Sunday, January 24, 2010

2 toned and smoothed out

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This mix is a nod to one of my favorite genres...

Ska over the years has introduced me to some amazing people, brought me out of my shell on the dance floor, and change my life by bringing some of my closest friends together to attend local shows on a monthly basis.

Now most of this mix is more of a 2-Tone kind of feel with bands like The Slackers (the best ska band you'll ever see live and they are still together after almost 30 years of being a group), Toots and Maytals, Hepcat (one of my favorites), and the one and only Skatalites. Actually some of these songs are singles from the classic record label 2-Tone Records. I luckily came across the The 2 Tone Collection: A Checkered Past while I was searching through the unorganized punk section my local record store. This really assisted me with piecing this mix together.

A lot of "Ska Standards" show up on the mix that the majority of ska fans will recognize through artists covering or referencing them. Including the classic "Al Capone" and "One Step Beyond" by Prince Buster. Two classics that anyone that has been to more than a few ska shows will recognize. Ranking Full Stop (English Beat) is a great song that Choking Victim takes and arranges into their own anthem with "Crack Rock Steady".

One band on the list might not be recognized by most. This band would be The Duppies. I don't know how long these guys have been together, but they all seem fairly young. I had the privilege of finally seeing these guys since they happened to open up for the Slackers for a few dates in Florida including the show I attended recently. I actually purposely tried to miss them by showing up to the show about an hour and a half after doors opened. Luckily I didn't miss out.. They played for a little over an hour every song was infectiously good. Everyone was moving along to every beat that was produced by them. I couldn't help by joining the crowd and dancing. A treat for all ska lovers. (www.myspace.com/theduppies)

Enough rambling. Everyone enjoy 2 toned and smoothed out.

nicholascaywood

1. The Real Ska - Christ Murray & The Slackers
2. Ranking Full Stop - The English Beat
3. One Step Beyond - Prince Buster
4. Push 'n Shove - Hepcat
5. On my Radio - The Selecter
6. Watch This - The Slackers (LIVE IN JAPAN)
7. Eastern Standard Time - Skatalites
8. Monkey Man - Toots and the Maytals
9. The Ronnie - Hepcat
10. Walking On - The Slackers
11. Guns of Navarone - Special AKA
12. Big Guns Down - Easy Big Fella
13. Sea Cruise - Rico
14. Push to Shove - The Duppies
15. Thick Ass Stout
16. Too Experienced - Bodysnatchers
17. Musical Storeroom - Skatalites
18. Al Capone - Prince Buster
19. Jungle Music - Special AKA
20. Switchblade to Soul - Chris Murray


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