the time except that it was five years ahead of the time. Listen to "The New Revolution Think". Doesn't it sound like it was pandering to kids who liked Madness? But this was from 4 years before 2Tone.

Like I said, ahead of its time.

A - Little Danny Jones
B - The New Revolution Think

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

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Reggae Cooper - She Loves You 7'' (1978)

A - She Loves You
B - I Need Your Loving

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Chapter XII - Chalawa Meets Chapter XII (1979)

Chapter XII released two singles:
Crocodile Ska

and

Buffalo Step

...both songs from the Buffalo Step EP are on this 12" and I included the Crocodile Ska single in this download.

There are two additional songs on the EP that weren't released on any other format
  
A1 - Chapter XII - Buffalo Step
A2 - Chalawa - Hop, Skip, and Jump
A3 - Chapter XII - Topless Reggae
B1 - Chapter XII - Topless Reggae Dub
B2 - Chalawa - Picadilly Hop
B3 - Chapter XII - Buffalo Step Dub


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Noit Otni & the Pits 7" (1979)

A - A Heart Can Only be Broken Once
B - Moving Target

It's all about the b-side for this one. Slow punk/reggae. Even though Discogs has this listed as being from the UK the singer sounds American and the whole record sounds like a demo.

DOWNLOAD
(Zippyshare is down so the link is for MEGA)

Groceries - Hire High School Girls 7" (1979) [REPOST]

A - Hire High School Girls
B - Out of the Frying Pan (Into the Eighties)




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the original post is HERE

Plastik Bags - On the Rox 7" (1979)

Extremely rare Belgian single.

A - On the Rox

B - De Monki


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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

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Errol Brown died in May of 2015.

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 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.

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

A - Sha La La Lee
B - Dance Dance





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Heavy Manners - World War Six 7" (1979)

This is not the same Heavy Manners from Chicago. These guys were from Belgium and they released two singles that I know of. This one, and one called "That Train" with a b-side called "Barley Wine" which featured Saxa from the English Beat.

A - World War Six
B - Attention


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Luddy Pioneer with Joe Lewis & the Ska Kings - Ska Revival (1975)

This record was ahead of its time - the name "Ska Revival", the black and white checkers, and that unique sound a few years before Jerry Dammers and the Specials adopted these elements as their own - I would be surprised if this wasn't the spark that started the 2 Tone fire. .

1 Time Longer Than Rope
2 Housewife Choice
3 Tickle Me
4 Burning Fire
5 Mama No Fret
6 Never Never
7 Rough & Tough
8 Pretty Lou Lou
9 Blazing Fire
10 Penny Wheel
11 Elena

"Pretty Lou Lou"

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The Shakers - Yankee Reggae (1976)

This is the first reggae album recorded and released in California.

I have posted before about California's first ska record but this is California's first reggae full length. The Shakers were the first American reggae band to be signed to a major record label - Warner-Elektra. This is the only thing the Shakers released - with the exception of the "Funny Girl" single with the b-side "Baby Come Back" which, as you know, is a cover of the Eddy Grant...I mean Equals hit.

Both of the songs on the single are on the album so this is all that they've recorded.

Members of the band later went on to form The Fabulous Titan's who released one single and an EP.
The single has been posted on Tone and Wave several years back (HERE) but I've never posted the EP yet. I have it and, if anybody gives a damn, I'll post it. Leave a comment.

1 Wonder Girl
2 Some Guys Have All the Luck
3 Easy Come, Easy Go
4 Missing You
5 Baby Come Back
6 Second Chance
7 Girl You Rock My Soul
8 Emergency Call
9 Funny Girl
10 There's Something About You
11 Feel Good All Over

"Girl You Rock My Soul" (a Rad Bryan cover - HERE's the original. It was later covered by Eddie Money on his 1980 album Playing for Keeps but it was titled Running Back. The guitar at the beginning shows that Eddie Money's cover was of the Shaker's version - not the original)


DOWNLOAD the SHAKERS LP

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I put this record up for sale on eBay several times for $1.00 Buy It Now and nobody ever bought it. Your loss.

Also, I was wrong about California's first ska record. There was at least one other one that was recorded a few years before the Skyliters' record. Anyone know what it is? I'll give you some clues
* It was a b-side
*It had the word 'ska' in the title
*It was an instrumental
*The band is a well-known surf band

Jon commented:

"As far as I know the first band in California to release a "ska" record was the Marketts, "Come See, Come Ska". If I recall my research correctly that one came out at the tail end of the summer '64 ska craze, August I think."


Jon is correct - over a decade before the Skyliters released "Bumpin Onn Down" the Marketts released their "Look for a Star" single with the b-side "Come See, Come Ska"

A - Look for a Star
B - Come See, Come Ska


DOWNLOAD the MARKETTS 7"