The Strikers - No Reason 7" (1981)

It's pretty hard to find a good copy of this record. It's a 7" but the cover is longer than it should be. My copy doesn't have a cover and the seller was honest enough to tell me that the record is warped and in terrible condition before I bought it. He was right - the record is trashed but I got it cheap so I at least know what it sounds like. This image is from Discogs. It's the only image I've ever seen of the cover.

The first song "No Reason" is so good that I am still looking for a decent copy just so I can hear it in better quality. I'm not into high quality sounds as you can tell from so many past offerings, but this rip really is pretty bad. The song "Knock it Down" is the worst. It's very crackly and skips in a couple of places but the song was released on a compilation from 1981 called Test Patterns that featured bands from St. Louis, Missouri (so we can guess that's where this band is from...) and I have included a CD version of the full album that includes another song by The Strikers called "Kick Around". It's not a ska song but there is a nice ska tune called  "Love 'N' Skank" by a band called The Felons.

The Strikers - No Reason 7" (1981)
A1 - No Reason
A2 - Original Crowd
B1 - Knock it Down
B2 - Running on Air

va Test Patterns (1981)

1 The Felons - Love 'N' Skank
2 Zanti Misfits - Holier Than Thou
3 Trained Animal - U.R.A. Girl
4 The Mopeds - Woe is Me
5 Oozkicks - Unknown
6 Swift Kick - Crushin' Russian Girl
7 The Strikers - Kick Around
8 Oozkicks - I'm so Young
9 Swift Kick - Unpredictable
10 The Mopeds - She's a Mongrel
11 The Strikers - Knock it Down
12 The Felons - Dancing School
13 Zanti Misfits - Bachelor's Friend
14 Trained Animal - When You Dance With Me


DOWNLOAD THE STRIKERS 7" AND "TEST PATTERNS"

Bang - Soundtrack (1997)

"Bang" was an independent movie from 1995 that was about a woman who had a bad day and she steals a police uniform and motorcycle and goes around L.A. for a day pretending to be a cop.

Every song on the soundtrack is ska.

The entire movie is available on Youtube HERE.

Here's the trailer:


...and here's the soundtrack:

1 Ocean 11 - Hong Kong Lowrider
2 New York Ska Jazz Ensemble - Elegy
3 The Slackers - Run Away
4 The Skunks - Dubz 57 Sauce
5 Dr. Sauce - Barret Yall's Ride
6 The Toasters - Brixton Beat
7 Los Pies Negros - Pesadilla  [Nightmare]
8 Let's Go Bowling - Cumbia del Sol
9 The Toasters - Toast on the Coast
10 Isaac Green & the Skalars - Don't Count
11 House of Rhythm - Sign of the Times
12 Dr. Ring Ding & H.P. Setter - Louis Gone a Foreign
13 Skavoovie & the Epitones - Riversion
14 Dr. Ring Ding & H.P. Setter - Emergency Case
15 Isaac Green & the Skalars - Don't Count Dub
16 The Articles - The Ska's the Limit, Take 2
17 Dr. Ring Ding & H.P. Setter - Trombone Sound

DOWNLOAD

va Beat of the Street (1989)

There's a record store in Southern California called Dr. Strange Records that I have mined many gems from over the years. Many years back I came across this record in the back room (where all the good stuff is) but it had a price tag of $30.00 so I put it off for a few years. It has a rare song by The Loafers which was later featured on Skarities in 1990. I eventually stumbled across a copy for $2.00. This is that copy.

The Instigators are an amazing punk band from Dewsbury, England not to be confused with the ska/punk band from Auckland, NZ that I previously featured HERE.



There are only two records in this series and I have included a Frankensteined version of the first record which I know aren't the original versions but it's still good stuff.


A1 -  The Crack - My World
A2 - The Instigators - Cry Freedom
B1 - The Loafers - Feelings Right
B2 - Frantic Flintstones - Honey Maker

DOWNLOAD a vinyl rip of vol.2 (pictured) with an inaccurate version of vol.1


*Incidentally there was an American band also called the Instigators who only put out one single in 1985 and I absolutely love it. It's campy new wave with naive lyrics but it's brilliant. We Don't Know What We Want.

va Goat's Milk Soap (1982) [REPOST]

1 Mockers - Trendy Left
2 Swingers - Never Never
3 Newmatics - Playing the Champion
4 New Entrants - The Kids are Crying
5 Famous Five - The Girls
6 Instigators - The Israelites
7 Toy Love - 2nd to Last Song Toy Love Wrote
8 Screaming Mee Mees - Pointy Ears
9 Danse Macabre - ECG
10 Corners - Ward
11 Blue Asthmatics - Blue Asthma
12 Bongos - Familiar Strangers
13 She Collapsed - Save It
14 Riot 111 - 1981

DOWNLOAD from Zippyshare

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

The best ska of 2016

I don't know how we will remember 2016 in the future...was it a good year?...was it a bad year? I had a lot of really bad things happen in 2016 but I also had a lot of really good things happen.
I don't know how we will remember it, but we definitely will remember 2016.

The underground music scene in general was amazing but the worldwide ska scene was better than I've seen it in all the years of doing this blog.

I'll start with the older bands who have made an impact on the year:

I really like the Norwegian band The Monroes who released Sunday People in 1983 and were obviously inspired by Madness. They are not really a ska band but they did a lot of ska-influenced music in their early days (early-eighties). In 2016 they released a CD of their live performance from London from 1984. The sound quality isn't great but the performance is.

......................................................................................................

I have featured the U.K. band the Skanxters previously and I lamented that I had their rare cassettes "Spark in the Dark" and "Knights on the Run" but I could not find a copy of their only CD release "Call it a Crime". Thankfully for all of us, bandleader Erin Bardwell has released all three releases for purchase on Bandcamp.
You can buy all three rare recordings for the price of one marked-down modern pop CD HERE.

(Incidentally, Erin Bardwell has a new release slated for 2017!)
......................................................................................................


One of the earliest posts I have ever done on this blog was for the British/California band The Hoovers. They released one album in the eighties called "Skin and Blisters" but, seriously, one of my favorite ska records ever released is their EP from 1981 called "Smut and Class".
In 2016 they released a new album called Moonstomper that diverged so much from their original sound that I can't say I really care for it much but, then, they  released a collection of  five songs that they recorded in 1981 that were never previously released. It's one of my favorite releases of 2016:

The Hoovers - The Lost Tapes:

$5 for 5 songs. Buy it.

......................................................................................................

 Do you remember when you bought the CD "Skankin' 'Round the World volume 3" and you recognized all of the featured bands except for the one called M.S.Q.? Well I did and I did extensive research to find out who they were and what else they released but that went nowhere. I drew the conclusion that they were a live band that didn't record much in the studio - like the French band Verska Vis.
I was happy to find that they are still performing and have actually recorded music in the studio in 2016. I have included their newest song "The Blame Game" - released in 2016 in this download.
......................................................................................................

I have posted some of the Suicide Machines' earlier releases on this blog but in 2016 the band made those releases available for download so I will not be re-upping any of the links. You can buy all of their early stuff in this one download  HERE.

......................................................................................................

The Chicago band Rude Guest released 4 cassettes in the 80s with 4 songs on each release. These tapes are nearly impossible to find but, luckily for us, the band worked with Jump Up Records to release all 16 songs that they released on one cassette called Rude Guest: Lost Chicago Ska 1982-1993.

I bought this tape as well as the Crombies cassette that was released in 2016 from Jump Up Records but they were lost in the mail. I wanted to do a review on both of them but the postal service didn't want me to (here's the tracking number 9500111247136350071619 ). Jump Up records did their part but the USPS failed me. "Lost" Chicago ska indeed.

......................................................................................................

As you know Madness put out a great album this year and I was going to include a song on this download but I removed it to make room for an up-and-coming band instead. It's Madness. You'll own it some day anyway. The Beat - The English Beat - the Rankin' Roger version of the band put out the album "Bounce" and, just like the Madness song, I didn't include it because you will have it some day anyway regardless of my input.

......................................................................................................

If you ask me what the greatest album of the year 2016 I will have to say "Peg and the Rejected - 4th Wave". I know Marco made the same comment a few weeks back and I disagreed with him but now I agree. This is not to say that any song on this album was my favorite song of the year but it was the album with the most consistently good songs throughout.
I did not include any of their music on this download because you will be buying this release anyway. It would just be redundant.


(Speaking of Marco...another old thing that came back in 2016 was Marco on the Bass that was dormant for a couple years is now being refreshed with new posts. Marco's current band Rude Boy George released a fantastic EP this year which includes one of my favorite songs of the year - a cover of Howard Jones' "Things Can Only Get Better")


......................................................................................................
My favorite song of the year is The Beat From Palookaville's "It's You Voodoo Working". This one is on the download.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are my top 50 songs from 2016:

Part 1

1 Skasouls - Disco Ska Bar

2 Transmitters - Jumpstart
3 Susan Cadogan - Take Me Back
4 Bazzookas - Torn
5 Cherry Reds - What Did You Say?
6 Barefoot Sojourns - Daydreamer
7 Zipheads - Earwig in My Brain
8 E.J. Moran - Dancin' to the Radio
9 Silencerz - Having a Laugh
10 1Eye - Mr. Baliff

11 D M Street - Lifeline
12 Begona Bang-Matu - My Mate
13 Dropsetters - Wanted
14 The Fuss - Trouble (To Trouble)
15 El Grande - Bygones
16 Defekters - Come Around
17 Screw Ups - Oh No
18 The Beat From Palookaville - It's You Voodoo Working
19 MSQ - The Blame Game
20 Rude Boy George - Things Can Only Get Better
21 Ska 'N' Ska - A Team

22 Yellow Umbrella - Two Lovers
23 Oldians - Same Old Song

24 Freecoasters - I Don't Even Know
25 AKC (Andy Keys Clark) - Wake Me Up When the Puppets are Gone

Part 2

1 Sea Bass Kid - Skaturday Night
2 Sentries - Funeral (of the Horseman)
3 Analog Bombs - Chinese Lucky Number
4 Culture Shock - Doesn't Work for Me
5 Soundabout - Dubbele Tong

 The Soundabout's second EP Nooit Genoeg is streaming HERE and they have a Facebook page.

6 Bartenders - Dead Man's Zone
7 The Big Ska Band - Big Mouth
8 Sean Arawjo - Games People Play
9 Urang Matang - Big Bobby's Back
10 Flowerdews - Fish Face
11 Big Fat Panda - Nobody There
12 Junior Bill - Respectable Man

13 Chancers - Without You
14 Mean Threes - Frying Pan
15 Defuser - Sitcom
16 Downtown Fiasco - What I'm Fighting For
17 Lynval Golding and Contra Coup - The Same
18 Jackie Mendez - Thought You Should Know
19 Heavy City - I'll be Around
20 Rude Guest - Spooked
21 Boss Riot - Hearts and Hands
22 Ricky Cool & the In Crowd - My Kind of Party
23 The Bionic Rats - New Day Rudie
24 Jam Iconz - Hurts so Much
25 Spawn - Stench of Misfortune

DOWNLOAD PART 1

DOWNLOAD PART 2
  

va Ska-Otea-Roa (1996)

Rare New Zealand ska compilation. Like any other compilations there are some iffy tracks but there is also some gold on here.

1 Skapa - Jane Bondage
2 Bwa Da Riddim - Man in Black
3 Looney Tunes - Dead Bird
4 Banana Revolution - Gypsy Ska
5 Boil Up - Earth Right
6 The Offbeats - It's Not Mine
7 Screaming Orgasms - Meskal
8 The Red - Street Boys
9 Skapa - Ska Jig
10 Boil Up - Getting There
11 Bwa Da Riddim - Gun Slinger
12 Screaming Orgasms - The Pedlar
13 Banana Revolution - Man With the Money
14 The Offbeats - Dubbed Out
15 Skapa - It's Your Round
16 The Red - Dancing in the Dole Q







DOWNLOAD

Skampler 2 (1994)

This is the second and last in the series released by Tudor Rock records. There were volumes 3 and 4 that were put out on a different Swiss label called Leech records. I don't know what the connection is and I don't have vols. 3 & 4. I got this cd because it was cheaper than the Spots 7". I don't know what the b-side sounds like and sometimes it's a hell of a gamble to pay a high price for a record when you already have one of the songs and the other one is complete shit. (The Charlie Parkas "Ballad of Robin Hood" for example.)

1 Radio Active - James Bone
2 Schlössch - I Ask Myself
3 The Peacocks - Living in a Town
4 Cadizier - Die Nachbarn
5 Les Congélateurs - Ace of Space
6 Kalles Kaviar - Stand By Me
7 Godzilla - Body Count
8 Peacestreet - El Nino de Ringo
9 Wicked - Julie
10 Hans 'N' Moses - Body
11 The Spots - Mr. Career
12 Aligaga - La Grève
13 The Ventilators - Try Me One More Time



DOWNLOAD

  Volume 1 was posted a few years ago on the Ruder Than Rude blog but if you need it:

1- The Ventilators - Blue Beat Sky
2- Nude Club - Tree
3- Les Enfants De St. Gall - Mexico
4-Lucky Hiob - Röschtiland
5- Jimmy Bastard - Looser
6- Crank - I'm A Reiser
7-The Noses - Ai,Ai,Ai
8- Free Cheese For All - Blue Beat Confrontation
9-The Peacocks - My Generation
10- Jolly And The Flytrap - Gäng-Bäng
11- Die Aeronauten - Du Wärst So Gern Dabei
12- Melk Them - I Love You
13- The Monsters - Whisky Song
14- The Ventilators - Mystification
15- Free Cheese For All - Louis Goes To The Guigoz

DOWNLOAD

We Don't Skare (1994)

1 Skeletones - Jill Victoria
2 Hoodlum Empire - C. Johnson's Clothes
3 Steady Ernest - Singular 1
4 Engine 54 - Nomeansno
5 6 Feet Deep - Smoking Barrel
6 Ska Face - No Idea
7 Bim Skala Bim - Paraguyan Sun (live)
8 Ngobo Ngobo - Hello Everybody
9 Square Roots - Foreskin Heads
10 Skarface - Ça Recommence
11 Too Hot - Grandad
12 Mealticket - Looking Glass
13 Blechreiz - Loving Couple
14 The In-Vaders - Ska Guitar
15 Los Pies Negros - Prisonero del Vietcong
16 Skamp Boys - Le Pouvoir
17 Skunks - Glass Pants
18 Mustard Plug - Ballpark Skank

DOWNLOAD

Do the Dutch Ska Dance

The original compilation "Do the Dutch Ska Dance" was released in 1993 after interest in the "Unicorn era" of ska was fading and before the "third wave" era began. Ska wasn't popular when it was released and the record label Mr. Music really took a gamble on this one. The release was popular enough to make some of the bands more well-known and it was successful enough that Mr. Music released a follow-up Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol. 2

You may know Mark Foggo and Mr. Review but how many of these other bands do you know?

Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol.1
1 Let's Quit - Vegetarian Shoes
2 Mark Foggo - Ramona From Barcelona
3 The 3rd Way - Mystery Man
4 Mr. Review - One Way Ticket
5 The Beatbusters - Bounty Hunter
6 Dance Cleopatra - Who Comes in Last?
7 Rudness Empire - Faker
8 The W8ers - W8 Watchers
9 The Bouncers - Paris
10 Zwit - Blind as a Fool
11 Odi Odi - No Time
12 Skanus - Het Bejaardenhuis
13 Klinkhamer - Ny Nummerke
14 The Regulators - Behold
15 Silly Walks - Facelift
16 Tjalling & the Helis - Streets of Misery
17 Kale Manneh - Kill the Boss 
18 The Skatologicals - Skank it Away
19 Jammah Tammah - Dance Punkyding en Vodkasong
20 Haddock - Fear 

DOWNLOAD Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol.1
 


Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol.2
1 Mr. Review - The Street
2 Mark Foggo - Hello
3 Small Axe - Soulful Surfer
4 The Beatbusters - Soundcheck
5 Ibo Jacob - Dearest
6 Silly Walks - Suit, Hat & Tie
7 Dr. Phybes - Dr. Phybes
8 Rudeness Empire - Vampire
9 Boter, Ska and Eieren - Reggae Muffin
10 The Bouncers - Ska Chicken
11 Let's Quit - Hip Hip to the Next Life
12 Jammah Tammah - De Parade
13 The Regulators - Go Away
14 Sans Racune - Mary Ann
15 Odi Odi - Since the Day

DOWNLOAD Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol.2


Two of these bands had rare releases that were previously posted on Tone and Wave.

Silly Walks 1994 album Babbling Feebly was posted HERE

and Rudeness Empire's 1993 demo tape was posted HERE.

A lot of these bands had actual releases and a lot of them only put out a demo. 

Let's Quit had a few releases - one of which is the very rare and expensive 7" "Skanouska/Vegetarian Shoes" which I do not have a copy of. Several years ago somebody sent me a copy - not a physical copy but mp3 files - and I posted it. As somebody pointed out, it was not the 7" version but the re-recorded versions of both songs that appeared on their first album  The Southern Belles Party Beat. You can compare the original version to the album version:

1 The Southern Belles Party Beat
2 Lies and Lullabies
3 Skanouska
4 Let's Ska Tonight
5 Syndrome Friends
6 Ennio Ska
7 Snowflakes
8 Yes or No
9 Vegetarian Shoes
10 Hip Hip to the Next Life
11 Can You Tell Me My Name?
12 Viktor the Pig
13 The Bailiff
14 The Return of Cliff Barnes
15 Sergio Ska
16 Down I Go
17 Stolen Minds

DOWNLOAD Let's Quit - The Southern Belles Party Beat

 The Beatbusters were very prolific and they put out a lot of good music. For those of you who aren't familiar with their sound you can start here - this is their first album:

Beatbusters - Cool & Deadly (1995)

1 Facing Reality
2 Bodyguard
3 Troublemaking
4 Memories
5 Runaway
6 Pays Baska
7 Somebody Like You
8 Explosion
9 It's Gonna Get You
10 Wanted
11 Chase the Devil
12 Today is Today

"Facing Reality"



DOWNLOAD Beatbusters - Cool and Deadly (1995)

The Bouncers released a couple of albums including the popular Iwi Iwa Yoca!? from 1997:

1 Return of the Ska Chicken
2 You're Mine
3 I Wish I Was Your Cat
4 I'll be Doing it Tomorrow
5 Tapaska
6 Close Encounters
7 Skaville
8 Bottom
9 Amazing Discoveries
10 Man on the Run
11 Skank in G
12 The Bounce
13 Saturdaynight

The Bouncers - "You're Mine"


DOWNLOAD The Bouncers - Iwi Iwa Yoca!?

The Bouncers also released a demo tape in 1993:

1 I Forgot
2 Het Cowboyliedje (The Cowboy Song)
3 Fashion
4 Paris

...and the band The W8ers released a demo tape in 1994 before disbanding:
 

1 Buses are Always Late
2 No Money
3 Too Much Beer
4 W8 Watchers

...and the band Dance Cleopatra only released a demo tape before they reformed as Longshot:

1 Bad Dreams
2 A Day in the Park
3 Doc Martens Carry Me Home
4 Who Comes in Last
5 Walking in the Rain

As Longshot (not to be confused with the American ska band from Massachusetts called Longshot or the Portland band The Longshots) they only released one album called "0251" in 1997:

1 Longshot
2 Ska Attack
3 Chickie Check it Out
4 Doc Martens Carry Me Home
5 Pretty Lame
6 Mirrorman
7 Afblijven!
8 Bring it All Down
9 Lovesong
10 Who Comes in Last
11 Snut
12 Pestweer

DOWNLOAD Longshot - 0251 (1997)

DOWNLOAD all 4 demo tapes - The Bouncers, The W8ers, Dance Cleopatra, and Rudeness Empire

This post was inspired by skabuoy who has a YouTube channel where these incredible rarities are posted. Not only the ones showcased in this post but others as well. The band The Regulators (not the same band from the UK with the same name posted on Tone and Wave HERE) featured on Do the Dutch Ska Dance Vol.2 also had two demo tapes. One of which is posted in its entirety on skabuoy's YouTube channel. He also posted the rare demo from Boter, SKA en Eieren. The name is derived from the Dutch name for tic-tac-toe "boter, kaas, en eieren" which, translated directly, means "butter, cheese, and eggs" but the band utilizes the fact that their initials are B.S.E. which was just becoming popular in the news around the time the band formed due to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or, as it's more known - Mad Cow Disease. The bands mascot is a mad cow:

...and don't worry, all of their stuff is sung in English.

I put their 1994 demo tape with their 1999 EP "Raid the Block" but I don't have their other EP from 2005.

Boter, SKA & Eieren demo tape (1994)

1 Reggae Muffin
2 Cuttin' It Close
3 Nanny Goat Sue
4 Number 16

 1 Raid the Block
2 Perfect Partner
3 Gangster Movie
4 Ouwehoer

"Raid the Block"



DOWNLOAD the B.S.E. demo tape and the Raid the Block EP


Much thanks to skabuoy 

who has a page on Discogs HERE as well as the YouTube page HERE and he has mentioned that he has a Ngobo Ngobo demo tape that he will be posting on his YouTube channel with other incredible rarities.

va Rude Vibes (1995)

1 Intensified -Carnival
2 Ruder Than You - Uncle Albert
3 The Bakesys - The Lick
4 Skankin' Pickle - Hate
5 The Porkers - Buds for Brains
6 Secret Cajun Band - Teenage Smokers
7 Kingpins - Spy Vs. Spy
8 The Invaders - Such a Jerk
9 MU330 - Got Caught
10 The Peacocks - In Any Case
11 Unsteady - The Cost
12 Steady Ernest - Singular I
13 Ngobo Ngobo - No One Cares

DOWNLOAD

The Blackpools Skampilation volume 1 (1993) cassette

1 King Willy - Watermelon Man
2 King Willy - Storm Warning
3 King Willy - Feelin' High
4 The Israelites - Sally Brown
5 The Israelites - Eternally
6 The Israelites - Roots
7 Orange Street - Rudeboy 3rd Generation
8 Orange Street - Undercover
9 Orange Street - SKA SKA SKA
10 Ye Olde English - Big 5
11 Ye Olde English - I'm Free
12 Ye Olde English - Doobies at Sunrise

DOWNLOAD

va Alive! Rock City (1980)

Compilation of live recordings from some lesser known California bands including the only recordings that I know of the ska band Two Tones and a reggae song by Ace & the Eights who did release a single which was not ska. I do have it and I wanted to post it when I posted this LP but I can't find it right now. I'll update the link at some point.

1 Lifers - Missing Person
2 Two Tones - Reggae Woman

3 Two Tones - Random Riff
4 Elements of Style - Oh Bob
5 Elements of Style - Sacred Objects
6 JJ10 - Factory Limits
7 Impostors - Trouble
8 Impostors - Leave Me Alone
9 Ultrasheen - Super Bad
10 Ultrasheen - Danceannette
11 Dickheads - (S)he Love You
12 Ace & the Eights - Dead End
13 Ace & the Eights - Touch of Style



DOWNLOAD

va Stonehenge 7" compilation (1987)

A1 - Culture Shock - Stonehenge
A2 - Rhythmites - We Don't Want
B1 - Military Surplus - Time of the Dispossessed
B2 - Hippy Slags - Sunlight on the Truncheons

 "Rhythmites - We Don't Want"
   

"Military Surplus - Time of the Dispossessed"
 


DOWNLOAD

Vive le Ska (1989)

Unicorn Records classic.

1 Les Internés - Pushska
2 Verska Vis - Go Out Anymore
3 Carré Blanc Pour Serie Noire - Jackson the Ripper
4 Les Toons - Miss America
5 Dr. No - A Frenchy in Brooklyn
6 Pick It Up - Charlemagne
7 Les Frelons - C'est Du Ska (Monster Version)
8 Machtoc - The Yeti
9 Les Giovanni's - Wa Ya Go?
10 Les Ejectés - Aaoaoaa
11 Le Bubars - King of the Jungle
12 Les Saxas - Chez Fefer

DOWNLOAD

va Reggae Beat (1984)

Wow, the way the mind works. When I posted the Tracey Harvey single I distinctly remember it sounding the same way on this compilation. I haven't listened to this comp in years and it was strange hearing Shy Girl again because it sounds nothing like the single and I retract my previous statement that it is the best song on this album. The single version is great. The one on this record is not very good at all. In fact, the majority of these songs are mediocre at best. There are a couple of good selections though.
For example:
Althea Ranks* - Radio

1 Althea Ranks - Karma Chameleon
2 Jesse Green - Why You Not Take it Slow?
3 Bonnie Benedict - Caribbean Dream
4 Robert Chonia - Let the Music Play
5 Skyway - Fight for Understanding
6 Althea Ranks - Radio
7 Tracey Harvey - Shy Girl
8 Dillinger - Slipe Pen Road
9 Althea Ranks - Israelites
10 Robert Chonia - Searching for Love
11 Gene Wolf - Who's That Sneakin'?
12 Orchestra Raymondo
13 Nynus Sylvia - Caribbean Man

DOWNLOAD

 
*I'm guessing Althea Ranks is Althea Forrest from Althea and Donna. Anybody know?

va Ska Takes the Great Lakes

1 Skapone - Tomorrow
2 Skapone - Once Again
3 Etch-A-Sketch - Escape
4 Etch-A-Sketch - Killer Bees
5 Invaders - Such a Jerk
6 Elevators - No More Stress
7 Elevators - Vendetta
8 State of Emergency - Violence
9 State of Emergency - Police Chase
10 Tom Collins and the Cocktail Shakers - Washcloth

DOWNLOAD

va - A Full English Breakfast (1998)

1. Too Many Crooks / Kiss
2. The Rough Kutz / Supergrass
3. Eskalator / Wise Man
4. Ska Gal & The Hands of Ra / Some Higher Ground
5. Intensified / More Pressure
6. Bibulous / Kebab
7. Hotknives / I Wake Up Screaming
8. Loonee Toons / Boys
9. Rude Boys / The Gangsters
10. One Step Behind / Market Trader
11. Ska Boom / Party Good Time
12. Mistakes / Sense Of Freedom
13. Arthur Kay and The Orginals / Last Of The One Named Singers
14. The Riffs / Murderation
15. Freetown / Star
16. Last Orders / Eyes
17. Spithead / Call the Police
18. Colonal Hathi / TV Girl
19. The Skanksters / Just Another Nightmare
20. The Bakesys / Confused
21. The Write Offs / Big Issue
22. The Xplosions / Snatched

 DOWNLOAD


*originally posted at Liquidator but no longer available

Welcome to Skannecticut

1 Ska King Crab - Pennsylvania 6-5000
2 Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts - Hello Baby
3 J.C. Superska - Bartender
4 Golgo 13 - Septic Breakout
5 Rudie Brass - Jukebox Junkie
6 The Snappers - The Pervert
7 Choke Puppy - Lisa
8 Nigel Six - No Women
9 Spring Heeled Jack - Pay Some Dues
10 Sgt. Scagnetti - Hell Spawn
11 Choke Puppy - West Side
12 Inward Variation - Who Shot Tupac?
13 Golgo 13 - Sully's Song
14 Not for Resale - Back Biter
15 Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts - 220
16 J.C. Superska - Conspiracy
17 Step-Backs - Ska Blues
18 Radiation Kings - Subra
19 The Mugwums - Voodoo Ska

http://www.mediafire.com/?0w2cw5ae6srw0n0

rare Australian ska

Bedlam Beggars - Sweet Talkin' Girl
Gilgamesh - Unity (OPIV cover)
Loin Groin - Aiyefel Seat Covers
No Nonsense - Danger is My Business
Off the Shelf - Thief
Offbeats - Ripple Sole Shoes
Strange Tenants - Living Life
Stranger Cole - When I Call Your Name (live in Sydney February 2011)
The Allniters - Jingle Bells
The Allniters - Still in Love
The Hangovers - Large Sum of Money
The High Tides - Wrong em Boyo
The Igniters - Ignition

This amazing collection was submitted by Merrick who provided these tidbits of info:

THE IGNITERS - IGNITION

This band is most of the Allniters plus Kirk Pengilly from INXS - they released 2x 12"s.

I interviewed Brett from the Allniters in 1997, and he told me that INXS supported them
when they first started out and gave them a demo tape with ska songs on it including a cover
of Gangsters ! INXS doing Gangsters, to my knowledge, has never been found.


LOIN GROIN - AIYEFEL SEAT COVERS

You have to hear this one if you haven't already. It comes from a rare cd called
Arise Sir Loin which was only given away at their last ever gig. Sadly I missed it
- them being in Melbourne and I in Sydney, but I managed to track down a copy of the cd.


BEDLAM BEGGERS - SWEET TALKIN' GIRL

This was the band I played in - I wrote song #12 on ska skank down under vol.2,
but not this one. There's about 20 studio tracks in total, and a few live bootlegs.


OFFBEATS [Melbourne] - RIPPLE SOLE SHOES

Gary Skaman Rosche from Melbourne sent this to me only a year or so ago, rare as rocking horse poo,
apparently Pete wanted to put a copy on Ska Skank Down Under vol. 1 but couldn't get this track at the time.
It comes from a 4 song demo tape.



GILGAMESH - UNITY (OPIV cover)

Gilgamesh were a punk ska band from Sydney, recently done some reunion shows. This is an OPIV cover,
they also do "Here we go again" live, which I have on a video bootleg. Graham, the drummer, recorded some
songs with Tim and (either lars or matt) from Rancid when they toured Oz in 1996, but those recordings have
never surfaced over here, not even Graham has a copy.

STRANGE TENANTS - LIVING LIFE

This comes from a live set in Manly, the only bootleg of theirs I have.

Half of this band went on to become Dr. Raju, who I have a few cds, live tracks and one dodgy live video of.



THE HIGH TIDES - WRONG EM BOYO

Gary Skaman's band from Melbourne, 4 song demo tape 2008. Garry puts in guest vocals on Bluekilla's new album as well.



ALLNITERS - STILL IN LOVE

This came from an Ausrock compilation in the early 90s. I had remembered seeing an Allniters
track listed on the cd when I saw it in a store 20 years ago, but only ever found a copy of it
again recently and snagged it straight away.

Pete Porker was after a cd copy as he only had it on tape, apparently there were more tracks
from this session which were never released and I dont have :(

A cover of a Dragon song - are you familiar with them, have you heard the original? they were a fantastic band,
not really ska but April sunn in Suba, Sunshine and this song are classics. Also, Im into heaps of Aussie pub
rock of the 80s, which occasionally crossed over into reggae & ska. Check Cold Chisel's Best Kept Lies or breakfast
at sweethearts if you haven't before.


THE HANGOVERS - LARGE SUM OF MONEY

The Hangovers live track, from a live comp called pulling on the boots, a show put on by Garry singer for the Bedlam Beggars
in 1997. Also had Backy Skank, HBlock, Dr. Raju, Skazoo, plus heaps of punk stuff. One individual track from each band,
then the last track contained another song from most bands.


http://www.mediafire.com/?10cl71ec6zl177e


...

Sleep-N-Eat EP (1981)

This compilation from '81 claims a song called "No One Like You" by the Volecanoes. The Volecanoes being the Originals...Arthur Kays back-up band. It says that they went off on their own to do this song, but Arthur Kay helped them on it.
It's odd that this exact recording was released in 1982 under the name Arthur Kay and the Originals with the correct title "No One But You" (which is what the lyrics are).

(download this 7")

...aside from that there are a couple of power-popish rocking songs and a great track by a band called Naughty Thoughts which was headed by Mark Edwards of the Kent band The Rivals (great punk band, by the way...check em out).
For more on Naughty Thoughts (and their first release - All or Nothing) see My Life's a Jigsaw

A1 - Naughty Thoughts - Stalking Shadows
A2 - Dogs Don't Lie - Newage
B1 - The Volecanoes - No On Like You
B2 - The City Blues Band - Meatballs

"Naughty Thoughts - Stalking Shadows"


Thanks to Rikard for this submission!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?k4z7rcj947uk625