Les Crazy Skankers - Demo Studio (1992)

They later released a full length and an EP (neither of which I have yet) but this is their first release.

1 Smoky Mountains
2 Dread Black Rebel
3 Rude Boy on the Move
4 Skanky
5 Number Six

"Skanky" live in 1995 (you can skip the first 40 seconds)


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Screaming Believers - My Eyes 7" (1984)

These guys were from Australia and I have their albums "Communist Mutants From Space" and "Refugees From the Love Generation" which have no ska on them so the B-side on this recording "Unprofessional" may be their only ska song. The A-side "My Eyes" is an alternative rock song with some Madness-style saxophone.



A - My Eyes
B - Unprofessional


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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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Famous 4 - Hume Tunes 1. 12" (1984) [REPOST]

Rare British ska.

A1 - Sand Dance
A2 - I Want That Girl
A3 - I Want That Girl (Dub)
B1 - Not Just Any Picture
B2 - Never the Policeman

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F-Troop - She Was My Baby 7" (1989)

A - She Was My Baby
B - Rude Girl

This is the only release that I know of by this Australian band. The A-side was on the first "Ska Skank Down Under". The B-side can be heard HERE.

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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"


DOWNLOAD THROUGH ZIPPYSHARE

DOWNLOAD THROUGH MEGA

The B3's [Pittsburg, Pennsylvania]

The B3's - Only Human 7" (1997)
A - Only Human
B - Never Go Away

The B3's - Devil's Blue Beat (1998)
1 Sharpshooter
2 Devil Blues
3 Smith Kidd
4 New Orleans
5 Puddy's Gone
6 Last Call
7 Lift Me Up

The B3's - Church of the Double Cross (1998)
1 East Side Shuffle
2 Billy the Fish
3 Mustache Fever
4 The Trigger and the Family
5 Alan Watts
6 Makin' it on My Own

The B3's - Krakatoa (2000)
1 Billy the Fish
2 Skratchin' at Skars
3 Scheherazade
4 Devil Blues
5 Foggy Dew
6 Wake Me
7 No Stars Over Canada
8 Only Human
9 Mantequilla
10 East Side Shuffle
11 Hard Times
12 Russian Men's Eggs


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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

Ska'd For Life - Street Life single (1996)

1 Street Life
2 Pick It Up

Pick It Up is a cover of the Employees song.

Also included in this download is the album Sober from 1998.

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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

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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.

The Memos - Drag Me Down 7" (1985) [LINK UPDATED NOVEMBER 26, 2016]

The Memos was a band from Boston who played new wave and the ocassional ska song. Their live shows incorporated lots of covers of the current new wave hits at the time, which they did amazingly well, with several of their own songs and the occasional oldie but goodie thrown in.
Even though these guys could write a great song they only ever released one 2-song 7". Luckily for us the a-side was a ska original called Drag Me Down.

The Memos - Drag Me Down 7"
A - Drag Me Down
B - Childsplay

I would have loved to see these guys in the eighties. Hell, I'd love to see them now.

They had another original ska song called Procrastination Song that never saw a formal release. You can hear a live version of that on this official bootleg which also includes some other originals and some of those amazing covers I mentioned.

The Memos - Live in '85
1 I Saw Her Standing There
2 New Years Day
3 Who Gives
4 My Old Neighborhood
5 Don't You (Forget About Me)
6 Procrastination Song
7 I Will Follow
8 Everybody Wants to Rule the World
9 Stiff Competition
10 Trouble in Doggyland
11 Hang on Sloopy
12 Save it for Later
13 Stir it Up

DOWNLOAD THE 7" AND THE LIVE TAPE

Managing Directors [Sweden] - Life and Times 7" (1982)

A - Life and Times
B1 - M.D.'s Theme
B2 - Norborgs Affair (1.000 Light Years From Dub)



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Submitted by Rikard

The Bong - Four Smash Hits 12" (1982) [REPOST*]

Rare German ska - all lyrics are in English.

A1 - Ejah Man
A2 - Clean Girl
B1 - Skafighter
B2 - Rudy (On the Run)

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Reposted by request

*Originally posted July 2014

Carl Collins - Money in the Ghetto 7" (1980)

Jo Bisso was born and raised in Yaoundé, the political capital Cameroon. He grew up being a fan of American soul music such as Otis Reading and Wilson picket. In 1971 he left Cameroun to pursue his musical career. Beginning an 8 year stint of Paris to New York jet trips the young ambitious man forged his musical career on his own terms; Staring off with the minor hit “Flying To The Land Of Soul” which he signed to Decca and moving on to produce, finance, write and create several albums released under his own name and other artsits such as Sookie and Venise.
In 1975 Jo created his genre blended debut album “Jo Tongo” on the Paris based Disques Esperance label. Sung in English and his native language it was way ahead of its time for the day, blending Jazz, Funk, Soul, afro rhythms and the sounds that were at the time being come to be known as Disco. The album was produced by Jo who plays a wide variety of the instruements and contributes his baritone “Barry White” tinged spoken vocals about life and love.
The album opens up with the title track “Dance To It”, A slice of groovy lounge-funk. Part 1 is all about the driving catchy groove which is layered with a downtown funk saxophone lead line. Part 2 brings in Jo’s spoken vocals in his native language and English, setting the tone of the album to come. “Disco Madonna” introduces a Latin flavour with Spanish vocals, a rumba groove and darting percussion. “Ramaya” melds a playful, summery, euro melody with Jo’s throaty, fun-loving vocals and a nascent use of synthesizers.
“Lets Keep It Together” is a song in two parts. The first half builds the groove over washy guitar, and chords before breaking into a solid soul riff with bass, Rhodes and guitar. Over this Jo layers the catchy, soulful vocals, summer-breeze guitars and jazzy keys. A real treat. Flip over to the Vinyl B side for what is probably the albums most “getting down” moment. The driving funk of “Give It Up”. Stabby brass, whirling organ and tight bass which is all wrapped up in a one tight arrangement. Add in doses of Jo’s sulty vocal and that is a recipe for a real winner.
“Don’t Fight The Feeling” again furthers into real deep funk territory. Jo opening up with a sermon on “love and sex”. The album closes with the swinging soul of the pensive Jo and his thoughts on life, “Odwa”. What is going down?
The Give It Up track was a highlight of the recent Africa Seven debut release “African Airways Volume 1: (Funk Connection 1972-1979). To Follow that up Africa Seven are proud to repress the debut Jo Bisso album in its full glory.
Before returning to the US in 1981 he recorded two ska records in France but he used the moniker Carl Collins. The Gangsters featuring Carl Collins - "Who's That Man?" b/w "The Game" and "Money in the Ghetto" b/w "The Star" both released in 1980.
From 1981 to 1989 his lived in Cote D’Ivoire. He now lives in Paris and although he sometimes “finds it hard to listen to his albums”, he does thinks it great that people love his music and his debut album is getting a re-release all these years later.


A - Money in the Ghetto
B - The Star



The other single was previously posted on Tone and Wave HERE but I included it in this download.

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[This wall of text was respectfully plagiarized from THIS Soundcloud page on Jo Bisso.]

The Corvairs [California]

This is the record that I consider to be the rarest California ska record ever released.

I have been collecting rare California ska for decades and this is the one record that eluded me year after year. I don't know how many copies were made and there are still some rare California ska releases from the 80s that I don't have yet but I'm basing my criteria on internet presence and how many people I've met at record conventions (and elsewhere) that have actually heard of these records.

The Corvairs - Self Abuse 7" (1983)
A - Self Abuse
B - Never Stop Believin






They had an earlier release in 1981 that wasn't ska (but was still a great record):

The Corvairs - Took so Long 7" (1981)
A - Took so Long
B - Just a Friend




DOWNLOAD BOTH SINGLES

The Parrots [Brighton, U.K.] - The Parrots EP (1980)

The song "Breaking Up New Ground" might sound familiar to you if you have the 100% British Ska compilation. Prior to recording this EP the band recorded two songs for the "Vaultage 78" compilation and later recruited a female vocalist and changed the name of the band to Vol Sec and they released a four-track cassette.

The cassette is nearly impossible to find but, lucky for us, every song they ever recorded is available on CD - 19 tracks recorded as the Parrots and as Vol Sec.

1 Photography Song
2 Home Sweet Home
3 Breaking Up New Ground
4 Serious Thing




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Etch-A-Sketch [Ann Arbor Michigan]

The band Etch-A-Sketch from Ann Arbor Michigan made an impact in the American ska scene of the early 90s but, sadly, they never released anything aside from their very few appearances on compilations. They released two songs on the "Ska Takes the Great Lakes" compilation as well as the song "Too Late" on the "Death of an American Skathic" comp.

As far as I know they only got around to recording six songs in a studio. This download includes all six of those songs.

1  Hit the Ground
2 Inhibitions
3 (Spirit of) Leslie Kong
4 Too Late
5 Escape
6 Killer Bees



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The Riffs - Funny Little Fella 7" (1990)

This is being re-posted by request. It was originally posted in 2008. I have since re-ripped it and it sounds better now than the previous version I offered so, even if you downloaded it back then, I recommend you download this version. It's still not a great rip but it is better.

A - Funny Little Fella
B - Maybe Next Time

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The Toilets [Sweden] - Hjul I Natten 7" (1982)

A - Hjul I Natten
B - One Day



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