va Doo Wop Jamaican Style (2005)

 

I found this incredible CD in a thrift store for one dollar. 

 

 

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The Sages

 The Sages was a band from Connecticut. I assume they are from Hartford but I don't know for sure. As far as I know they only released one album but they had a demo tape before they recorded the album and even though the album is full of ska/reggae influences the tape is almost strictly ska/reggae. 

There's a noticeable Police vibe but when I first heard the beginning of the song "Follow the Money" it reminded me of the Stewart Copeland/Stan Ridgway song "Don't Box Me In". Stewart Copeland was (is?) the drummer for the Police and Stan Ridgway was the singer for Wall of Voodoo (Mexican Radio - not to be confused with Gruppo Sportivo's impeccable cover). They collaborated on a song for the soundtrack to Rumblefish.  

The Sages - The Sages demo tape (1990)

1 Follow the Money

2 More the Things You do

3 Please be Near

4 What do You got to Prove?

5 Down by Law

6 Tomorrow Begins Today

7 College Radio

The Sages - Back from Nowhere (1992)

1 Back from Nowhere

2 Follow the Money

3 Felt & Heard

4 42b

5 Cold Silence

6 The Hunter

7 The Angels

8 Sounds of a City

9 Elvis (You did the Right Thing)

10 Whatever Gets You Through Your Day

11 Bustin' Deep

12 Down by Law

13 Hostile Heart

14 College Radio

 

toneandwave · The Sages - 42b (1992)

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******************************************

Speaking of Wall of Voodoo, if you don't have that first EP and the first two albums you're really missing out. But Stan Ridgway was more than Wall of Voodoo. He has done a million solo albums. After a time he drifted into what most would call 'country' but he has some amazing tunes from his early years as a solo artist. After working with Stewart Copeland he didn't do anything ska/reggae but there is one song with that influence. 

As you know when Stan Ridgway left Wall of Voodoo they continued on without him and his weird voice but it just didn't work and they broke up not long after they fulfilled their record contract but they did release a couple albums in that time with their new singer Andy Prieboy and, although I really prefer their stuff with Stan, they did release one of my all-time favorite songs "Far Side of Crazy". The lyrics of this song are based on a poem written by John Hinckley Jr. -  the guy who shot Ronald Reagan. Hinckley has since been released from prison and he fancies himself as a sort of rock star.

Here are my top five Stan Ridgway moments I think everybody must know:

Wall of Voodoo - Lake of Fire (...and I'm your host Ramsey Lewis. Thank you...)

Wall of Voodoo - Call Box 123

Wall of Voodoo - Tomorrow (live at the Us Festival) In fact their entire performance at the Us Festival is solid gold.

Stan Ridgway - The Big Heat

Stan Ridgway - Camoflauge

...and then there's "Lost Weekend". Aside from the fact that my wife has never smoked a cigarette in her life every second of this song tells our story. We got married at the Drive Through Chapel of Love in Las Vegas when we were evacuated from our home during a historically bad fire. On the drive from Vegas in my 1987 primer grey Dodge Diplomat we didn't really know where we were going so we did nothing but listen to music and talk about our plans about how we could make money. It was sad times. It was great times. This song hits so close to home.  She sat in the back seat reading a book. When I heard that in this song I was blown away. This song is about us but it was recorded 20 years before we met.

va Rat-Sharp Ska (2005)

  This is a German ska compilation that has many tracks that you can't find anywhere else. Many of these bands have not released anything outside of this CD. 

1 The Incredible Derrick - Caribbean Nights

2 Skin Ya Teet - Godfather of SKA

3 Essentials - Work Song

4 Brass Monkeys - On Your Own

5 Reefer Madness - Rise Up

6 The Bluebeat Remedy - Rise Up

7 Bulletproof Kitchen - Skapunk im Gepäck

8 Skapa Flow - Slightness

9 Big Banders - Make Your Choice

10 Skaprifischer - Porque Te Vas

11 Surfits - Pool Party Supreme

12 Kescher - Angelina

13 Me In The Bucket - The Chase Scene

14 Ska-Wars - Advice

15 Bad Shakyn' - Rock My Day

16 Sanitätskasten AG - Stichpunkt Vinyl

17 The Nicks - Sunday Stripper

18 Going Commando - Bam Bam Gigalo

19 The Quicksteps - Through & Through

20 K-Mob - Fistful of Satisfaction

21 The Skatoons - Tschüss

22 Outro 

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Saxawhaman

 The first time I heard of the French band Saxawhaman was on the first "Skankin' 'Round the World" compilation with the song Le Robot. I'm willing to bet that's when you first heard the name too. In those days it was easy to find out information about every band on that compilation except for this band. When I first started exploring the internet this is one of the bands I was looking for but I never found anything about them.

Thankfully Discogs came along and I could, at least, know what else they recorded which eventually revealed that they released very little. 

The band later changed their name to Les Saxas and they released even less. Officially Les Saxas only ever put out two songs for the good people of the world. The song Chez Fefer from the "Vive le Ska" compilation from 1989 and the song Gueule De Bois which was not released as an audio track but on a video called Bar'ouffs from 1990 that was only released on VHS - probably Region 2 which means that American VCRs wouldn't have been able to play the tape. (NTSC as opposed to PAL) but, despite that, I have included the song in this download. 

 

The music offered in this download is a lot of incredible rare pieces of ska history but the sound quality of these tracks are not very good. If you are a casual ska fan you might want to skip this one but if you are a true skarcheologist (I forget who coined this term many years ago, but I thank them!) you will really appreciate this post. 

 

 Saxawhaman - Maquette* (demo tape recorded on the 11th of April, 1986)

1 Fuera de la Lei

2 Midnight Madness

3 Sweet Honey Moon on My Blue Bird

Saxawhaman - Saxawhaman* (demo tape from 1987 with re-recorded versions of two songs from the first demo tape)

1 Zombie's Night

2 Fuera de la Lei

3 Sweet Honey Moon on My Blue Bird

This, and the song Le Robot, is all I have by this band aside from a few live songs I found on YouTube:

*Fuera de la Lei (live)

*White Man (live) - Clash cover

*La Bamba (yes, this is a cover too - Richie Valens - but you knew that)

And then I threw in the first song that Les Saxas played the first time they played live. It's an instrumental and I don't know what the title of the song is. I stole it from YouTube. 

Then there are these three Les Saxas songs

*Chez Fefer

*Guele de Bois (from the VHS tape)

*Saint Kemar

They actually do have other songs floating around out there but I don't have them. If anybody does, please let me know.

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*For the record I do own these original cassettes and I am willing to part with them. If you need to own these artifacts - these museum pieces of ska history - let me know. We'll talk.

Müllerbeat

 This was a German ska band that had some noticeable influence from The Police but their overall sound - especially the vocals - is very much comparable to Fischer Z. 

Müllerbeat - Don't Call Me Müller (1992)

1 Call Me Müller

2 Shelter

3 Home

4 Outside the Door

5 Big Girl

6 Love on the 2nd Floor

7 The World is Too Big

8 Better Side of Me

9 1000 Words

10 It's Alright

11 No Care

12 Mackintosh

13 Night

 Müllerbeat - Jig 'n' Jostle (demo tape 1990)

1 Experts

2 The Earth is Round

3 Hometown

4 Love on the 2nd Floor

5 Just Look Around

6 1000 Words

7 (This is a) Song About

8 The World is Too

9 Big Girl

10 Outside the Door

11 untitled

12 untitled 

toneandwave · Müllerbeat - Love on the 2nd Floor (1992)

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

Since we're on the subject of Fischer Z I must say that I am really a big fan. I have just about all of their music. It should be noted that one of their earliest releases was a ska-inspired song - The Worker - and they maintained a bit of a ska influence throughout their long history as a band. 

At one point there was a dispute between the band and the record label so the band renamed itself The Cry and their first release under the new name was a ska song called Take It Round Again.

 For my American friends I have to explain that the name "Fischer Z" is pronounced "fischer zed" or, more appropriately "Fishes Head".

 John Watts is a clever man and great song writer with as great unique voice. Watch this video where he explains the story behind The Worker. 

Septic Tank Disasters - You've Got STDs (2004)

 

1 Ghost Track

2 Boredom

3 Skambo #5

4 Trouble in Paradise

5 South America

6 Million Dollar Idea

7 Fraud

8 Evil Son

9 Hometown

10 Message in a Bottle

toneandwave · Septic Tank Disasters - Evil Son (2004)

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The Ventilators - Live Demo Tape (1992)

 

This is another tape that I do not own because nobody owns this one. It was never released. Thankfully a YouTube channel posted it and I respectfully stole it to share it with you. They also have the other Ventilators demo tape called"Ska" that I previously posted HERE and it has the correct titles. There were no titles listed on the tape or card so I had to guess and I got a couple wrong. I've been meaning to update the tracks on Discogs. That channel is called Radio Skamachine and they also have some other rare Ventilators live recordings.

 

1 Saddle Up

2 Take Me Away

3 Jean's Theme 1

4 Cha War

5 Jean's Theme 2 (Flying Saucer)

6 Rude Boys

7 Remembrance

8 Meteors

9 Johnny be Good

10 Brand New Lover

11 Matt's Theme

12 Political

13 You're Wondering Now

 

 

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The Skandals - Alive with Pleasure (1996)

 This band was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and this is probably the only thing they ever released. This is (I'm guessing) a demo tape but it was professionally made with a printed shell and the quality of the music is a superior product for a demo tape. 

I like a lot of these old ska and ska/punk tapes for the novelty factor of me having actually been there and knowing what these bands sound like live but I know it doesn't translate very well to people these days who weren't there and have nothing but a hissy tape to prove these bands existed, but this one stands out above most of the others to me.

With that in mind I want you to compare any of those other old ska demo tapes with this one. Can you agree that this band was a little more advanced than most of the others? The songwriting? The lyrics? The musicianship? 

They have their flaws, I'm not going to lie, but I really wish they had done more.

I'm impressed.

1 Minute Woe Milk*

2 Sport Bowl 39

3 Assembly Line**

4 Amnesia

5 Morning

6 Face the Music

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*The title on the tape is Minute Woe Milk but Cullen James, who was in the band, posted this song on his YouTube channel*** with the title Minute Lube Milk. I can't imagine what the real title is. 

**The song Assembly Line appeared on the 1998 compilation "American Skathic 4".

***His YouTube channel is where I respectfully stole all of these songs from. I don't have my own copy of this tape.

Beat Fetish - Is It Time? (1992)

 This was a ska/rock band from Albuquerque who released this cassette-only mini album in 1992. The first side, in fact, the first five songs are ska or ska-inspired. The last two songs are a little too "Hootie and the Blowfish" for my taste. 

I'm not really a big fan of hippie music - especially pop-hippie music (but I do have my favorites - I can listen to Jimi but I can't hear Jimi - I get it) so I don't really waste too many seconds of my life listening to Steve Miller's song "The Joker". I know a lot of people like it and they are entitled to their own weird opinion. The only popular song from this era that I dislike more than The Joker is American Pie. "I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry"?? Who wrote this? A drunk toddler? 

Anyway, I'm saying this because this tape has a cover of The Joker that I actually like. I'm a hard sell for this kind of thing but I give it my approval. I'll allow it. 

At least it's not Woolly Bully.

 Again. 

Ska bands need to leave Woolly Bully alone and, at least once, I'd like to hear a ska band cover another Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs song like "VooDoo Doll"

 

But I digress. 

 

1 It Is Time

2 Feed the War

3 I'm at Home

4 The Joker

5 Just One Thing

6 Round & Round

7 Isolation Man

toneandwave · Beat Fetish - Feed the War (1992)

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Skaramouche - Never Ever Touch (2004)

 This is a band from Switzerland who only released this one album.

1 The Continuing Story of C.

2 Space Invaders

3 Dance the Night Away

4 Senseless

5 Don't Tell Me

6 Twenty

7 What's Come to be

8 Bungertwies

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Eleventh Hour Band

 This is one of those punk bands that played a lot of ska in their reportoire. They released two CDs that I know of but they probably have a demo tape out there somewhere. 

The Eleventh Hour Band - Flying Taco (1997)

1 Derevaun Seraun

2 Deep Pockets

3 Myself

4 Erin

5 Crazy People

6 We're all Freaks

7 Fall by the Wayside

8 Leave

9 Goat Milk

10 Yipee Dal Doo, Hootie Dah Dae

11 Nine Times Out of Ten

 

 Eleventh Hour Band - The Eleventh Hour Band (1999)

1 Unfriendly

2 Another Day

3 Better than Them

4 Come Alive

5 Superstar

6 D.U.I.

7 In My Dreams

 8 Piece of My Soul

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Jack's Reference Band - We're Troppo 7" (1986)

 This is a British mod band that I can't find any information about. This might be their only release. The B-side is a sax-laden mod tune that they say is a tribute to Booker T. and the MGs. I don't know too much about Booker T. (nor the MGs for that matter) so it's possible this is a cover song. If so, I have never heard the original version and I don't want to. I like this version just fine. 

The A-side is a ska song that will have you singing along "We are trouble" if you're not paying attention. 

A - We're Troppo

B - The Face

toneandwave · Jack's Reference Band - We're Troppo (1986)

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The Fashionable Male - An Upscale Ska Band on the Second Floor

 I think this band was from Canada. I don't know what year this CD is from. It's a CD in a glossy cardboard sleeve that is not glued together but there are faint traces of glue that used to be there. That means it's a least a decade or two old. I dunno.

1 Crop Rotation

2 Talk to Me

3 Que Sera

4 Salt & Lime

5 Little Whity Panty Fun

6 Once a Month

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The Vicars - The Vicars (2005)

 Third wave ska punk from Philadelphia. More ska than punk. I don't know if they released anything besides this album.

1 Twilight of the Gods

2 This City

3 2 Fisted Justice

4 Lottery

5 Rivers of Babylon

6 Crash of the Titan

7 Extinction

8 Sad Song

9 Streak

10 Agents of Change

11 Old Man Witherspoon's Haunted Amusement Park

12 Winter Solstice

13 Every Word You Said

 

toneandwave · The Vicars - Lottery

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Catchup Squad - Dutch Duck on Parade (2003)

 This was a female-fronted Unicorn-style ska band from the Netherlands who didn't release much in their short time as a band. I think this is it but I hope I'm wrong. 

I had this since about 2005 and I never had a front cover for it. I have looked for an image and found a thumbnail that I tried to make bigger and ran it through a filter and now it looks god-awful.

1 You're Worth It

2 Feel the Groove

3 Another Song About Unity

4 Spring Season

5 Passing the Dark

6 Do You Listen?

toneandwave · Catchup Squad - You're Worth It

 

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Skaloot [Denmark]

 This band was from Denmark. They were active to some degree from the mid 90s to, at least, 2007 but it doesn't seem like they released very much in that time. 

 This is what I have by them: a 3-song tape, possibly demo tape, from 1995 that was more punk than their other releases. And one CD that is titled "Our Danish Collection" but it is a CD-R sold by the band and it includes both of their EPs.  With this CD I have high quality music from both of their CD EPs but I still have "Great Danes of Ska" in my wantlist on Discogs only for the CD artwork. I have looked for the cover to their first CD for years. I have only been able to find a thumbnail which I have blown up into this blurry mess you see here.

Skaloot - Skamen Hurlers (1996)

 1 Frontpage

2 We all Made the Rules

3 Getting so High

 

 

Skaloot - Great Danes of Ska (2000)

 1 She Goes

2 Out on the Town

3 The Bartender and Me

4 Don't wanna be in Love

5 Shopping

 

 

Skaloot - Our Danish Collection (2007)

 1 Miniskirt Marie*

2 One Little Word

3 Vlad

4 Baby Tell the Truth

5 The Sun is Out

The intro on Miniskirt Marie is the voice of  Sebastian Herbert who released an album in 2001 called Pangea. You can hear Pangea on THIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

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Few Cents Short - Ghetto Phabulous (1998)

 Horn-heavy 3rd wave ska-punk.

1 Alone

2 Don't Know Anymore

3 Few Cents Short

4 Smile

5 Evolution

6 Jump Up

7 Out of Her Hair

8 Bad News Bears

9 Lost

10 Skinny Asian

11 Slow One

12 Naked Savage Disco

13 (Put on Your) Skankin' Shoes

14 She Did 

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va Cable Street Beat Presents - Have Fun, Fight Fascism (1999)

 

I'm too lazy right now to type out the whole tracklist so here it is:

I think just about all of these tracks can be found on other releases but I'm pretty sure the Rare 'N' Tasty song is only available on this comp. 

 

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Time Circle - Give all the Praise 7" (1982)

 I know nothing about this band. This is probably their only release. It's laid back ska/reggae.  

My copy doesn't sound very good. I was able to edit the A-side enough to make it listenable but it's still very crackly.  The B-side is just too far gone.

 

A - Give all the Praise

B - Give all the Praise (Dub Version)

 

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Garden Weasels

 

This is a punk band from Colorado who plays more ska than most punk bands from this era.

Their Discogs page shows another album but,trust me, that is not the same band. 

The Garden Weasels - Hey, Sue Us (1994)

1 Dance

2 I'll Try to be so Good... (The Pop Song)

3 Your Green Thumb

4 I'm so Bored

5 Uncoil Your Hose

6 Spade Me Baby

7 It Means Nothing 

8 Lay My Hoe Down

9 Weasels

10 Ground Hogs

11 Falling Down

12 Cool Love

13 Inside My Fence

 

 The Garden Weasels - Lawn Job (1997)

1 Buster...The Killer Clown

2 Rock Star City

3 Heart Like a Chainsaw

4 Mrs. Rhododendron

5 Weasels in My Pants

6 Innocent Man

7 Inclement Weather

8 Drought

9 Chasing You

10 Vertigo

11 Girl

12 Vacancy

13 Buster...The Euro Mix

(Tracks 14 through 24 alternate between blank tracks and short answering machine messages)

25 Santa Likes to Garden

 

 The Garden Weasels - Filler (1998)

1 I Don't Wanna Know

2 Speak to Me

3 Whatever You Say

4 Wrecked

5 Green with Envy

6 Killer '96

7 Bang

8 Skankin' Santa

9 (blank track)

10 (blank track)

11 I Don't Wanna Know - Know Mix

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