I'm In The Mood For Ska!

It's been a while since I've touched on ska and today is as a good a day as any to throw up a ska mix I recently put together. Now as I did a couple years ago when I first made available some tunes for you to enjoy I need to reitterate that I am definitely not an authority on this era and my music collection is not stocked with a bunch of rare singles that haven't been heard by human ears for nearly 35 years. The costs involved with accumulating rare and or original ska is far too prohibitive for me to pursue... though I have that on my list of things to do once I hit the Mega-Millions lottery! Most of the tracks within this mix were culled from CDs and affordable "greatest hits" LPs but nonetheless they make for a fairly enjoyable listening experience.

But before we get to the music let me tell you a couple experiences recently that have got me in the mood for ska today... I noticed recently that Sandals Resorts was using Lord Tanamo's "I'm In The Mood For Ska" as their theme and when I went and dug up the track I rediscovered what a cool song it is. If I owned a multi-millions dollar resort in the Caribbean I'd have used the same tune - Sandals would have to fight me in court over the use of that one! Note to self - add that to the "to do" list when the Mega Millions cash starts rolling in! The second story involves a guy I work with who played guitar for a Detroit based third generation ska band when he was in college. He overheard me listening to the Skatalites and asked who it was... I of course had to give him a hard time by asking, "You used to be in a ska band and you don't even know the Skatalites?" He of course said he definitely knew their name but wasn't familiar with their music. I was floored... I was under the impression that all of these new ska bands were in touch with the roots of the music they played. Did these "young punks" (I'm just using the term for illiteration and to help switch into my grumpy old man persona) not know where this music came from? Are there actual ska bands whose only knowledge of ska history begins with London's 2 Tone movement of the late 70's? Are there ska bands who consider The Specials, The Beat and Madness the fathers of this genre? It appears so! And though I can appreciate and even enjoy some if not most of the UK's hybrid of this sub-genre, I immediately felt as if I should raise the Jamaican flag and make it my duty to present to my co-worker and those younger readers out there who are unfamiliar with the true roots of this music a brief but enjoyable history lesson!

Here's the playlist...

1. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Carry, Go, Bring, Come
2. Duke Reid & His Group - Burial
3. Jimmy Cliff - Miss Jamaica
4. Lord Tanamo - I'm In The Mood For Ska
5. Ken & Stranger - Home Home Home
6. Frank Anderson & The Skatalites - Musical Storeroom
7. The Wailers - Simmer Down
8. The Skatalites - Ska-Ra-Van
9. Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop
10. Duke White - It's Over
11. The Skatalites - The Guns Of Navarone
12. Laurel Aitken - Coconut Woman
13. Jackie Opel - Push Wood
14. Alton Ellis & The Flames - Girl I've Got A Date
15. The Skatalites - Ghost Town (You Can't Sit Down)
16. The Skatalites - Spred Satin
17. Unknown - Drink Rum
18. The Wailers - Go Jimmy Go
19. Clancy Eccles - Sammy No Dead
20. Don Drummond & The Skatalites - Thoroughfare
21. Prince Buster - Hard Man Fe Dead
22. Lord Tanamo - Come Down
23. Shenley Duffus & The Skatalites - Rukumbine
24. Lord Brynner - Congo War
25. Derrick Morgan - Time Marches On

Enjoy!