Horns: Ska Edition

The first thing I thought of when I saw this week's theme was, "Time for some ska". My first introduction to ska music came in 1979. It sounded like this:

Madness: One Step Beyond

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I loved what I was hearing. I sought out all the ska I could find at the time, which led me to the Specials, Bad Manners, the English Beat, and the Selector. As I learned about the context for this music, I learned that ska was brought to England by Jamaican immigrants. The music was a precursor of reggae, popular in the 1960s. Once in England, the Jamaican immigrants started jamming with white English musicians who brought a punk element to the music. In the 1980s, the ska bands were the first interracial home-grown bands the English had seen. So this wave of ska bands referred to themselves as two-tone bands, and the label stuck.

So, I wondered, what did the Jamaican version sound like? I learned that the leading Jamaican ska band in the 1960s was the Skatalites. Unfortunately, most of the recordings from this period are very poor quality, but the music shines through. Roland Alphonso was originally a member of the Skatalites, and as heard here, he has remained faithful to the original Jamaican sound.

Roland Alphonso & The Soul Brothers: Phoenix City

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Eventually, ska came to America in the late 1990s, in what is referred to as "the third wave". Some of the American bands have added a pop-punk accent to the sound, but I prefer those who have built on the two-tone sound. On of the best of these is the Toasters. They have remained faithful to their version of ska for many years.

The Toasters: Freedom

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No one ever got rich playing ska, unfortunately. So many musicians who love the music, and play it well, don't stay with it; they broaden their sound to try to draw a wider audience, and wind up leaving the style behind. Save Ferris was a great ska band for one album; by the time they released their second album, all traces of the style had vanished. But that one album was great.

Save Ferris: Goodbye

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Side note: If anybody has an mp3 of "In The Middle of the Night" by Madness, from One Step Beyond, please post it in the comments. Thanks.


Submitted by Darius