Not a pure Ska band, but one of the best in the 2 Tones stable, The Higsons delivered a string of punk/funk/ska dance hits in the early 80's.
The group possesses all three elements to make them one of my favorites: 1. One fantastic album (The Curse of the Higsons) which distilled the dynamic sound of 80's New Wave with horns that sound like synthesizers and vice versa. 2. A fairly rapid decent back into obscurity. 3. A subsequent break up.
Originally written by an Englishman living in America, Danny Boy is considered the anthem of the Irish.
The lyrics were written by Frederick Weatherly in 1910 and set to the Irish tune Londonderry Air around 1913. There are several different interpetations of the famed ballad, the more widely embraced being a father referring to his leaving Danny with the knowledge the father-figure will die. The phrase, "the pipes, the pipes are calling" refers to the tradition funeral instrument. The town of Danny is located just inland of Ireland's west coast in county Kerry.
The song has been covered by both Irish musicians as well as a host of others in a variety of styles. Here are just a few. Some sound better with a belly full of Jameson.
No respectable homage to Ska would be complete without a nod to the rockinest, rock-steady beat of Madness. This Camden group flourished during the 2 Tone era, delivering a string of hits, Ska and otherwise.
Madness holds the distinction of being the defacto house band for the British 80's sitcom, The Young Ones.
Yet another band celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2009. The band (which has been reunited for several years) will tour in support of their upcoming release, The Liberty of Norton Folgate. Bring back the...who is the...we want the...bring back the Prince!
Next to the Specials, The Beat are my favorite ska band of the 2 Tone era. The Birmingham ensemble helped bridge the gap between the first and second waves of Ska with the inclusion of one of Ska's pioneers, Lionel Martin aka Saxa. This master of the tenor sax had previously played with the legendary Prince Buster.
The Beat was a rather large outfit, comprised of nine members. not uncommon for Ska bands of the era. The main songwriter for the group was Dave Wakeling, his counterpart onstage, supplying the toasting was Ranking Roger. The dubbed and skanked their way up the charts and became the most internationally reknown band of the British Ska revival (I would venture Madness was not far behind). This wide appeal was due in part to their excursions beyond Ska. Two of their biggest hits, Save It For Later and I Confess were mid-tempo pop gems, far from the frenetic, driving rhythms of their more familar Ska offerings.
The band only released three albums in their brief five year tenure, but left an indelible mark on pop music in general and Ska music in particular. Subsequent bands with direct lineage include General Public and Fine Young Cannibals. Both mildly successful 80's pop bands, neither was able to eclipse the impact or success of The Beat.
Not unlike the Specials, The Beat have an extensive tour planned in 2009 to celebrate their 30th anniversary, so break out your pork pie hat and come forward! I said ready, are you ready to go?
Having already highlighted some of Jamaica's ska legends, let's move to another island to explore the Ska revival of the late 70's. Coventry England's Post-Punk rebirth of Ska, better known as the 2 Tone Era, exposed the relatively unknown genre to an entirely new and different audience, utilizing a mix of old and new to punctuate it's rediscovery.
The symbiotic relationship between Punk and Reggae that had blossomed in the late 70's gave rise to the resurgence which followed closely on its heels. This new wave of Ska was perpetuated by several standout bands, and among its stongest proponent was Jerry Dammers. Dammers, a member of The Specials and the founder of 2 Tone Records was a instrumental, literally and figuratively, in the expansion of the movement.
The original Specials consisted of Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter. Later joined by Terry Hall and Roddy Byers, they released two LPs prior to changing their lineup and name. The resulting Special AKA was not as successful as the Specials, but did manage the big club hit, Free Nelson Mandela.
The Specials incorporated everything the 2 Tone movement stood for: the resurgence of the mods; racially unified, disenfranchised middle-class youth, fighting the power while having a good time. Not as caustic as the Clash, yet still far more significant than the New Wavers, their music was as much a celebration as it was a revolt, and it packed every ounce of energy they lads to offer.
In April 2008, the band announced it had reformed (minus Dammers) to celebrate it's 30th anniversary. Late that same year, they began playing at festivals around England.
With a little luck and some proper booking, they will skank it over to these shores this year.
Trading in tropical breezes for arctic blasts, we here at Actual Monkey stand undaunted, determined to keep this party going and the music playing.
All week long we've highlighted a varying array of just some of the treasures of Caribbean music. While the styles and artists may differ, most have the same thing in common, Studio One.
Often referred to as the Motown of Jamaica, Studio One was the source of countless historic sessions, resulting in some of the most legendary Reggae recordings ever laid down.
Founded by the late Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, Studio One was both a studio and label, host to the most renown names in Reggae, whether it be Ska, Rocksteady, Roots, Dub, or Dancehall. Included among the ranks are a who's who of Reggae pioneers including: Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Jackie Mittoo, Toots & the Maytals, The Skatalites, John Holt, Alton Ellis and a little band called Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Dodd began his career as a disk jockey before starting Studio One. After a stay in the States as a sugar cane cutter, he returned to Jamaica with an appreciation for American R&B, a turntable, an amp and a stack of records. He formed the Downbeat Sound System and began to play around Jamaica. Soon after the popularity for American R&B waned, and Dodd along with legends Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Prince Buster began to record original Jamaican artists to fill the demand for new music.
In 1963, Dodd opened the meager one track studio at 13 Brentford Road in Kingston, Jamaica. The timing could not have been better. The Independence of Jamaica from British rule in 1962 coalesced with the rise of original sounds from the islands emerging musicians.
Since it would be impossible in this little blog to experience the full breath of what Studio One accomplished over the last 40 years, here is a small sample of the classic 'Studio One Sound'.
As we down our last conch fritter and Cruzan, the time has come at last, to pack up and head back to reality. In a mere 24 hours, I will be going from the amazing surf of St. Thomas' best kept secret back to the grind of NYC. Not looking forward to it one bit. Paradise lost.
But I digress, Today, while I was hunting for hermit crabs with the kids, I realized that I had left something out. I missed the rain forest for the palm trees. It took the tiniest little sea creature to make me realize that I had almost forgotten one of the biggest stars in all of Caribbean music. And this artist happens to be the performer of one of my all-time top 10 songs. That artist is Desmond Dekker. The song isIsraelites.
Years before Marley was singing Natty Dread,Dekker was the most prominent Jamaician musician on or off the islands. He had achieved substantial succes with hits like Mount Zion and 007 (Shanty Town), but 1968's Israelites put him atop the charts. The song reached both the top 10 of the Bilboard Hot 100 and No.1 on the UK Singles Chart.
Drawing a parallel between ancient biblical legends and modern day strife, the song helped catapult him to international stardom. Dekker is considered by many to be the King of Ska, a title he held until his death in 2006.
So as we await the shuttle van to bring us back to Cyril E.King airport, I can't help but think of how the travails of the protagonist in the song mirror my current situation. Poor me, Israelites!
But it was one hell of a vacation. I'm just sayin'.
Well after all the talk of sunshine, it rained on our parade for a while today. But all was not lost, we day tripped it over to Blackbeard's Castle in the tourist heavy area of Charlotte-Amalie.
When you think pirates, you think Blackbeard. Sure there's Capt. Hook, Black Bart, even William Kidd, but Blackbeard is king. For some reason, he is the most notorious and memorable of all the scoundrels to ever sail the Seven Seas. ARGH!
It's very much the same for Reggae. Bob Marley is king and everyone else is second fiddle. Well today AM is all about playing second fiddle.
Eric Donaldson first appeared on the Reggae scene after his songCherry Oh Baby won the Jamaican Festival Song Competition in 1971. He would go on to capture that title four more times, but never achieve success off of the islands.
A group that did enjoy some limited success abroad with their dance floor friendly mix of Disco and Reggae was Third World. Their 1978 cover of the Gamble & Huff hit Now that We Found Love, was followed up by the original tune Try Jah Love.
Peter Tosh started out a Wailer, but broke out as a solo artist in the mid 70's. A controversial figure, his music was more politicized than Marley's. A devout Rastafarian, he was a big proponent of cannabis use. From his 1976 debut album of the same name, Legalize It.
Next up is arguably Reggae's biggest crossover next to Marley, the incomparable Jimmy Cliff. A legend in the Reggae world, he never quite gained the international recognition of Marley. He did however help bring Reggae to the mainstream with the 1972 film, The Harder They Come. The crime drama starred Cliff and featured a soundtrack which included some of his biggest hits including The title track as well as one of my all-time favorite songs, Many Rivers To Cross.
Just like pirates of yore, with a little direction, a sense of adventure, and some digging, the hidden treasures of Reggae are waiting to be discovered.
While I was putting together yesterday's post, I came across a few amazing links that coincide with both our fabulous vaca, and our appreciation of great music.
Over the past few days we've established the music of the Islands to be a) truly unique and b) widely covered, but it goes both ways. What could be better than combining the extraordinary sound of the steel drum with that of the most popular band in pop music history? Irie! Irie!
After a day on Coki Beach, listening to at least a half dozen steel drum performers all covering the late, great Bob Marley, I got to thinking about the legacy of Reggae. Although Marley was a world wide phenomenon, Reggae itself, one of the last truly original genres of music has itself enjoyed far reaching appeal. Maybe its the laid back nature synonymous with the islands and the people. Maybe its the rebellious spirit of the songs. Maybe its the smooth, infectious grooves that force you to move. Maybe it's the fact that the first time you heard it you were baked. Most likely its a combination of all of these things. And this combination has proven successful for authentic Reggae musicians as well as scores of others. Some successful, some not so much. What follows are several original Reggae classics and their respective covers.
First up: Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves. This hit from 1976 was produced by legendary Reggae pioneer Lee 'Scratch' Perry in 1976. It was adopted by the Clash (keen fans of the emerging dub scene) just a year later and featured on their eponymous debut.
Our next selection Pass the Dutchie by England's tween sensations Musical Youth, was a homogenized version of The Mighty Diamonds hit Pass the Kouchie. The Diamonds, driven by a strong Rastafarian influence, were definitely 420 friendly. The 'Kouchie' in the song refers to a pot pipe. Worried about the ramifications of a bunch of kids signing about ganja, the record company brass tweaked the lyrics. The 'Kouchie' was changed to 'Dutchie' and subsequently the entire reference of the song was changed from pot smoking to cooking. A 'Dutchie' is slang for a dutch oven, or small cooking pot used by poor Jamaicans to serve meals. That rather small but very significant change enabled the Musical Youth to achieve a No.1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in September of 1982, as if prophesying this fact in the song itself: "This generation, rules the nation, with version".
Finally, we have what is probably the most recognized Reggae cover. Bob Marley originally released I Shot The Sheriff in 1973 on the epic Wailers LP Burnin'. A year later Eric Clapton appropriated it for his album 461 Ocean Boulevard.
Now who's to say that just because a cover may have outsold the original, that it is in any way better. I myself believe that the original artist who wrote and created a song holds dominion over the work, because no matter how good the cover song turns out, it's only on loan.
So here we are at the beginning of our respite at the Bolongo Bay Resort, slathering our pale white skin in tanning butter in a desperate attempt to forget about winter and soak up some rays. In an effort to share the sunshine, AM brings you the grand daddy of all things Calypso, the luminous Harry Belafonte. From his breakout 1956 album aptly titled Calypso, a few classics.
Decades before he was an activist, Harry was a singer, just a singer, and a pretty good one at that.
And who could ever forget Winona Ryder, all light on her toes (before she got light with her fingers) lip-synching the Belafonte classic in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice. It's also worth noting the svelte Alex Baldwin before he ate Kim Bassinger.
Harry Belafonte - Jump In The Line (From the motion picture Beetlejuice, 1988)
Harry Belafonte- The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) (The Muppet Show, 1978)
Our request for a little R&R has been approved. To celebrate Actual Monkey's jaunt to the US Virgin island of St. Thomas, a little Jump Up to get things going. The song from the 1962 soundtrack to the motion picture Dr. No. was performed by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. Lee, a pioneer and mainstay of the Caribbean music scene enjoyed a career spanning over 50 years.
So as we depart to a land where all the beverages have tiny umbrellas, we say Bouyon!
