Ska music reviews

Lol. One of my favorite quotes by Jesse Swann (See above review): "These words mostly sound like they're from the secret diary of a 12-year old boy who is starting to 'feel funny'about girls and wants to relay all the fun little games and inner feelings he has for that certain girl of his dreams to somebody." I certainly agree with this. This band sucks. It is borderline, crappy ska that no one should purchase. However, it is borderline ska, so I have to give it two stars. One star is reserved for Green Day and rap. If you want to listen to ska, check out Ska Masta Skibz's lists. Those will help you get an idea of what good music is.

If you like third wave ska, you'll like this album. Just a really really really really fun cd. The Hippos really know how make ska music to skank to.

I can't say much about how this cd relates to other ska groups because I don't listen to very much ska. But I love this album. (Perhaps those two facts combined say something, I don't know.)

Yes, some of the lines are a little cliche and it is all a tad poppish. And maybe if you're a music snob this will upset you. But, if you're a normal person looking for something fun to sing along with and bounce about to, this is a good choice.

I have always loved this band, "Fly was the song that got me into them, but when i bought this with "floored" I was so happy that everything else was pretty much hard rock. When 14:59 came out, I was happy with it, but i still missed the hard rock/metal outfit. I miss this band, because they havent put out a strong album since S/T 5 years ago. Bottom Line, Buy it. And why is everyone so surprised about this, I knew it from the beginning, thats why i loved this band! so buy it and check out what used to be...

I've actually known about their "black sheep" album, L&B for awhile now but was never really too motivated to check it out
until recently. The catalyst for me buying it was mainly hearing other people say, "they used to be a metal band" and being the diehard metalhead I am it intrigued me enough to actually interrupt my metal cd purshasing bonanza to buy this.

The results? Well I was pretty damn pleased! Especially with the song Mean Machine which is indeed the highlight of this funky off-beat album with it's amusing lyrics and catchy music. Mark McGrath sounds awesome on this album, he yells, speaks in funny voices it's awesome, he really mixes it up here. THEY EVEN CURSE! I know cursing hasn't been a big deal since middle school but when Sugar Ray does it then it is. I mean imagine if you found out N'Stink and the like starting cursing and going crazy, it would be a tad shocking don't you think? What's also cool about this album is that it seems to blend some funk, rap, hard rock, and a little bit of humor. Yes, it even has a skit... but don't worry it's not like the asinine skits that take up half of modern rap cds disc space (they're bad enough with the music alone) but a damn good one with music in the background to boot! I won't ruin it by telling ya what it is, buy the cd and find out yourself!

I have to be honest that I've always liked Sugar Ray, yes even their soft stuff. That's probably especially shocking to my fellow metalheads out there (keep in mind that's coming from a guy who listens to Slayer, Pantera, etc most of the time) but it's true. What can I say, it's a guilty pleasure of mine. Now I will do what others have done, show my friends the craziness that is old school Sugar Ray! By the way, yes I recommend this to basically everyone, I mean everyone at least likes some rock right? Anyone who doesn't like any rock is obviously inhuman and doesn't matter.

I never really cared much for Sugar Ray. I remember getting 14:59 as a present a few years ago, and I wasn't too interested in most of the tracks. But then again, that's because most of the tracks were the annoying, cheesy teenybopper drama movie-esque acoustic pop filler. Although I must admit I enjoyed Someday, for the most part the only tracks on the CD I enjoyed were the songs that were more influenced by either funk-metal or heavy alternative rock (with all due respect to the open-minded musical variety on the album that I admired). Thus, I would usually skip to the songs Personal Space Invader, Aim for Me, Burning Dog and Glory. On rare occassion I'd listen to the track Someday, but I was very conservative about listening to the song, because at the time it would be played so many times on the radio. For the most part, I'd find myself popping in 14:59 on occassion to this day just to listen to those specific tracks, and it still sits on my shelf to this day.

Well, one night I was with a friend and I popped in 14:59 and skipped to Personal Space Invader. While we were listening intently, my friend said "That reminds me, I just found out something really awesome about this band." I asked what it was, and he told me "I know this may sound weird, but Sugar Ray actually used to be a heavy metal band." Then he told me about Lemonade and Brownies. So I finally bought it and popped it into my CD drive.

I was extremely blown away! Not a single track on the album was intolerable (well, the actual music tracks anyway). Nice, basic, crunching, straight from the soul grunge/metal aggression.

Just the other day I invited a different friend over, and we decided we'd want to listen to some music. So I showed him this album. He laughed upon first seeing it, saying "Sugar Ray? Ha! This cover looks just like what you might find on some American female pop singer's album." He only looked at me like I was a dolt when I told him the whole early Sugar Ray story.

So I popped the CD in and had him listen to it. BOY, did that make a believer out of him!

What puzzles me to this very day is why Sugar Ray don't ever produce albums like this anymore. I'd have to disagree with what someone here said, that this can't compare to their other albums and that they should have abandoned this awesome sound. I suppose I won't get into why I think their progression to other types of sound blew, but come on Sugar Ray, look at your fanbase now. None of these blowhard teenybopper valley dopes you have now would have DARED have anything to with the raw power of old school Sugar Ray.

alright, lemmie just start by saying that this album isn't as good as their newest one. If you're only going to buy one LBC album, make it "commitment". However, if you already have commitment, get this one next...

Breaking Rules- Awesome, really catchy and very much a power-pop gem 5/5

40/80- The verses aren't my favorite, but the chorus is awesome. Its got kind of a reggae/ska feel, as does alot of the album 3.5/5

Fred Astare- Amazing 1,000,000/5

Bossman- Great verses, and a really catchy chorus. Features beenie man 4/5

Do you miss me- Great piano work in the begining, although I think I've heard the chorus somewhere before 3.5/5

Childs Play- The rapping sucks, but LBC would do away with that all together later on ;) 2/5

Dumb Pop Song- Fans of pop-punk will like this one ALOT. nuff' said 10/5

Not about debra- I'm not a huge fan of the verses, but LBC can write a chorus like nobodys business 4/5

Saturday Night- The guitar work reminds me alot of GC's on their first album. The verses are good, and the chorus is pretty solid too 4/5

Never like this- Short but sweet acoustic song 4/5

3 to 10- Song about gettin it on in the back seat. Awesome chorus, but the screaming at the end is a little annoying 3.5/5

City Lights- I'm not a huge ska fan, but this song has me sold. The horns just blend in so well with the chours that its amazing 5/5

One to the right- The chorus took a little while to grow on me, but when it did, I was singing right along 4/5

Slip- the first three minutes are good, but once the song stars moving into its "ska riffs", I lose all interest. 8 minutes is way too long for one song anyway 3/5

The reason why I call this album "diverse power-pop" is because it showcases many different styles. Some were good, like the reggae and ska, but others sucked a**, like the rapping. Honestly, I probably wouldn't even own "TTG" if it wasn't for the fact that my friend sold it to me (w/o the case) for 3 bucks. I'd recommend this album if you like music from bands like Mest, Goldfinger or LIT (tripping the light fantastic era)

This is some real punk mixed with reggae sounds. Out of the South Side of Chicago, these guys are awesome. If you like bands like Goldfinger or other ska bands, then you'll like these guys.

I have this cd and every song is great...especially when you're playing it at parties. I have seen them play live, and they are amazing. Although they are a Chicago band, many people elsewhere are also realizing how great they are. I have met them, and they also help manage/tour with a great group called 15 minutes late (AWESOME BAND!) also from the Chicago area. I just wish more people knew who LBC were...fred astaire, breaking rules, 40/80,saturday nite,city lights and one to the right are my favs on the album, but as a whole its worth having! I was just amazed at how well they performed these songs live. This is one band that I expect to see more of. I think they will get more a fan base and become more famous in the near future. Everyone should go out and get this album and Committment.

This album has a bunch of awesome songs and a handful of mediocre as well... it has ska anthems and if you don't own this album you are not a true LTJ fan. This is mandatory its not optional. Liquor Store, My Very Own Flag, Johnny Quest, Shotgun, Throw The Brick, Jen, and 3 Quartz Drunk are classics but there is not a single bad song on the album (actually I don't think I've ever heard a BAD LTJ song) Like another reviewer said this album is not as polished as later works and that is why i DONT like it as much... buy Losing Streak first but any LTJ album is going to be worth the money.

i was introduced to less than jake with anthem, which i thought was a very good album. after i saw them at warped tour and they played 'liquor store' and 'johnny quest thinks were sellouts' i picked this up. it sounds very unpolished compared to anthem, but i like that about it. it truly is less than jake at their best. its given that with 19 tracks there will be some filler, but even the filler has that awesome less than jake sound. its funny how they left the "turn the record over" message at the end of blindsided on the CD.

Basically, im going to compare Less Than Jake to the Simpsons. This is not LTJ's first release, but its far from their new stuff. Now, the earlier Simpsons seasons are crudely drawn, awkward-sounding, and way better than the new stuff. However the middle seasons are the best. The same goes for Less Than Jake. Pez-core is one of Less Than Jakes best. Great lyrics, thrashing speed coliding with upbeat horns and guitars, and catchy songs. You can notice messups and stuff throughout the CD, but that just adds to the album. Its not as good as Hello Rockview or whatever, but its definately one of my favorite Less Than Jake record. And a comment about Less Than Jake selling out, i used to think that too. But go check them out live. Theyre still playing the old stuff and still a bunch of crazy (30 year old) teens with nothing better to do than make you laugh, mosh, and dance a bit. So....check it out if you want.

I first ran across some Insyderz MP3s while trying to find some MxPx (a long time fan). The first track I ever heard from them was "In The Secret" and I was hooked. These guys do some great stuff with the classic songs that we grew up singing in church and at camps and retreats. Lord, I Lift Your Name on High gives us both sides - a nice traditional version and then jumps into a real ska/punk version of the song. Draw Me Close is practically reggae, but it keeps you interested in Jesus.

Why 4 stars?:
These guys do some great work with making some of our favorite songs a ska/punk classic. These will keep your toes tapping while your praying and are just good, clean fun. Plus, these guys really know how to rock! I just wish this disc had more songs on it!

After reading some other reviews, I thought I would give a more accurate, informative one.
I first heard the Insyderz when my friend burned me skalleluia too. I was already hooked. When I bought this album, it made me so happy. This is the best insyderz album out there. It is much better than skalleluia too, because there's less experimenting and the music is better. If you're a fan of good ska, don't hesistate to get this album. This album is amazing and full of musically advanced songs. The horns are stellar and this album can cheer you up anytime. THIS IS REAL MUSIC. Worship is 20 times as good with the insyderz. good stuff.

This album rocks to heaven! If you like first-class Christian ska then you've got to get this CD. You'll be amazed to hear the rockn' ska twist to songs that you've heard for years in church. It includes gutsy hard-rock hits as well as dancable praise numbers. A great way to liven up your worship time or any social gathering.

From old-time favorites like "O Lord You're Beautiful" to a truly romping version of "Awesome God", The Insyderz sport a unique blend of ska and rock whitch I've never heard done better. Get ready to sing "Skalleluia"!

First released in 1980, The English Beat's (known in the UK simply as The Beat they added the name English to their moniker to avoid confusion with a California based also band called The Beat) "I Just Can't Stop" it is not only possibly the single greatest album of the later 70's/early 80's ska revival, it is one of the greatest album of the late 70's/early 80's punk/new wave scene.

Already full of nonstop, infectious boppin' tunes the band's US label added two songs to the original album -- "Rankin' Full Stop," and a cover of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown" that had been stand alone singles in the UK. By omitting those songs from this CD reissue the album has been restored to its original running order and, as a previous reviewer noted, becomes the album the way the band intended for it to be heard.

But all of that is really pretty moot because this is still a great, great record with songs like "Best Friend," "Mirror in the Bathroom, "Hands Off She's Mine," and "Wine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret" (ah, the days of the anti-Thatcher/Reagan anthems) that compel you to hit the repeat button on your CD remote over and over.

Ignore the reviewers who don't know the history of this album and get this -- the complete and original version of one of the all time great albums.

As has already been noted by one other reviewer, the original release of "I Just Can't Stop It" did not include "Tears of a Clown" or "Ranking Full Stop". These were added to the original U.S. release of the record due to the fact that these UK singles were otherwise unavailable in the U.S. Seeing as how they are compiled on multiple North American releases and were never supposed to be on the record, releasing the original UK version of the album on CD is perfectly justified.

I'll be honest here - I used to HATE ska. I would go to my local concert hall to see some local musicians and there would ALWAYS be horrible ska bands playing (which is why I hated ska). I had just about given up on the genre when, to my surprise, I hear a sample of The English Beat's "Mirror In The Bathroom" on Coldcut's "Journeys By DJ: 70 Minutes of Madness" (also an excellent album) and was immediately intrigued. Lo' and behold, after I got this album, it was amazing! I never knew ska could be so fun and interesting! Every song here is great and all of them are pretty memorable - everything about them is fantastic. The vocals are very well done here as Dave Wakeling has a very appealing voice. The lyrics are also pretty interesting to listen to as well as catchy - "Mirror In The Bathroom" is but one of many songs that'll get stuck in your head. Musically it sounds like most other ska bands but with a little new wave and college rock thrown in. It's also very well-produced for an album that came out in 1980. Overall this is an album that most people will LOVE, not jsut ska fans. Absolutely recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album!

And it't not even worth that. The Puke-O-Rama is terrible. Out of the 28 songs there are maybe three good ones. There are some ok bands on here, but they sure picked some crappy songs from those bands. This CD is filled with poser punks and a bunch of pop punk. Spend your money elsewhere.

Let's get one thing strait: I am deffidently not a punk hater, and DEFFIDENTLY not an mtv loser fan. In fact, punk rock is my favorite type of music. But I did not like punk o rama volume 5. I just did not find it cool, catchy, or even ok. It sucked. The only songs I really liked were the Pennywise song and the Vision song(which is about being close minded, and I don't like people who are close minded), and the Pulley song was okay, though the singer's voice annoys the heck outta me. The rest is bland, unoriginal, and annoying. Even the Rancid song was annoing. Yes, you heard me right. Everyone's so-called favorite punk band's song was annoying. At Borders, I had the choice between this and AFI's All Hollows E.P. I now know better than that. If you liked this CD, fine. Just remember to buy good punk CDs from bands like The Distillers, Misfits, The Ramones, Offspring, Rise Against, and early AFI, out of respect for good punk.

There is something about good punk and this album has it. Crank it up to annoy the hip hop posers in mama's 'burban next to you at a red light. Anti social behaviors induced by playing this album are an intended side effect.

k the supertones are my all time favorite band, they have been my favorite band since i started getting into music, they only released two sh***y cds, faith of a child (which was released against there will by the record company so they could get some money which is gay beyond all belief) and this one but my goodness this one isnt there fault!!! at first glance you might think this cd is really really good cause the first 8 songs are really good, infact the first 8 songs are some of the strongest songs of there entire run, escape from reason has very good lyrics with an extremely important message (escape from all reason that dissapoints you from god and just believe) and what it comes to has some really catchy guitar parts and some good rapping by toby mab, jury duty is a very good punkyish song with honest lyrics, lift me up is the follow up of "away from you" (from previous release), return of revolution is a good song but the exsesive crap (the police sirion) ruins the song (go for the live version), wilderness has probably the best lyrics of all the supertones songs cause there honest and complete, fathers world is a perfect reggae song with a perfect horn solo by dan spencer at the end and pandoras box is very expiremental (in a good way),
here comes the crap, the fillers, the stuff that makes this cd suck beyond all belief!!!! forward to the future has the most cheesy pop christian lyrics ever (they dont even ryhme!!) and so does another show, 20/20, and Who could it be, these songs are obviously fillers and in my opinion this cd should have been an ep, spend it with you is a catchy song with interesting lyrics and is a perfect song to end on.

IF YOU WANNA HEAR SOME GOOD SUPERTONES, buy any of there other albums, unite or live volume one would be good ones to start with or you could go with any of the other ones they have (minus faith of a child) but this one sucks, it may be worth the 8-9 good songs though, infact it is, go ahead and buy it but dont expect 13 good songs

This is an excellent album. It's classic Supertones with some newer twists. They remain faithful to their orignal purpose. The lyrics and music are entertaining, uplifting and encouraging.

personally, i would say, not only is this the best supertones cd, both musically and lyrically, but the best by any Christian band that ive seen as far as lyrics go. perhaps, because im not a fan of ska i have no problem with this album, which is definetly much more rock and much less ska. but, regardless of the music, which is certainly good, though not anything amazing, it is the lyrics that Matt wrote for these songs that makes this one of the best cd's i own. one of the previous reviewers wrote that they were very disappointed with the lyrics, however i find them to be the most, relavent, well thought out, and truely meaningful set of lyrics by a Christian band that ive seen. i think his words are amazingly well chosen and so full of meaning that most other Christian artists seem either to be too vague to be capable of anything this relevent or to shallow to really matter very much. "you escape reason, we escape wrath" his more meaning in it than entire albums by a lot of other Christian artists. in my opnion the music is good rock with a small bit of ska and and great lyrics.

Ok. I'm a big Sublime fan. I have All their cd's but the acoustic one, but anyway, that's not the point. I'm a sucker for live records, and this one is one of thier best. There are a lot of bootleg live albums on the net, and they have their moments, but the sound quality is hard to handle cuz alot of them suck. This is a very good cd. It shows sublime in their true form: "three guys and a dalmation playing reggae and punk songs at parties for beer" to quote, incorrectly, but close enough, the liner notes of this cd. If you are a Sublime fan, get it. Otherwise get 40 oz. To Freedom and s/t. This is a good mix of songs from 40 oz. and Robbin' the Hood. Speaking of which, it does Robbin the Hood justice because they do actual full band versions of the home-produced 4-track songs that were usually just Brad by himself. Highlights include "New Thrash", "Don't Push", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "Greatest Hit's", "Date Rape", "STP", "Pool Shark" (which is a mix of the original and acoustic versions), and an early version of "Caress Me Down". Good Luck.

this is a must have album for a Sublime fan... you can feel the vibe as if you were there in the concert.

I wish I had a van. Vans are pretty cool. I mean...there's just so much room. And sure, they can't drag real well, but you don't drag in a van. You got subs, and room for gals. And if you're really classy you can get a couple of couches back there and a TV, and you can roll in it.

If I had a van I'd probably be playing this album in it. I kid you not, Stand By Your Van has been in my '04 Taurus' CD player for the last 5 months. That's staying power music isn't supposed to have.

There's something magical about this album. I think it has something to do with the band in general. Sublime was a real band. They were underproduced until their final album, and a lot of the stuff they recorded came straight out of their living room. The problem with that is that their earlier stuff had pretty crappy production. It felt like the music was on plastic. And a lot of their later songs, although good, sounded a bit overproduced.

Stand By Your Van is a perfect blend of good production with that authentic sound you can only get live. Bradley Nowell is drunk, the crowd is singing, a lot of the songs have improved parts. I think this is Sublime at their best. Particularly, the first 8 songs on the album - the flow is amazing, and the live sound tops each and every studio recording.

I'm not the biggest Sublime fan. But I can roll to this album anyday. If you want to hear Sublime, get this.

lets get one thing straight. these guys are NOT punk (punk = bad religion, nofx, rancid, black flag). they're not even pop-punk (pop-punk = ramones, buzzcocks, green day). this brand of childish, hook-laden garbage is called POWER-POP. its pop with guitars. so all you little n*sync fans who think you're making the "big crossover" into punk rock need to think again. yeah, okay, some of the songs are catchy, but is that all that makes music good??????

...even the kids who gave it 5 stars.

What most of you don't know is that this band (circa '98-'99) was about the best thing going. They were signed to a brand new major label, one of the best live acts around (they're a shell of their former selves...), and had two great albums under their belt. One of those albums, "Act Your Age" pretty much defined the whole scene transition from ska/punk that was going on at the time--the album was perfect. It featured complex and intelligent guitar and bass arrangements, a drummer at the top of his game, and vocal melodies and harmonies that countless bands in the genre have tried to imitate since. The album itself is a journey, best listened to all the way through. Every song takes on a life of it's own and compliments the others well...

Then the floor fell out from under them--their label went bankrupt and their drummer was diagnosed with a brain tumor effectively breaking up the band for a number of years. They've never been the same upon their return. I almost cried when they signed to Drive-Thru and started writing the crap commonly put out on that label. If you think they're a good live band now (they're not...), you should have seen them years ago.

And to whomever shot down their lead vocals and proceded to cite autotuned crap like Blink666 and MXPX, you're either ignorant or just have a stick up your posterior. Also, as much as I like the Suicide Machines, you *have* heard their self-titled album, right? The dude's not a singer...

I saw Homegrown for the last time in early '05, and I won't watch them again--my band could have played their songs better. Last I heard, Adam left the band too, so they're done...oh well

I don't give too many albums 5 stars, this would be a 4.5...

this cd rocks, and kicks ass. this is a great band that is basically an indey band. a kickass indey band. when i first herd this band it kinda sounded like greend day, but once the song kept going i couldnt stop listening. the first song i herd was grow up and it kicks ass. this bands tight and you need to get this cd if you like green day,blink 182,nirvana, and bands like that you need to get this cd!!!!by the way what cd is hangin out in?