Ska music reviews

I am a huge Bob Marley fan and always have been for about 20 years now, but listening to Exodus doesn't give me the same thrill as of the over albums such as Uprising, Natty Dread and Survival.
Yes this album was called the most important album of the century by Time Magazine and holds many classics, but I feel that maybe Coming In From The Cold or Wake Up And Live should had more credit than it did.
An excellant album though but I would consider Uprising or Survival to your starting path of Bob Marley.

The story behind Exodus is worthy of a book - in fact there is a book on the making of Exodus. This and the follow-up 'Kaya' were recorded and assembled in London in the 18 months following the attempted assassination of Marley in December 1976. The first side of the album (old-school vinyl fans know what I mean) is pure revolutionary reggae rock: Natural Mystic, So Much Things to Say, Heathen, Guiltiness, and Exodus. Drop-dead master reggae powered by the brother team of Aston 'Family Man' Barrett on bass and Carlton Barrett on drums.

In the book 'Exodus' author Vivien Goldman takes you inside the studio in some very intimate recollections. Bob, for instance, worked the band from mid-afternoon til the wee hours of the morning. Generally speaking the band would record basic tracks for a song, and keep working on it until it was deemed 'finished,' when they'd then move on to the next track.

On several occasions he came in alone to record vocals for songs by himself, and at one point spent several hours working to get the right 'take' for a song. Of course this was before the days of digital mixing where you could drop in a word or phrase at a time, so Bob was singing each time all the way through. He would work until his voice warmed up and finally nail a take.

On to side two: Jammin', Waiting in Vain, Turn Your Lights Down Low, Three Little Birds, One Love/People Get Ready. Some of the sweetest and most intimate love songs I've ever heard, as well as the spirited Jammin' - one of the most uplifting songs ever to grace my earbuds.

Exodus is one of those rarities - a coming together of great songwriting, stellar performances, ground-breaking recording methods (read the book!), and timeliness. As a historical document of the best that Bob Marley and the Wailers had to offer, as well as a kick-ass soulful album to crank up, Exodus has it all.

This album is simply perfect. The tempo and mood flows throughout the album at an excellent pace. Every song has a messeage or meaning that is universal, anybody could and should be able to relate to it. I recommend everyone to listen to it, even if you have declared that you hate reggae give this a listen. Bob Marley was one of those unique artists who never recorded a bad song, and this is one of those rare albums where everysong is a classic in every sense of the word.
One Love

I can't speak with authority as to the styles of music on this compilation because I don't listen to a lot of it. The only band on this CD I'm familiar with is Dropkick Murphys, but I bought it to try something different and for the most part enjoyed it. Not every song is a keeper, but most are good to listen to. I liked the Murphys song as well as the ones by Hepcat, The Business, Voodoo Glow Skulls and Swingin' Utters. There is a nice mix of punk and ska and I'm sure other styles I don't know the terminology for. It's a strong compilation and a good way to try out new bands and new musical styles.

(For those of you unfamiliar with the Give 'em the boot series, it is a sampler series of bands on the Hellcat Records label. The label has an eclectic mix of punk/hardcore bands and ska/reggae/dub bands)

Now that that's out of the way...

Here's the deal:

1. With the possible exception of Rancid and Choking Victim, the punk bands on Hellcat Records suck. It's boring, unoriginal, and not even that aggressive.
2. The ska/reggae/dub bands, however, are EXCELLENT and amazing. It's very mellow and relaxing, yet very exciting and catchy. It should have you dancing along in no time.
3. Of the 3 titles in the give 'em the boot series, the 1st one (this one) has the least punk and the most ska.
4. Therefore, this is the best Give 'em the boot by FAR and with its dirt cheap price, you have no excuse for not owning it if you consider yourself a fan of ska in any way, shape, or form.

As we all know that Hellcat records is owned and runned by Lars from Rancid. Well being a punk, I know that right now, all that is considered 'punk' is either A)This main-stream crap which sucks badly or B)All these emo and hardcore/metal bands appearing in the underground right now. So being a dude waiting for some new punk band to change everything in the punk genre...they havent made it.
So for these past few weeks I have been I've been looking over some ska-punk and punk-ska bands. So I thought, I'll look into real ska bands....let me tell there are literally thousands of them out there waiting for some dude/dudette to be favored by. I had no clue where to start on picking out albums to buy. So most people look into comps for samples. And then I came across this little prize of joy.
Give 'Em The Boot Vol. 1 is probably the best ska comp that includes awesome punk bands too. Though the first track by Rancid wasn't their best. When the Slackers came on with 'Watch This' I felt so relaxed. When Hepcat's 'Dont Wait' came on I was already singing along. By the time The Pietasters 'New Breed' was playing I was up dancing. I won't list the other bands and songs, but most punks and people only hear about bands like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Operation Ivy, and The Suicide Machines. Though, those bands are considered to be the only good ones, screw you! There are tons better ones. Plus, all those bands have sold out or lost almost all the orginal members.
But over-all kids, stop listeing to the things considered punk(as in sell-outs or emo/hardcore bands)get your soul out there and be a rude boy. So if wanna get to know good ska bands buy this CHEAP cd!

That is the question you ask yourself once "Glory Hallelujah" finishes. And the answer...pretty darn close. Although Supertones Strike Back is the favorite among most Supertones fans (yeah, it's pretty sweet), this CD seems more timeless and not so SKA. The production is better and the guitar work is better. And let's face it. These are some of the best and catchy lyrics you'll ever hear! I won't tell you which songs are good because they're all good but will say that I LOVE "Perfect Love" the best. "Radio Plays" is a funny song and there is a perfect mix of fast and slow songs, funny and serious songs, and there is a perfect amount of horns. I have seen Supertones in concert 3 times and the thing that sticks out the most about them in concert is their energy level and their love for God. Both show through on this CD as well. Go get it and see what I mean.

First off I would like to say that this CD is AWESOME!!! I have been a fan of the Supertones since "Supertones Strike Back", and my love for the group has only gotten stronger since then. This CD is similar to the previous CD's in that you can tell that it's the Supertones when you listen to it, but the experience is somewhat different. In "HI-Fi Revival" the Supertones deliver a more in-depth experience of what it is like to be a true Christian. This is a very encouraging CD that helps to strengthen your faith in Jesus and draw you nearer to God. The music style is different than the other CD's but it is a good change. The song "Hold On To Jesus" really grips your heart when you listen to it and just makes you want to cling to Him and Him alone. This CD is well worth buying if you are interested in furthuring your relationship with God!
!!!PRAISE JESUS MAN!!!

Yeah! These guys rock! They bring Christian music to a whole new level! Yeah, their music is very *loud*, haha, but all the wonderful music and voices are put together into an awesome jammed pack CD. This Cd is a tiny bit different from the rest but it's always good to have a change, and it's a great change. ;) Turn up the volume guys, you'll love 'em.

Like the title for this review alludes, this CD possesses a distinct writing style with many quips and some crafty wordplay that really is smart and refreshing to hear. The music is nothing out of place for your typical punk bands; they have limited capabilities in what they can offer musically. They're not going to mesmerize you with long, amazing guitar solos or do extensive experimentation with their instruments. They're hard, they're fast, and they're punk and that's what they want to be and in that context they change up their music well enough and never fall into a rut just forcing the same guitar riff over and over again slightly modified. However the reason only 3 stars, fitting right, are gold above and I gave this album a 7 of 10, so 3 and a half really, is that they do stumble into a very easy trap, something that I still can't figure out how Pennywise eluded their whole career. This trap is when penning these "we got your back" songs after too many instances it is unavoidable that you're going to write a really cheesy song with lyrics that just make the listener squirm for the person that wrote them. You start to feel this way towards the middle part of the album like the lead singer is going to suggest buying your guy friends a bouquet of flowers to show how much you appreciate them. The other thing that marginalizes this album is when they write these songs that are simply sermons inside of a punk music melody. Also, it seems they think these words are so gripping that they just throw any derivative punk rock sound in the background so you can hone in on just the words. Big mistake, we don't want to be lectured and checking our belief systems while getting down to music. There's nothing wrong with writing a song trying to convey your thoughts about the world around you, just don't overdo it to the point where they'd need to bring a pulpit onstage! All in all this is a satisfactory nearing good album, however there's already a band who used this identical formula, Pennywise, and did it perfectly, so there's not much need that I can see after having listened to this, for listening to this when you can buy PW's self-titled and be on your way nicely.

Faster Than The World is H2O's first release on MCA records, although they have previously released two albums on Epitapth. The move to MCA upsets fans who want to keep the music less known and feel like it's "theirs", but thats pretty much just greed and the generic punk attitude... Getting h2o on mtv and the radio has allowed them to get the credit they deserve and for the world to hear some good music.

musically speaking this album holds it own next to "Thicker Than Water" as well as "H2O". Song's like "one life, one chance", "liberate", and "can I overcome" (to name a few) will have you singing along in typical h2o fashion whether or not it's live or coming from a stereo. There is not one song on this album I don't love.

While I can't say I'd consider this album "hardcore", It's still punk and it's definitely stellar. Don't pick it up expecting a hardcore album, pick it up expecting a good album.

This is the album that got me into punk. Well, not strictly 'punk' but anyways...all I have to say is that if you ride BMX or skate then this album will be like a best friend to you.
You can't help but want to ride as the title track starts up on your headphones. It makes you genuinely happy to be doing what you're doing and within a few weeks you'll know every single word, and get looked at funny as you ride round the skatepark singing it at the top of your voice.
Yes, it really is that good. If you're beyond being all stuck up and 'hardcore' about your music then you'll love this. And so will your thirteen-year-old pop-loving sister...which is exactly the beauty of it. Any album that makes you this happy is worth a try, no?

Out Of all the fishbone albums. This one is probably the Hardest, heaviest, angriest, album out of thier columbia albums, and thier most directly to the point out of all of them. Where all of the other kinda toyed around with you for awhile amoungst the message, this one is a full-on brutal assault, while still remaining far more eclectic, than most hard rock out there, and still maintaining traces of the funk, and ska they have been carrying with them. Though it is slightly more straitforward than Reality of my surroundings.

...First of all, I am a huge fan of Fishbone...or at least I WAS until Kendall Jones and Chris Dowd left and the band started releasing sub-par material left and right ("Give a Monkey a Brain" was their last great album, in my opinion). If you are not familiar with Fishbone, you may want to first purchase "Truth and Soul" and/or "In Your Face" (which are both fantastic albums and more "commercial" sounding than this one) before you dive into the heavy-duty nuttmeg of "Give a Monkey..."
I think this album along with "Reality of My Surroundings" are Fishbone's greatest...This one is their heaviest, featuring a few "metal" songs ("Swim", "Servitude", and "End the Reign"). These songs are some of the greatest on the album but I think some fans couldn't hang with that..."Unyielding Conditioning" (ska) and "Lemon Meringue" (soul/funk) are two of the most well written songs ever by Fishbone. "Nutt Megalomaniac" is funky as hell. "They All Have Abandoned Their Hopes" is a hauntingly apocalyptic song...one of my favorites. "Warmth of Your Breath" is definitely NOT a love song. It's a funky little speed metal ditty directed at certain police officers...
The entire cd is awesome, no weak songs. The musicianship is outstanding...Norwood's bass lines are as funky as ever (especially on "Lemon Meringue")...Kendall Jones and John Bigham lay down some great guitar and Angelo Moore and Chris Dowd's vocals are some of their best work ever. This album sounds fresh to this day...Fishbone WAS one of the most underrated bands ever and they never got the success a group of this magnitude deserved. This was the last album they did with Kendall Jones and Chris Dowd and, for me at least, their departure marked the end of Fishbone as we knew it. I have the albums that followed and while they have some good songs here and there they don't come close to matching Fishbone when they were in their heyday. Kendall Jones' songwriting skills are sorely missed on all the albums that followed.
"Give A Monkey..." is a like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the ears but it will take most people several listens to uncover all the sonic nuggets that are hidden.

My fave Fishbone album. This one has it all- a seamless, and I mean seamless, blend of styles. I'm not talking Mr. Bungle mix of styles (not that it's a bad thing- far from it, long live the cult of Patton) I'm talking each song sounds like the pinacle of whatever genre Fishbone happen to inhabitting/shredding at that given moment.

Take your pick- maelstrom-metal, funk, ska, reggae, psychedelia, and even a hint at Gospel (No Fear- stylisticaly- is a gospel song... well, the organ just makes it sound like Gospel, or in this case Gospel-funk rock without the odious 'oh-please-breathe-on-me-oh-God lyrics and afro-american yodeling that passes for gospel singing... militant atheist that I am...)

On ONE FREAKIN ALBUM!!!! They manage to summon the mothership, send out the best mosh-anthem I have EVER heard, Channel the ghosts of Eddie Hazel and Sid Vicious (in one song no less), crank out one of the few reggae tunes I can stomach, skank-their way to paradise in a way that most 3rd wave skasters can only drool at, Out Kool both Kool AND The Gang and invent a cure for sanity and the drab pabulum that chokes media of all species.

I mean, it's just impossible to take any of the 'hard' bands out there seriously after putting their albums next to this. They seem flat, monochromatic, lifeless, dull. Unfunky. Lyricallly Fishbone may not be the most original but they play to their strengths, are inventive and funny and certainly capable of stuff as poignant/eloquent as anything that 'Dear Charlotte' have ever penned.

And yet, this album kinda tanked (despite their prominent Lollapalooza placement... I don't get it- that was the first year that People bitched about Lollapalooza- year 3... but Primus? Dinosaur Jr? and Fishbone? It was one of the best shows I'd ever seen, ah but I digress...)

These guys couldn't fail even if they were drop-kicked into the studio with Avril, baby Spice, Nick carter, the result wold still leave you wondering what the hell assulted you and left you wanting more...

Oh, I'm 25 years old and have been to more concerts than I can recall and still will unhesitatingly state that Fishbone put on THE BEST live show I have ever seen- I don't care what your bag is, The Bone will stuff it for you. And they play for hours. You will leave the venue sore and deaf and maybe (as I have been known to do) you will drive a couple hours to see them again the next night in a different town or state.

The vocals sound like lung cancer, the guitars chords sound like a car accident, and the drums are so fast it's like a constant roll; it's awesome. This is the zenith of skate-core ska. Although, the lyrics are usually incomprehensble; they do have depth to them. It's appeal is within it's jagged, raw sound. Imagine Leftover Crack at 8 beats/second.

The melodic brass breakdowns, juxtaposed to the 100mph stanzas, provide an excellent bridge and give the songs dimensions. Any band that can play that fast, without sounding like a cluttered mess, or exploding, is awesome. Definately one of the better CDs I've purchased, lately.

This cd is the best AAA cd in stores. I got it and memorized all the songs in one week. This cd is a must.

Well if you like Operation Ivy, Smiley Kids, and Anti-Flag, then chances are you'll love this as well. This is political ska great if your a fan of propagandhi! also if you like ska-core and ska. Worth every penny. -(AAA)- are not posers!!! I'm so sick of you jerks telling us what to listen to and what not to listen to. You ask me I'd say you're the poseurs and not us. Face it, the Sex Pistols and The Ramones are gone, and we'll never have old school back, so shut up and just deal with it! These guys are awesome and ever track is amazing. I say buy it now!!!

When i bought this CD, I thought I'd be in for the bouncy, happy jovial skank music that i've come to love (thru napster of course). Buuuuut to my suprise i pop in the CD and most of the songs sound quite "washed out" (like the singer is in another room or something). They weren't bouncy, and actually made me feel kinda sleepy. Maybe someone's playing a prank on me! I'm gonna go buy Turn the Radio Off.

ive loved rbf for years now and i finally bought this title from amazon.com. It is allright but you have to realize the sound quality is lacking and the songs seem a little slower. dont buy unless you are a huge rbf fan with $16 burning a hole in your pocket.

Reel Big Fish is my favorite ska band, and unlike most people it seems, I love Everything Sucks. I think it's much better then Why Do They Rock So Hard?, Keep Your Reciept, or Turn the Radio Off. It's got about 13 songs from other CDs, but they sound very different. I like this older sound alot more then their newer Mojo stuff. My advice? Buy this CD. If you think you're a Fish fan but don't like it, have yourself put to sleep.

This is a great album. It makes me want to jump up and down, thrashing my head around violently enough to give even my onlookers whiplash, but musically, this album is not their best.

In "Halfway..." RxB has a youthfulness to them, a lot of high energy, which is great. I particularly like "Now or Never" because of it's plucky ska tune. So if you love ska/punky alternative reggae, this album is for you. If you need something a little more loud and hardcore, look to their other 2 albums...

This is nice Ska punk , tightly written think Sublime think mad caddies and less than jake. It's short and sweet never out stays it's welcome , It's a bit of fun in a world of nu-metal dirges , it's fun dancing music for our generation. I love the tone of the guitars it's very clean and not to much distortion then the trumpets (I think they are trumpets) The vocalist has the right amount of clash, specials, sublime and punkiness to make this album pure brilliance. Yes if you like nice light ska punk with some original lyrics.

This is by far the greatest album i have ever purchassed. It's ska and punk, and not just like punkska bands, there is a definative change between every song, it's amazing. RxB has very strong views, and if you talk to Matt (Embree [guitar and vocals]) he'll tell you that he just wants the ideas out there, he's not forcing you to believe them. This is a great album and everyone should have a copy!

There were a ton of ska/punk acts in the mid 90s that never really stood out from the bunch, or provided many memorable records. "Honey I'm Homely" is probably one of the best ska records ever recorded.

Everyone in the band belts out tightly constructed power-pop-ska, that backs the vocals beautifully. Vocals come first on this amazing record, combining the captivating vocals of Elise Rogers and Karina Denike. These two singers harmonize so beautifully, weaving in and out of the rhythm, rocking out extremely addictive choruses.

It's hard to pick a favorite, since the album works so well as a whole. Some of the standout tracks would include "Lost Again," "All Mine," "Elvis & Me," and "Last Laugh". Probably my favorite track here would be "The Truth About Me". It has the most addictive chorus on the album: hey - I love to hear myself talk, I'm my own favorite audience, 'cause I'm the funniest person I know, if you were me I'm sure you'd agree. All the lyrics presented here will make you smile from the pure wittiness of them.

If you are tired of ska/punk bands that all sound the same. Pick up "Honey I'm Homely"; it's a brilliantly refreshing record.

Ok, I've gotta be honest. When I first heard DHC, I HATED them. A friend of mine had been raving about them, and being curious, I downloaded a few songs. Of course I was expecting something entirely different from a "ska band." I was going to delete the files, but never got around to it, and so they stayed on my playlist. I heard them a few times amidst my punk and ska, and one day caught myself grooving with it and singing along. DHC has since become one of my all time favorite bands. I LOVE this CD. Give them a try, for sure. If you're expecting the usual ska or ska-punk, don't. DHC isn't it. But they've got a unique sound that works so well for them, along with great lyrics that just fit so perfectly. With "Lost Again" (one of my faves, and a big reason for purchasing this CD) to start it off, and one great song after another, you can't go wrong.

I BARELY GOT INTO DHC JUST BY LISTENING TO "LOST AGAIN" TRACK ONLINE AND I WENT TO BUY THE "HONEY IM HOMELY" CD AND THIS WHOLE CD IS WORTH THE MONEY. USUALLY U BUY A CD THAT HAS ONE OR TWO GOOD SONGS AND THE REST IS A DRAG- BUT NOT THIS CD. IT'S REALLY WORTH IT, SO IF U'RE DECIDING WHICH ALBUM TO GET, I SUGGEST THIS ONE.

I picked this one up a few years back cause i was in need of a ska fix and it was handy at the time and only cost 4 bucks factory sealed. cant beat that. Basicaly the love child of the sureptones and the dancehall crashers as far as sound and content. I cant say I was ever overly impressed. There are better bands out there, but One Eighty is still ok. When i bought it, it wasnt a problem but now the music is WAY to preachy. If you like christian music, then i recomend it, but for everyone else, go buy some DHC albums.
ill say this, you can get it for $.25, so you cant lose either way

In 1998 I was young and naive and not really into the whole music scene. After getting recomended to this cd by my friend (who knows "one eighty" or "flight one eighty") I fell in love with it. Their mixture of fast ska mixed with two great girl voices and a few trombone solos makes this album a great cd to buy or for a gift. I do admit that a few times it can get a little old school/boring because of the mix of 50's style with slow lyrics. But, after about 2 songs it perks right back up and gets you wanting to worship with the fast/fun lyrics.

first off i'd like to say that its pretty [bad] that they had to change their name becuz some other christian group sued them. how could you be so greedy to sue an awesome band with an awesome message like flight 180? (don't wanna get them in trouble by calling them one eighty). and secondly how can you compare them to the supertones? they sound nothing like the supertones. they have women vocalist for pete sake. the supertones are one of the greatest bands ever but comparing flight 180 and them is like comparing apples and oranges they sound nothing alike. if you need a comparison the band i think they most sound like is no doubt (before rock steady). they sound very similar to no doubt, especially with the ladies vocals. this cd is awesome. tick,tock, sally, and cool world are the best songs on this cd. also try their newest releases lineup and girls & boysthey are both pretty cool. enjoy this cd. ...