The Spots - Mr. Career 7'' (1980)

I first told you about the Spots in May 2016 when I posted the Skampler compilations HERE. I have since obtained a copy of the single so now I at least know what the b-side sounds like. It's not bad. It's not all that great either, but the a-side should be one of the most recognized songs from the 2 Tone era.
I'm doing my part, now it's up to you to spread it around.



A - Mr. Career
B - Silly Billy

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The Jumpers - Galimatias Amoureux 7" (1981)

A1 - Girl & Toy
A2 - Every Time I Look at You
B1 - Me No Send, You No Come
B2 - Anytime

Band members include
Johnny Jumper -Vocals
Cathy Tune - vocals
Dave Lennon Drums (Later with Strange Tenants / Allniters / Club Ska)
Michael Hope
Jim Bowden

They had one song called "1966" which was released in 1980 on a compilation called "5MMM's Compilation Album of Adelaide Bands 1980" and was later released on the first "Ska Skank Down Under" compilation but the band was called The Jake Jumpers for some reason. It is included in this download.

Thanks to Rude Rich for providing the rip!

...and to this channel who put it on Youtube.



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Skatterbrains [Canada] - The Killer Beat (cassette 1991)

Not to be confused with the Skatterbrains from Colorado, these guys were from Canada and I don't know anything about them. This is probably the only thing they ever released and it's incredible. This should be right up there with everything that was released on Unicorn Records at the time this was recorded. There are 12 tracks on this cassette-only album and all 12 are ska. How did this go unnoticed for so long?

1 The Killer Beat
2 Theme Song
3 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
4 Love Thy Neighbour (But Don't Get Caught)
5 Scandal
6 Possessed
7 Cheesy Love Song
8 Questions
9 Messin' Around
10 Road Warrior
11 Skankin' for Family Pleasure
12 TV Preachers

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Bud's Balooxe - Skamenco 7" (1995)

A - Skamenco
B - The Ugly Bone

This is a great German band who only ever released this one 7" and a 4-track demo tape. I don't have the tape but I have this and it's better than you might imagine. The A-side is sung in Spanish and the b-side is in English.

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Tony Titt and the Torpedoes - Dance 7" (1982)

A - Dance
B - No More Reggae


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The Crystal Set [U.K.] - Know How 7" (1981)

This is probably the only thing released by this band. Not to be confused with the Australian band of the same name. Both sides are ska.

A - Know How
B - Critical Town

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The Ventilators - SKA live cassette demo (1991) [UPDATED LINK]

The Swiss band The Ventilators really is one of my favorite bands. They're right up there with Mr. Review. This tape was recorded when they first started out and it shows how amazing they were from the beginning. From what I know there were less than 100 copies of this tape made and the number of them that exist today is God's own private mystery. There are four songs on it and none of them were ever recorded in the studio. The only way to ever hear these songs is from this tape. Unfortunately my copy is warped pretty badly. I tried my best to adjust the sound to make it listenable but the sound quality sucks. Nothing I can do about it.

Most of you will want to skip this one, but Ventilators fans will truly appreciate it.

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La banda suiza The Ventilators es una de mis bandas favoritas. Están ahí arriba con Mr. Review. Esta cinta fue grabada cuando comenzaron por primera vez y muestra lo increíble que eran desde el principio. Por lo que sé, hubo menos de 100 copias de esta cinta hecha y el número de las que existen hoy en día es el misterio privado de Dios. Hay cuatro canciones en él y ninguno de ellos fueron grabados en el estudio. La única manera de oír estas canciones es de esta cinta. Por desgracia, mi copia está muy deformada. He intentado mi mejor para ajustar el sonido para que sea audible, pero la calidad del sonido es una mierda. No puedo hacer nada al respecto.

La mayoría de ustedes querrán saltarse éste, pero los ventiladores de los Ventilators apreciarán verdad.


1 Jah War
2 In Heaven
3 Take Me Away
4 (Why Don't We) Start a Revolution

DOWNLOAD from Dropbox

DOWNLOAD from MEGA

Strange Idols - Tired of Earth 7" (1982)

A - Tired of Earth
B - I'm Normal

This is the very rare single from this Australian band. The a-side did get some airplay and they even made a music video for it, but I'm posting this for the b-side that you can hear HERE.



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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.

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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!)
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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.

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 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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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")


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


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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
  

Eastern Standard Time - Take Five (cassette-only release 1997)

1 Tick Tock
2 Oh No!
3 Bemsha Swing
4 Barbados (live at 9:30 Club)
5 Summertime (live at Blondo's)

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Allniters - 1981 Demo Tape

1 54-46
2 Solomon Gundie
3 The Israelites
4 Boots
5 Wooly Bully
6 Chatty Chatty
7 Allniters are Allriters
8 What Gives You the Right?
9 Do the Dog
10 Police and Thieves
11 You Made a Monkey Out of Me
12 Ring Dang Doo
13 Rude Dude
14 Skinhead Girl

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Respectfully stolen from Bourgeoizine.

Thank you Mr. Moule!

Investigators - Steal the Show (1996)

Up-tempo 90s ska from Washington with a pre-third wave sound. Not ska-punk.

1 Investigators
2 Evil Twin
3 Rudy
4 Atomic Cafe
5 Spending the Night
6 Mr. Dupont
7 A Look Ahead
8 Let Her Know
9 Uh Oh! Oh No!
10 Mass-Ska-Raid
11 Alcoholic
12 I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore

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Yebo - What a Desaster...! (1991 demo tape)

1 You Really Got Me
2 Dead End Street
3 Midnight in Ethiopia
4 Apple Ska
5 Carry Go Bring Come
6 Phoenix City
7 What a Desaster..
8 Sound Pressure
9 Famine
10 Rocker's Rumba

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Dutty Rass [California] - Dutty Rass 7" (1980)

Okay, here it is. This is the third in my series of the three rarest ska records in California history.

In case you missed them the others were RAM - Our Physics May Not Apply, and The Corvairs - Self Abuse.


This is a 7" with 4 songs. All 4 are reggae/ska. No punk, no new wave. As usual I have no information to offer. Enjoy.


A1 - Our Time, Baby
A2 - How Many Chances (Would You Take)?
B1 - Burnin'
B2 - Out Of It

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Let's Quit - Skanouska 7" (1991)

A - Skanouska
B - Vegetarian Shoes

This is the actual single. I know I posted this years ago but they were the versions from the album. This is my own rip of the single.

Igor was a boy from Vladivostok,
Skanouska was the girl on his mind.
He always did his best to attract her attention,
but it seemed as if Skanouska was blind.

He swam the Wolga nude with minus 20 degrees,
he climbed the Kaukasus on his two bare knees.
But Skanouska made love with all the other boys,
'cause for her they were all much better toys.

One day Igor found Skanouska messin' around,
she was playing with Igor's best mate.
He was frustrated 'cause he wanted to show her his dung,
that he saved for weeks in a box with a gate.

So Igor grabbed his knife and cut his friend in two,
and after him all the others of Skanouska's crew.
Now Igor was happy and he wanted nothing more,
but Skanouska was crying 'cause Igor was a bore.


Let's Quit's stuff is hard to track down. They have several other recordings and there are still two that I need: a 4-track EP from 1997 called "Survival of the Quittest" with song titles: Kirk's Deception, Don't Count on Me, Postman, and Padadow, - the first three songs were on the album "Imprisoned" but the 'song' Padadow isn't on any of their other recordings and I'm guessing, because it's less than a minute long, that it's not a song, just some studio shenanigans. Then they had another one called "Burp That Offbeat". I don't know if Burp That Offbeat is an album or an EP and I have no idea what year it's from or what songs are on it. I have never even seen the covers for these two releases. I'm not exactly desperate to get a copy of Survival of the Quittest (but if you see a copy you should snatch it up - it is rare) but I am desperate to find out more about Burp that Offbeat.

What I do have by them was sent to me by different people because they have never been available for sale anywhere as long as I have been aware of the band.

I have posted their first album "The Southern Belles Party Beat" from 1995 previously and the one I'm posting here is that same low-quality version with track #14 missing.

 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 THE SOUTHERN BELLES PARTY BEAT from Zippyshare

DOWNLOAD THE SOUTHERN BELLES PARTY BEAT from MEGA


Let's Quit - Imprisoned (1997)

1 Imprisoned
2 Cat Grace
3 Kirk's Deception
4 You Only Die Once
5 Fish Analogy
6 Skabble d'Babble
7 Don't Count on Me
8 Cocks & Bulls
9 Out of Sight
10 My Bike
11 Postman





Let's Quit - Liberty EP (2001)

1 Beware of the Man Called Liberty
2 Angel Dust
3 Sir Nelson
4 Can You Take Your Hands Off My Girlfriend?


DOWNLOAD SKANOUSKA 7", IMPRISONED ALBUM, AND LIBERTY EP from Zippyshare

DOWNLOAD SKANOUSKA 7", IMPRISONED ALBUM, AND LIBERTY EP from MEGA


Let's Quit - My Bottled Friend & Foe (2005)
(This is their last album - I don't even have a cover for it.)

1 Don't Ask
2 I Don't Wanna Lose You
3 Mayday
4 Strange Love
5 Self-Pity
6 Schoolmate
7 Your Place or Mine
8 Revenge of the Pigs
9 Can You Take Your Hands Off My Girlfriend?
10 Voor ik het Vergeet
11 Way in Our Lives
12 Dangerous Tactics

DOWNLOAD MY BOTTLED FRIEND & FOE from Zippyshare

DOWNLOAD MY BOTTLED FRIEND & FOE from MEGA

The Bakesys - Animated Violence (1994)

The Bakesys - Animated Violence cassette-only release (1994)
A1 - Sex Freak
A2 - Without Warning
A3 - Liquidated
A4 - Life so Tough
B1 - Open All Hours
B2 - Days Gone By
B3 - Grass is Greener
B4 - Animated Violence

"Sex Freaks"


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DOWNLOAD THROUGH MEGA

The Usuals [South Africa] - Law of the Jungle (1982)

1 Usual Rumours
2 So Fine
3 What Can I Say?
4 With My Tears
5 No Great Shakes
6 Cuts and Bruises

7 The Limits
8 Love is Just an Inch Away
9 A Man Can Take so Much
10 My Good Fortune
11 Rules and Regulations


DOWNLOAD from MEGA

DOWNLOAD from Zippyshare

The Miggedys - I Wonder What's Wrong with Me (1995)

1 Swingin'
2 American Girl
3 untitled

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The Dynamics [South Africa]

The Dynamics was a band from South Africa who played their own unique brand of music that included a ska influence.

In 1983 they released a cassette called "It's the Dynamics" - only 250 copies were made. They released a 12" EP in 1984 called "Switch it on and Wind it Up", then, in the early 90s they released a cd called "Organic".

This is a cd compilation featuring songs from all three releases.
1 Thugs
2 1+1
3 Pot Black
4 Who's Worried (vocal version)
5 2 Nil
6 This Weekend (vocal version)
7 Castello
8 Casino
9 Blue Plates
10 Siyabonga
11 Out of Tea Again
12 Garlic Baloney
13 Animal Jive
14 This Weekend (instrumental)
15 Untitled
16 Pull Up Your Socks
17 Ghetto Blasters
18 Chunky Charlie

DOWNLOAD

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There is a great blog that posts South African music and they have featured the Dynamics at one time. It's called Afro-Synth.


Other ska band from South Africa include The Lancaster Band and The Usuals.



I have the Usuals full-length album and I will be posting it on the blog at some point.