N - E - 1 - So We Go (1984) [REPOST]

1 So We Go
2 Get Serious
3 Colleen
4 She Don't Like Me
5 Face Without a Mirror
6 Carol Ann
7 That's What You Do
8 Long Lonely Tomorrow
9 1 - 2 - 3
10 Cat's Pajamas
11 So We Go (Reprise)

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R.F. and the Radar Angels - Double Shot 7" (1981)

R.F. and the Radar Angels was a mod-rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. This is their first release. The classic rock-n-roll styled b-side was included on their only album "Picture of Linda" but, for some reason, their only ska-inspired song, a cover of the Dick Holler & the Holidays song "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" that was made famous by The Swinging Medallions was not included on the album.

A - Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)

B - Chi Chi

This DOWNLOAD includes the very rare single and the cd version of "Picture of Linda".

Modsters - Happy Hour 12" (1987)

This is a band from (I'm guessing) Southern California's Inland Empire. This is, most likely, the only thing they ever released as a band. This record has some ska-inspired new wave/mod/power pop with a couple of straight forward ska songs. I'm slightly convinced that their song "Put Your Hands Down There" was the inspiration for Reel Big Fish's "She Has a Girlfriend Now". Don't quote me on that.
Unless it's true.

1 Everyone
2 Happy Hour
3 Daddy's Little...
4 Sam I Am
5 Put Your Hands Down There
6 I've Been Hurt
(A great, accurate rendition of the Bill Deal and the Rhondells hit:)


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

I was wrong (and that's a good thing.) The Modsters did have at least one other record which I knew nothing about. Thanks to Bruce who provided this incredible find:

Modsters - Looking Through You 7" (1984)

A1 - Why aren't You Dreaming?
A2 - Someday
B1 - Daddy's Little Girl
B2 - The Kids

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The Odds - Dread in My Bed 7" (1980)

A - Dread in My Bed
B - Spare Rib

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The Zero Heroes

The Zero Heroes were a Swiss mod-ska band from Geneva, Switzerland that released a couple of albums and a couple of singles. The two albums included all of their songs with the exception of the b-side from the No Illusions single. All of their releases were on a French label and, so, there is a lot of conjecture that they are a French band but they are, in fact, Swiss.

The band formed out of the ashes of two Swiss punk bands The Bastards and Jack & the Rippers.
Jack & the Rippers experimented with the ska/reggae sound with the song "Endless Peace" but the Zero Heroes were a new direction for both bands. They played very well written power-pop (mod)-ska songs. (with less ska on the second album.)

Crash Boom Bang (1982)
1 Crash Boom Bang
2 Movie Star
3 Straighten Up Your Image
4 Trip Across the Ocean
5 Rebel
6 Little Girl Lost
7 Zero Hero Man
8 Walk, Don't Run
9 Deep in the Jungle
10 Running Dog
11 No Illusion
12 Music Fashion Magic



"Walk, Don't Run"


DOWNLOAD "CRASH BOOM BANG"


Radio Free Europe (1983)

 1 Freedom Fighters
2 Playboy Prince
3 Am I Gonna Leave
4 Moonlight
5 Cadillac, Pontiac, Zodiac
6 Love Power
7 Radio Free Europe
8 Tears of Joy
9 No Candy Store
10 Relationships
11 They Lost it All

"Playboy Prince"

DOWNLOAD "RADIO FREE EUROPE"

N - E - 1 - So We Go (1984)

...by request

N - E - 1 was a well known ska band from the San Diego area even though they weren't really a ska band. The were more mod/rock-n-roll but they did incorporate the ska sound on occasion. You know how people are...even one ska song (or even one art-punk song with a sax) makes them a ska band, right?

This album does have some high points but I never felt a need to post it previously until it was requested. Extremely rare as it is...

1 So We Go
2 Get Serious
3 Colleen
4 She Don't Like Me
5 Face Without a Mirror
6 Carol Ann
7 That's What You Do
8 Long Lonely Tomorrow
9 1 - 2 - 3
10 Cat's Pajamas
11 So We Go (Reprise)

"That's What You Do"
"1 - 2 - 3"

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The Clues - Mini LP (1981)

No ska on this one, nice mod revival. This was originally posted on Always Searching for Music. Thank you Gary for this one!
A1 - No Vacancies
A2 - Footsteps
A3 - Girl of My Dreams
B1 - Night Shift
B2 - Masked Emotions
B3 - Almost Framed

"Masked Emotions"

ZIPPY -or- BEAST

Untouchables - Dance Party EP (1986)

A1 - Freak in the Street (Freak Out Mix) Remixed by Don and David Was (these guys)
A2 - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
A3 - Hey UT's live at Spring Break Daytona Beach Florida 1985
B1 - Free Yourself (Special London Mix)
B2 - I Spy (For the FBI) (National Security Mix Up) produced by Jerry Dammers
B3 - What's Gone Wrong (Lovers Rock Mix)

http://www.mediafire.com/?e9kt8dlb8d4ltmk

Steppin Lazer - Plain Wrap (1983)

Thanks to Mike for informing me of this band!!

This is a California band that was part of the mod/ska ON Klub scene in the 80s.
(apparently they have a 7"??)

A1 - Follow the Leader
A2 - All I do is Ska
B1 - Tired of Your Love
B2 - Seein' What I ain't Got
B3 - The Game



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Kyber Rifles - 100 Problems EP (1984)

Before there was Let's Go Bowling there was The Kyber Rifles. From 1981 to 1985 they were California's premiere ska band and this is their only release. It's a 7" record in a 7"x9" sleeve.
There is talk that they will be releasing these songs on cd someday. I will remove this post if I find out they are going through with it. They did record other songs (as you can see on their Myspace) so I know I'll be buying the cd. I recommend you do the same.

Maybe they recorded a studio version of their rendition of Gangsters which was great live:


A1 - 100 Problems
A2 - Rock Head
B1 - Generation Gap
B2 - I'll Never Forget

http://www.mediafire.com/?hwoow64n9b9e1x6

Mustard Club singles

Here's another installment in a series of records that Bruce has sent me in response to the Shake and Shout compilation

DANCE 7" (1984)
A - Dance
B - Soul Vision

THE REST OF MY LIFE 7" (1985)
A - The Rest of My Life Begins Today
B - Jump Up

LEAVE BEFORE SHE WAKES 7" (1986)
A - Leave Before She Wakes
B - Once Too Many Ain't Too Much Once in a While

STEELTOWN MAN 7" (1986)
A - Steeltown Man
B - Sugar Beet, Rhythm Sweet

"Steeltown Man"


"Dance"


THERE IS NO SKA IN THESE RECORDINGS

http://www.mediafire.com/?91cxzccgczct3cm

Fear of Flying - Tired 7" (1981)

I have been looking for this record for years. There were only 500 copies made.
I just discovered that these songs are available on their Myspace (but the songs from their 1982 7" "Balancing Act / Tears Fall" aren't.

A - Tired
B - This Thing

http://www.mediafire.com/?exfduhe9xdw1bz2

The Upset - Hurt 7" (1980)

A - Hurt
B - (10-9-8) Lift Off

"(10-9-8) Lift Off"


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Spy Vs Spy - Six Fresh Lemons (1982)

Before they had to change their name to V Spy V Spy because of a lawsuit by Mad Magazine Australia's Spy Vs. Spy released this 7" and an EP entitled "Four Fresh Lemons" in limited numbers. They later released all six songs together under the name "Six Fresh Lemons".
Regardless of how they're packaged they were all pretty good songs and over the last few years I have seen the single and either of the EPs come up for sale several times each and they were all under the banner of "ska".
Sorry to disappoint you but none of them are ska songs but there are a couple of tracks with a slightly noticeable ska influence.
Call it pub rock, mod, post punk, powerpop, or ska. The category doesn't matter. It's just good music.

If you like this and aren't already aware V Spy V Spy has made all of their music available for free download HERE.

Do What You Say 7"
A - Do What You Say
B - Table Tea Mix

Four Fresh Lemons EP
1 Marlowe
2 Sofa
3 That (Dead) Girl
4 Brightside

"Marlowe"

"Do What You Say"


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Thanks to Craig for inspiring this post!!

More Gents

...submitted by Bruce

A - Revenge
B - Girl



A - Schooldays
B - True Stories




A - The Faker
B - The Pink Panther


A - The Gent
B1 - Over Me
B2 - Revenge

"Revenge"

"True Stories"


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(If you missed the first Gents post it's HERE)

The Gents

Some pretty damn decent mod music that was submitted by Bruce.
I always saw this in the ska section and they do use the black and white checkers so I thought it was ska. But it's not. It's mod.
And it's some damn good music.



New Direction 7" (1985)
A - New Direction
B - You Are the Sun


Shout 7" (1985)
A - Shout
B - The Faker


Stay With Me 7" (1985)
A - Stay With Me
B - In the Heat of the Sun
...includes songs from the Stay With Me 12"
A2 - Stay With Me (extended version)
B1 - Tomorrow Never Comes
B2 - Don't Turn Away

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"In the Heat of the Sun"

"The Faker"


More on the Gents HERE

Bruce's singles collection

Here are some more singles that Bruce has been contributing:

Cairo - I Like Bluebeat / Version
Cairo - Movie Stars / Cuthbert's Birthday Treat
Clean Looking Boys - Sent to Coventry / I Like Your Feel
Division 4 - On the Beat EP with the songs She's Just Not Anybody / Stop Dreaming / I Can't Give You Everything (not ska, but good mod)
Diesel - Barbes Pigalle / Coquez Cola
China Street - You're a Ruin / I Wanna be Your MP (this is not ska but they did have a 2nd 7" "Rock Against Racism / Dubbage" that was)
Ejecutivos Agresivos - Mari Pili / Stereo
Los Cardiacos - Noches de Toison / Extranos en tu Sombra
Los Cardiaco - Salid de Noche / Chicas de Burda

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Perfect Stranger - S/T 12'' (1982?)

Here's a very rare 12" clear picture disc from this mod/ska band from Pasadena California. I've found little info on this one. One source said this was from 1982, another source said 1985. Who knows?

"Stop This Ride"


1 Fall Down
2 Stop This Ride
3 The Bridge
4 Satellite
5 411

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Untouchables

Agent Double-O-Soul

Wild Child

Free Yourself

Ghetto Stout

Cool Beginnings - Rare and Unreleased 1981-1983

Decade of Dance - Live


(Thanks to Ruder Than Rude for Cool Beginnings and Decade of Dance)

Modest Proposal - Single Minded

...submitted by Rikard.

Before Unicorn Records became a driving force in post 2Tone ska they were almost strictly a mod label. This is one of their earlier releases. A compilation of sorts from this power-pop mod act from Washington DC that spearheaded the DC mod/ska scene who played their final show at London's 100 Club before releasing this record which was recorded in a span of 4 years (1984-1987).



1 The Hardest Part
2 After You
3 Live Today
4 I've Seen Your Face Before
5 Nowhere At All
6 One Dimension Love
7 Nobody Says No
8 How I Feel
9 Laugh and Live
10 In or Out
11 The Look in Your Eyes
12 My Own Interests

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Uppers on the South Downs posted more of these early Unicorn mod releases HERE