Let's talk about SKA

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

SKA SKA SKA

[Poll #733643]

Discuss it in the comments box too.

Comments

[fugitivemotel.livejournal.com]

Dude, what about bands like The Toasters and the Skatalites?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I was kind of lumping those in category one?

[fugitivemotel.livejournal.com]

Hokay.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

The Skatalites are responsible for one of my favourite songs EVAH...

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So from my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

that is an calypso song that predates the skatalites

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

the version of that song i know and have is credited to Jimmy Soul from '67.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

All ska-punk should have been drowned at birth.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Everything on here (http://www.discogs.com/release/605388) is Ska Canon.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Good one, hadn't seen that. This (http://www.discogs.com/release/563422) is one I've been listening to over the winter.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

GOOD OLD SKA. ska-punk is pretty rubbish, but still acceptable, eg "impression that i get" by MMB, "just a girl" by no doubt acceptable, legions of spotty 13 year olds doing "monkey man" less acceptable...

[juror8.livejournal.com]

If this was ILM someone would have made a Pitchfork/Save Ferris gag.

[juror8.livejournal.com]

Can one of ILM's elders please explain to me what the appeal of Madness was supposed to be? I would have ticked that box for The English Beat alone, but Madness really really REALLY are bad, surely?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I was going to ask this question in reverse of the young poptimist whippersnappers who seem to hate them so?

[giddyoldgoat.livejournal.com]

an old goat writes: ahem it is not just YOUNG poptimists who loathe the ghastly cockney salt of the earth knees up banter and baggy trousered whackiness of the camden cnuts

who are these ppl who loathe ALL Ska?

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about why Madness are bad and wrong, and it is entirely due to them that I hate all ska, because I cannot hear ska without being reminded of them.

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

calling The Beat by their INKORREKT name disqualifies your question. Please try again. ;)

[juror8.livejournal.com]

ENGLISH Beat, LONDON Suede, Amen UK, the ALBION EMF, Blighty's Idlewild.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

you forgot Charlatans UK and The Verve.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

??? but they were great? what's not to like? chirpy cockney knees-up singalong! saxophonist on a string!! 10p videos!!!

although specials and probably the beat were better

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Baggy Trousers, One Step Beyond, Our House, The Prince, Night Boat To Cairo = ACE+++
Must Be Love, My Girl's Mad At Me = BOO+++

Madness canon to find out!

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

dude, you've totally missed the best one, ie HOUSE OF FUN.

must be love and my girl are also both ace.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

the madness got better as they got older and gother bleaker (=until they became THE madness!)

THIS is a grebt lyric:
My girl's mad at me
I didn't wanna see the film tonight
I found it hard to say
She thought I'd had enough of her
Why can't she see
She's lovely to me?
But I like to stay in
And watch t.v. on my own
Every now and then

(on the other hand so is this:
when god save she queen she turn a white shale of pale)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"Yesterday's Men" is a wonderful song for this reason. Particularly as it starts with the line "an insolent speck of youth".

Suggs used to have a very rich voice.

chas smash as the ur-bez!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

one of the things i liked at the time about all the two-tones (inc.the beat and madness) wz their mix of bouncing around like crazy WHILE INSISTING that fun was often a bit rubbish

cf the way the beat perform a song w.the line "Drift gently into/mental illness" in it

Re: chas smash as the ur-bez!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Yes - "House Of Fun" being about the huge nerve-racking struggle to have the fun rather than the fun itself (which ultimately FAILS i think, doesn't he just end up buying a toothbrush or something?)

Re: chas smash as the ur-bez!

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

this is a chemist NOT A JOKE SHOP!

Yes to

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Madness canon! I think of them as two different groups really, the ska stuff and the music-hall stuff. Some of the latter is really impossible to listen to, I admit (although Must Be Love is not one of them)!

Re: Yes to

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

There was an ILX thread at some point about "was there ever another group that so clearly had multiple song writers?"

Re: Yes to

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

that's an interesting argt (tho the answer = YES THERE WAS i ph345r)

Re: Yes to

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

I suspect there was a footnote *not the sodding beatles.

The KILLAH! James Bond!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I think ska always loses something on record. I never really rated the Selecter until I saw them live and they were FECKIN AMAZING.

Re: The KILLAH! James Bond!

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I've never understood why they were included in the big three or four of 2Tone. When did you see them live? Back in the day or on one of their recent revivals?

P.S. I would like to date your icon.

Re: The KILLAH! James Bond!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Supporting Desmond Dekker at Dingwalls a few years ago. Both were amazing!

I would like to meet said icon and tell her how grebt she is, but wld probably turn into gibbering wreck like when I met Donna.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Was this before or after Donna began her career as a born-again?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

After. She was absolutely lovely.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Also "impossibly cute." I had a huge crush on her too. Is she still doing music or what?

The sukrat Ska Canon hurrah

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Rush - "The Enemy Within (Part I of Fear)" and "Vital Signs". I shall try and find an mp3 of one of these!

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Ska does nothing for me, except Ghost Town and a couple of other songs. Also I hate the way everyone from Lady Sovereign to Lily Allen is adopting a ska sound to show how DIVERSE yet URBAN they are.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Ghost Town != ska!!!!!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

it seemed as if Ska was the branch of Jamaican music that crossed over to white British audience much more than the older genres, which may be a big factor. I could be wrong about this but it's a distinct impression I get. there are always people like Mark Lamarr and Phil Jupitus out there going on about how great it is altho they do rep for the other styles too, only not quite as much perhaps.

"Ultimate Ska Experience"

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Ska is one of those musics where the idea of picking a track is very difficult (feels unnatural) for me. There's certainly there is very hooky stuff amongst the 2Tone groups, the songs that exert the most pull seem almost the least ska. Usually if I'm in the mood, I'll just put something on and not pay much attention to what it is.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

When I lived in Foreign I really missed hearing ska.