Ska music reviews

This is a great little diddy by the boys from Maryland. If you can track down the even earlier tapes from the original Skunks, you'll find even better stuff. The Skunks opened up a couple times for The Townsmen in late 1988. The Townsmen toured for a short while with The Now, thus creating the tri-ad of Maryland based Ska/Funk/Jazz/Fusion between The Skunks/The Townsmen/The Now.

This is the Skunks first album. The cd covers many types of ska, from traditional/swing to spanish music to 3rd wave ska. The amazing aspect is that they pull off each shift perfectly. This is certainly one of the finest ska recordings available from one of the most talented ska bands ever. Be sure to get it while you can because the Skunks no longer exist.

This could easily be the Insyderz' best album. Even if it isn't, it's a VERY strong debut album. This comes from back in the day when the boys from Detroit were seven members strong: their horn section was different, and they had a second percussionist. All the musicians are excellent, but for me Al Brown's cornet playing truly makes the album. (Al left the Insyderz after this album. He played with BUCK on their self-titled CD - another excellent album - and played as a guest musician with the OC Supertones on "HiFi Revival" - yet another excellent album. Al has now rejoined the Insyderz, who are now recording their fifth album. But I digress.)
The best songs:
COMPADRE: An instrumental song. Just a tad repetitive, but it has a cool beat and catchy, Latino-ish horns.
THIS I KNOW: A very fun eclectic song. I love the a capella/gospel bit and the swingy outro.
ENTHOS: This rocks. A furiously driving beat, and some awesome background horns in the second verse. I don't know why, but the horn rhythm makes me think of surf rock.
WALKING DEAD: Another song that sounds even more like surf rock, but with a bit more groove.
WEEBLES: the Insyders bust out their reggae groove. Fun.
A ROCK IN MY ROLLER SKATE (Hidden track): More of an old-school, maybe second-wave, ska sound. Light, just a little bit jazzy, with completely ridiculous lyrics (I think they were trying to be corny). My favorite song from the album.
But of course the other songs I didn't mention are good also. EXCEPT for two songs: FUNKTIFIED BROTHER LOVE: Too repetitive, but at least it's short. SACRIFICE: The only irritating song on the album. Remember the song "The Hunted"? This is an earlier, unsuccessful attempt at that same style. I just skip this track.
Aside from that, this is an excellent work of ska/metal. The Insyderz skank and ROCK!

Although I have yet to hear any studio project that truly captures the experience of seeing them live, I would still highly recommend any of their studio recordings. I can't believe they haven't broken out and become famous yet. And by the way, Landis perfected his freaky fashion style long before Andre 3000...

AMS are a fabulous band from Baltimore, Maryland. They combine power pop, funk and guitar rock into a groovilicious ball of fun. Their recordings are great and their shows are better. Imagine melding Nirvana with P-Funk and you have AMS.

The first time I heard this CD was during a massage. I was in a semi state of conciousness when the song "The Earth is Calling Our Name" came on and this immediatly caught my attention. A very powerful song, one that goes into you. If this song doesn't make you think, something's wrong.

Whether you're listening inside on a rainy day or walking among the trees, this beautiful CD will open your mind to the wonder of Earth and your own connection to her. Multi-layered and nuanced with birdsongs, flute and drum and the healing chants of Cha-das-ska-dum, you'll want to listen over and over again, and will hear something new each time. This is the perfect CD for meditation, yoga, artistic inspiration or relaxation.

Janitors Against Apartheid never made it huge or to the
top, but they got damn close, you could say they where
"almost famous". In the 7 years that the band was active
many line-up changes where made. Serveral demos had been released and distributed to the right connections, such as more
popular bands, and promoters. The first line-up consisted of
a singer who was a cross between EnCino Man, Pee-Wee Herman and
Morrisey. So most people don't know about the original singer unless there a die-hard JAA fan. Soon after the departure of the original singer and a line-up change for drummers The band had plenty of shows and tour under there belt that they became one of the most respected underground bands during the 3rd wave ska-era.

The release of Nerds was a triumphing experience for the
group with thanks to SKA Ledgends Skankin Pickle, the CD
was put out on their label Dill records. A huge tour followed
with the group MU-330. It was this tour that the manager/band member quit before hitting the road. With no supervision or
managment, the band went on a frenzy of drugs, booze, and chaos which was comparable to Hunter S. Thompson "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas". When the tour finished and Nerds sold thousands of copies, the bands dream of being larger than life rockstars was taken away from them.

In Los Angeles during a regular one off show, a group
of people claiming to be record label excutives showed
up and said they wanted to sign us. It turns out that they
where lawyers from a Candy company, serving papers that
said they where sueing for Tradmark Infrindgment, (basicly
for ripping off the Nerd's Candy logo without permisson).
News spread of the lawsuit, band moral was at an all time low
band members quit out of faliure and a dream taken away.
The band was to forge on with new members and shows, but
the last original member quit, because the fact was, the party was over. JAA and Dill Records ended up paying the
full ammout asked from the Candy Company. As of yet
there are no talks of a JAA reunion, but the question you
have to ask is, would people still remember these guys?

Nerds was the first and last of a wonderful and stange time during the rise and fall of the 3-Wave-Ska generation..

this cd is amazing, its a fun, and fast paced cd. i guarantee it will brighten your day. buy it yo. you will be glad you did

Bob, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer (and Rita and Marcia, too). Backed by the Skatalites on many cuts. Early Wailers, when they were all together. The early Wailers have a deep, transcendently great catalog of music, and this is just a taste (even stronger material remains in the vaults). This particular set's value lies in its heights, not in its coconsistency. There are some absolute gems, e.g., "This Train," Simmer Down," "I'm Gonna Put It On," "Jailhouse," and early versions of songs such as "Bend Down Low." Other material, including alternate takes, good but not as strong. If you're not familiar with the pre-Island, pre Scratch Perry- era Wailers, this is a good place to start.

I loved this album, it made me laugh "send all your Money" and cry.. really great music

This album is hard to describe. You could say that it's a combination of a lot of musical styles, but that wouldn't do it justice. Maybe we should say that it's a masterful amalgamation of many different styles in music. There, that sounds more "critical."

This album is great. The musicians are incredible, but still seem to convey emotion through their playing. The songs are technically atounding, but at the same time fun.

Just buy the album. It's awesome!

I don't know. I'm a huge ska/punk fan. When I heard "My Town" about a year ago (I don't know how I had never heard of Buck-o-nine before), I went crazy. The band is incredible. The EP is pretty nifty. It has 4 songs that have the same general sound I think of when I think Buck-o-nine and then "Pass The Dutchie" which is some really, really awesome reggae ska. I love it. Sounds like something The Pilfers would do. If you like Buck-o-nine or ska in general pick this up. It's awesome:)

This CD is the best Buck-O-Nine CD available. It includes a great cover of "Pass The Dutchie" and a great remix of "28 Teeth". All of the songs are great and the CD can be played all the way through without getting sick of it, like their CD "Twenty Eight Teeth" is. BUY THIS CD!

Maybe I haven't listened to this CD enough to give it a fair review. However, two times was all I could take. After losing Alexander McCabe and Osho Endo, its seemed Mephiskapheles has lost all of it's songwriting skills. Take my word for it. If you liked God Bless Satin and Maximum Perversion, this album will be a pretty big dissapointment.

I was really surprised to find this new album sitting at Best Buy one day. I didn't even hear anything about a new album. I must say that every song on this album is cool. I just love the demonic type sounds with the dark horns and organ. I really like the cover art too. A must have for any ska fan.

Meph has done it again in fine fashion, unleashing the beast on unsuspecting "Rudeboys" and "Rudegirls" everywhere. This album is brilliant, proving that one can have many influences and pull them together into a cohesive whole.For those who would condemn Meph for not being "Ska" enough, I can only say this........ Open your tiny little slammed-shut minds and dig the groove...leave the labels for the soup cans.. This is a must have!

These are great songs. Toots is great, but this particular CD mix sounds as if the staff at House of Reggae records (the label for this issue) just held a dictahpone recorder up to some speakers while the master tapes were playing and then transfered that to CD. A lot of reggae bands get this treatment from indie labels, and you feel bad for the bands because good quality mixes are out there. A band gets a bad deal from rough-sounding mixes. They tend to make the band sound cheap and inferior, and Toots and the Maytals especially suffers when their clean, slick vocals sound as if they were recorded in a metal cage. Stick to a reputable label. Don't buy this version.

This album contains a few classic Toots and the Maytals songs, "Monkey Man," "Sweet and Dandy," "Pressure Drop," etc. But the quality of this pressing is so bad, you'd be better off skipping it. It's the same situation with most the early Bob Marley/Wailers recordings: Those early recordings are licensed out to just about anyone, and for the most part, the quality is garbage. The only reliable recordings I have found of Toots and the Maytals (and early Bob Marley/Wailers) are those which appear on Island Records (e.g., IN MEMPHIS, JUST LIKE THAT) and Trojan (e.g., IN THE DARK), Island Records being the highest quality. It's unfortunate that the majority of the Maytals cds presently available are low-quality pressings---and this pressing of MONKEY MAN is one of them. Stay clear.

I bought this cd because I was curious about Jamaican music from the era before Bob Marley, Burning Spear and The Abyssinians. The cheap price convinced me I can take a risk.
What I found was great music. Toots sounds like a Jamaican Otis Redding at times. His singing is very emotional, and the music is uplifting. You should expect low-fi sound, though.
I like "We Shall Overcome", "54-46" and "Sweet and dandy" more than the rest, but they are all fine songs.
This music is close to reggae and in some cases to 60's soul. It is a great CD for people who want to learn the roots of reggae and to create new music that has firm foundations.