Ska music reviews

It was a better than average album and I enjoyed it. I believe it ranks three in their best stuff.

This album contains a good portion of Five Iron Frenzy's best songs, including their consensus best song, "A Flowery Song." There are some tracks I find a bit annoying, boring, or repetitive in the middle of the album, but the beginning and the end make it worthwhile. A lot of the songs won't be the type to be your favorite song, but they're enjoyable to listen to. Not just that, but unlike a lot of ska, Five Iron Frenzy songs often make you want to sing along. The lyrics are actually a bit heavy with political and social commentary, but that's easy enough to ignore if you want to.

If you're looking for some poppy ska, buy this album, and you won't regret it, if only because you'll hear "A Flowery Song."

Classic Five iron. and it got to me fast and brand new! thanks for the good service! five iron frenzy rocks!

It was a better than average album and I enjoyed it. I believe it ranks three in their best stuff.

This album contains a good portion of Five Iron Frenzy's best songs, including their consensus best song, "A Flowery Song." There are some tracks I find a bit annoying, boring, or repetitive in the middle of the album, but the beginning and the end make it worthwhile. A lot of the songs won't be the type to be your favorite song, but they're enjoyable to listen to. Not just that, but unlike a lot of ska, Five Iron Frenzy songs often make you want to sing along. The lyrics are actually a bit heavy with political and social commentary, but that's easy enough to ignore if you want to.

If you're looking for some poppy ska, buy this album, and you won't regret it, if only because you'll hear "A Flowery Song."

Classic Five iron. and it got to me fast and brand new! thanks for the good service! five iron frenzy rocks!

This cd changed my life. So many different styles are incorporated into this album, and the delivery is perfect. It goes from punk-ish, to rock, to reggae, all with a touch of the ska. The lyrics to some of these songs are...can't put into words. The sound of Matt Embree's voice is out of this world, so much pain, yet so much happiness. All of this may sound kind of stupid, but that is because I can't find any words to describe how unbelievable this cd is. Buy it, or don't, either way it is still a landmark for its genre, err time.

This cd continues to blow me away. Luckily, this was the first cd of the Bandits' I bought...if I bought either of the other 2, I wouldn't have wanted to buy another album of their's. Their first album is full of sub-par 3rd wave ska songs with bad lyrics, and their 3rd album is full of experimental, hard-to-define rock. On the other hand, this cd is almost perfect. They combine a few different types of music: punk, rock, reggae, ska, you name it. Every single track on this cd is solid, and some of the choruses are so catchy it will blow your mind. Listen to the chorus on "Status" and you will hear one of the best, catchiest choruses ever. Another great thing about this cd is the fact that it never really gets old. The singer has a distinct voice, the band has a pretty distinct sound, and you can tell they love to make music. The only flaw to speak of on this cd is the Bandits' strange desire to add another minute or two of feedback or weird sounds to the end of every song. That is irritating, but if you don't mind changing tracks at the end of every great song, then buy this. And it is worth it.

Rx Bandits are a unique blend of many influences, most heavily ska. However I would not call RXB ska since they have various influences including raggae and latin. This cd is more heavily leaned toward ska than anything else. This is also the more poppy of the RXB cd's. It also displays the amount of talent and versatility, that only RXB has. Check out "Analog Boy" and "Infection."

... "if dimension, fidelity, and artistry are more your bag, Live pretty much bites. --Sue VanHecke"

Sorry Sue, I can't agree with that. Saying the Bosstones lack artistry is almost laughable. The Tones showcase some of the most talented musicians I've come across in my time. Masterful bass playing, a tight brass section, excellent guitar work and frankly, Dicky Barrett's vocal's are individual, endearing and soulful.

All up a great CD!

Wow...wow is all I can say about this display of live concert music. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are my favorite band, and I completed my collection of their cd's by laying down $18 for this cd- and I don't regret it oooone bit.
Between the awesome blend of songs from all their albums and the raw energy being witnessed, this cd can please anyone who's in the room. Cd's such as Devil's Night Out and More Noises and Other Disturbances weren't all that great to me...but this cd has made me come to love both of those "okay" cd's just because hearing some older songs by MMB played live seemed to bring a new light over them!
It's plain and simple...BUY THIS ALBUM! It's a must-have for annny MMB fan.

Like the Grateful Dead, the Bosstones are better live than recorded. This is essentially a live greatest hits album. It has all the songs of theirs that I could name, good sound, and an amazing 22 tracks. It's the only Bosstones disc I need, especially with "Where'd you go", "Someday I suppose", and half of the "Let's face it" album. Who needs that anymore. If you enjoy that "live" energy, and listen to bands like Fishbone and The Reverend Horton Heat, you'll love this.

I've had this CD for 3 years now and I never get sick of it. I've seen Streetlight Manifesto in concert twice and they're even better live then on CD. I can't get over this awesome CD. If you think this CD is great then also check out and try to find a band called Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. It was a side project Tomas did before he formed SM. They even did the song "Here's to Life". Also check out the re-release of Keasbey Nights the SM version. It's the same album as the Catch 22 release but it's done by SM and sounds a LOT better and some songs have extra lyrics to them.

i'm not a kid, this is just easier.

Pretty much, this is about the only third wave cd that doesnt completley suck. Its, in fact, really freakin good.

(but what about operation ivy? some may say. Yes yes yes they are quite amazing. but not ska. they are punk.)

Because it is seriously amazing. It's not as fast as Kalnoky's previous work in Catch-22, but it carries a much more refined sound. The songs are more heartfelt, profound and arranged than anything I have heard in a long time, especially out of the ska scene. Though some of the intros are hit or miss, when the songs pick up, they are thoroughly amazing. Pick this up, NOW.

I liked this CD a lot at first, but as I listened to more and more music of the same genre, it really couldn't compare. I can never, tell what the lead singer is saying, but I don't mind that so much. It's just that the tunes aren't super catchy. What I do really like about this CD however is the creativity. The Mad Caddies can play just about ANY style of music. It's fun at first, it's just that the sound isn't as professional. The base line is also weak, which I think has a lot to do with my distaste for it. One thing I love about most ska bands is a strong base line, something this CD lacks. Other than that though, this CD has some interesting tunes. It's jsut not all it's cracked up to be.

I love ska, it is my favorite kind of music. And the mad caddies are easily my second or third favorite ska band. they use more horns than most third wave ska bands do, almost enough to call them 2 tone. "one shot" "monkeys" and "popcorn" are definitely my favorite tracks on the album, "one shot" is an amazing song, it's about 3 times the length of an average ska song, and really slow, really chill, a perfect recipe for some serious skankin.

ive never really been a huge fan of ska but its always fun to listen to it every now and then. my frind told me that these guys were good so i went to best buy and bought this one because it was the only one in stock. i was surprised that the songs were so good. tottally worth it and the songs get you happy no matter what! my favorite track right now i Macho Nachos. buy it, its tottally worth it!

minus the horrible recording quaility this is easily the best supertones cd, this is when they were original, fresh, this is the supertones at there best, adonai is a classic 'tones song, who can be against me has a sweet sax solo, unknown is really really catchy, never wanna fall has a catchy guitar riff to it, roots is the only song i didnt like but its still ok, heaven is a very reasuring song with reasuring lyrics, he will always be there is they faster song on the album, mojo sounds good in exalt, found is probably the best song, orange county has crisp horns and a guest vocalist in it, i love god has no horns but is probably one of the stronger songs on the album, blood washed pilgram is a reggae influenced song and a great song to end the album on, buy this one and you will never regret it

I really love the Supertones, and I'd have to say that this is their best CD. The lyrics are amazing; they put out a great message. The best part's gotta be the horns though. They are really clean and do a great job. Dan Spencer is awesome!!! My favorite song on here is "He Will Always Be There", but "Adonai" and "Heaven" are close behind. This band is definitely one to get interested in if you already haven't.

This is were it all started for the O.C. Supertones. The firt CD released under toothandnail, before they went to BEC. It is a ska CD, but a very good SKA CD. This is a must buy for ska fans!

When this album came out most punx I knew were totally into it. I know I was. There'd been that music scene of the B 52's, BLONDIE, ELVIS COSTELLO, JOE JACKSON and TALKING HEADS. Punk had exploded onto the scene as well, of course, The SEX PISTOLS, The CLASH, The DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, BAD BRAINS. Punk had always had some sorta connection to reggae, BAD BRAINS being the quintessinal creator of sublime punk as well as non-sleepy reggae songs.

A whole new form of music came smashing into existance, that nutty Two-Tone sound. MADNESS, The SELECTOR, The SPECIALS and The ENGLISH BEAT. There was no equivilent in the U.S. It was a pure UK import. In the UK there'd been musical movements in modern rock including Mods and other stuff that never fully translated to the U.S. But the SPECIALS' first album here sure did. It hit us smack in the face. This is one of those albums that's perfect. There's no weak song. You could listen to a MADNESS album and find maybe 2 great songs. i was never particularly fond of The SELECTOR. The ENGLISH BEAT's first album was also a pure delight. However, this SPECIALS' album was a stunner. It was so good that it immediately took its place as the premier Two-Tone release, as far as everybody I knew in the punk scene was concerned. We could tell this wasn't New Wave, it wasn't some big music business over produced musical Frankenstein meant to appeal to the masses. This was honest, high energy cousin of reggae and we knew it when we saw/heard it.

That two tone piece of having black guys and white guys in the band was just another delight. There were very few black or brown guys (I may have been one of 5 brown guys in the San Diego punk scene in the late 70's, early 80's till I stumbled across the Tijuana punk scene, plenty 'o brown punx there. A delightful scene). The good news was, I never picked up a hint of racism amongst the mainly white, mainly male punk scene in San Diego or L.A. Of course, that doesn't count the skin heads. And some of them were into the ska thing and not particularly racist.

What's the true test of a classic, a masterpiece? It's what does it sound like 10, 20, 30 years later. Give this slab 'o vinyl (er, cd) a listen. You can tell each song is a hit. Beautifully crafted fun, high energy, creative musical gems. Did you see them on their Saturday Night Live set? Musta been about 1980. Whew, I don't remember a single other band, before or since, on that show, that was as full on energetic and jumpin' around and firing on all pistons as the SPECIALS were.

As you may know, this was their peak. Everything they did after this, well, one album really and several singles and a great 12" (Ghost Town) were all they could muster before they broke up, transforming into SPECIALS AKA and splintering into other groups, never to recapture or continue to create songs as fully realized as the ones on this record although it's way worth getting that 12".

Aside from the first two ENGLISH BEAT albums, this album is, by far, the premier late 70's, early 80's two tone ska album. It takes no effort to buy this baby. No trust. Just get it if you don't have it. Heck, I might get it just to see those 2 videos on this enhanced cd. I am partial to vinyl records with one proviso, ok, two, pops and cracks inevitably show up and they aren't nearly as portable as cds. But their size is a great advantage for albums with good album covers. When a bunch of other reviewers reach concensus, listen to them. It's a winner. If there's any negative reviews here, then the person must not be into high quality ska. It's as simple as that. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Well I'm not a kid, but M. Fantino, The Specials didn't influence The Clash on Pressure Drop. Toots and the Maytals did, seeing as how Pressure Drop is actually a Maytals song, not a Clash song. Just a heads up.

p.s. Check the Maytals out, they rock my skull.

It irks me a little when people actually like bands like No Doubt and Sublime. It infuriates me that no one knows that the Specials could veritably rip all these new school California pansies new ones. The Specials are my all time favorite SKA band, and this is hands down the best album from them. It's got that stunning blend of punk, reggae and funk that no one has really been able to copy succesfully. Everyone I have revealed this album seems to adore it.

When this album came out most punx I knew were totally into it. I know I was. There'd been that music scene of the B 52's, BLONDIE, ELVIS COSTELLO, JOE JACKSON and TALKING HEADS. Punk had exploded onto the scene as well, of course, The SEX PISTOLS, The CLASH, The DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, BAD BRAINS. Punk had always had some sorta connection to reggae, BAD BRAINS being the quintessinal creator of sublime punk as well as non-sleepy reggae songs.

A whole new form of music came smashing into existance, that nutty Two-Tone sound. MADNESS, The SELECTOR, The SPECIALS and The ENGLISH BEAT. There was no equivilent in the U.S. It was a pure UK import. In the UK there'd been musical movements in modern rock including Mods and other stuff that never fully translated to the U.S. But the SPECIALS' first album here sure did. It hit us smack in the face. This is one of those albums that's perfect. There's no weak song. You could listen to a MADNESS album and find maybe 2 great songs. i was never particularly fond of The SELECTOR. The ENGLISH BEAT's first album was also a pure delight. However, this SPECIALS' album was a stunner. It was so good that it immediately took its place as the premier Two-Tone release, as far as everybody I knew in the punk scene was concerned. We could tell this wasn't New Wave, it wasn't some big music business over produced musical Frankenstein meant to appeal to the masses. This was honest, high energy cousin of reggae and we knew it when we saw/heard it.

That two tone piece of having black guys and white guys in the band was just another delight. There were very few black or brown guys (I may have been one of 5 brown guys in the San Diego punk scene in the late 70's, early 80's till I stumbled across the Tijuana punk scene, plenty 'o brown punx there. A delightful scene). The good news was, I never picked up a hint of racism amongst the mainly white, mainly male punk scene in San Diego or L.A. Of course, that doesn't count the skin heads. And some of them were into the ska thing and not particularly racist.

What's the true test of a classic, a masterpiece? It's what does it sound like 10, 20, 30 years later. Give this slab 'o vinyl (er, cd) a listen. You can tell each song is a hit. Beautifully crafted fun, high energy, creative musical gems. Did you see them on their Saturday Night Live set? Musta been about 1980. Whew, I don't remember a single other band, before or since, on that show, that was as full on energetic and jumpin' around and firing on all pistons as the SPECIALS were.

As you may know, this was their peak. Everything they did after this, well, one album really and several singles and a great 12" (Ghost Town) were all they could muster before they broke up, transforming into SPECIALS AKA and splintering into other groups, never to recapture or continue to create songs as fully realized as the ones on this record although it's way worth getting that 12".

Aside from the first two ENGLISH BEAT albums, this album is, by far, the premier late 70's, early 80's two tone ska album. It takes no effort to buy this baby. No trust. Just get it if you don't have it. Heck, I might get it just to see those 2 videos on this enhanced cd. I am partial to vinyl records with one proviso, ok, two, pops and cracks inevitably show up and they aren't nearly as portable as cds. But their size is a great advantage for albums with good album covers. When a bunch of other reviewers reach concensus, listen to them. It's a winner. If there's any negative reviews here, then the person must not be into high quality ska. It's as simple as that. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Well I'm not a kid, but M. Fantino, The Specials didn't influence The Clash on Pressure Drop. Toots and the Maytals did, seeing as how Pressure Drop is actually a Maytals song, not a Clash song. Just a heads up.

p.s. Check the Maytals out, they rock my skull.

It irks me a little when people actually like bands like No Doubt and Sublime. It infuriates me that no one knows that the Specials could veritably rip all these new school California pansies new ones. The Specials are my all time favorite SKA band, and this is hands down the best album from them. It's got that stunning blend of punk, reggae and funk that no one has really been able to copy succesfully. Everyone I have revealed this album seems to adore it.

Not much to say about this one. People said it was good so I got it, it was clearly a disappointment. I'm not orginally a ska-fan, I'm more into hardcore and punk, but I got into ska anyway becouse of all the skatepunk bands that play ska, NOFX of course, but mostly Operation Ivy(not really skatepunk though). "Energy" is probably the best ska/skapunk album ever, but Choking Victim's "No Gods, No Managers" together with both records by Leftover Crack is up there too. As some of yuo will understand, I'm more into the superfast ska mixed with hardcore more than Mustard Plug's ska-pop. Couse this isn't ska-punk, or even pop-punk/ska. Without speed, ska tends to get kind of boring. I can see why fans of Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger could like this, although this is softer than even them. Let's face it, all thoose bands are ska-pop bands (or just pop bands in later years) and not ska-punk bands. The only ska/pop-punk records i can stand is the records by Less Than Jake before hey sold out and "Why Do They Rock So Hard" by Reel Big Fish becouse they still are catchy. But this band goes so far beyond the pop limit, that you loose the wanting to headbang and sing along at all. I would instead recommend Catch 22 ("Keasby Nights" the only good album), the great Mad Caddies and the poppy but still talented Big D And The Kids Table. Plus of course the earlier mentioned ones.

I love this cd. I love ska and punk, but as a mother of two I like it to be not only clean but intelligent. Mustard Plug does not disappoint. Very smart. Very fun. Perfect.

This is an amazing ska cd by an amazing band. There music sounds awesome and the horn parts are especially cool. I don't really have much more to say about this cd other than "buy it". In my opinion, it is the best "Mustard Plug" cd out of the four I know of (Yellow # 5, Big Daddy Multitude, & Pray for Mojo are the names of the other three).

Overall, I give this album the highest score possible because I like ska a lot & "Evildoers Beware!" is my favorite cd by "Mustard Plug", which is one of my favorite ska bands.

I almost forgot to add: the best songs are Box, You, Go, & Beer Song.

I hope this review helped you.