Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 24 2007 04:37 PM
Trojan Records is turning 40. Starbucks will be carrying a Trojan Reggae comp in honor of the company's anniversary.
Usually, I there is a bunch of music at Starbucks that I would rather not listen to. However, now I have the surf comp and a decent reggae comp.
Here is a list of the artists/songs:
Harry J Allstars
"Liquidator"
The Slickers
"Johnny Too Bad"
John Holt
"Stick by Me"
Dennis Brown
"Westbound Train"
The Jamaicans
"Ba Ba Boom"
Dave & Ansel Collins
"Double Barrel" (one of my favorites! )
Bob Marley & The Wailers
"Soul Shakedown"
The Chosen Few
"I Second That Motion"
Desmond Dekker
"You Can Get It if You Really Want"
Junior Byles
"A Place Called Africa"
Toots & The Maytals
"Pressure Drop"
The Melodians
"Rivers of Babylon"
Ken Boothe
"Ain't No Sunshine"
Tony Tribe
"Red, Red Wine"
The Pioneers
"Longshot Kick de Bucket"
Lee Perry
"I Am the Upsetter"
The Upsetters
"Return of Django"
Augustus Pablo
"Hot & Cold"
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 24 2007 04:49 PM
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LRDrummer
Joined: Apr 06, 2006
Posts: 94
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Posted on Jul 24 2007 04:49 PM
Another comp I'll have to look for. It looks like whoever assembled the compilation had the soundtrack from The Harder They Come near by but those are great songs nonetheless. I love the Melodians and that version of Johnny Too Bad by the Slickers always makes me wish I could find some more of their work.
Thanks for the heads up on this one Tena.
— drummer-Lava Rats
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 24 2007 04:53 PM
LRDrummer
Another comp I'll have to look for. It looks like whoever assembled the compilation had the soundtrack from The Harder They Come near by but those are great songs nonetheless. I love the Melodians and that version of Johnny Too Bad by the Slickers always makes me wish I could find some more of their work.
Thanks for the heads up on this one Tena.
No prob!
I know there are a few members interested in this music and I'm always finding out about more! Miles and Tony always come to mind. (I first met Miles at a ska event, not surf!)
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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tonybologna
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 796
Oakland
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Posted on Jul 25 2007 06:46 PM
Wow! They compiled a great group of songs. Upsetters, Harry J, and Dave & Ansel Collins are all amazing. I have most if not all these songs though .
— Science friction burns my fingers.
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 25 2007 11:16 PM
tonybologna
Wow! They compiled a great group of songs. Upsetters, Harry J, and Dave & Ansel Collins are all amazing. I have most if not all these songs though .
I would have laughed if they actually put some mentioning "skinhead" in it. They should have put Bob Marley's "Hooligan" on there. That's a classic!
-Kristena
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5090
San Francisco
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 09:17 AM
Too bad they didn't put some modern stuff on their like they did for the surf comp....
--fd
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11046
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 10:03 AM
PolloGuitar
Too bad they didn't put some modern stuff on their like they did for the surf comp....
--fd
I think the trad/modern battle rages even more fiercely in Ska than it does in Surf.
— Danny Snyder
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party
Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF
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estreet
Joined: Mar 17, 2007
Posts: 839
United Kingdom
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 10:16 AM
Wow - there's some great stuff on that compilation. Had a lot of those on 7" singles years ago. I'd like to get hold of that... I wonder if Starbucks UK will have it?
This stuff was about whilst I was at school ... I could never understand why the Skinheads there (and there were quite a few) who adopted it as 'their' music .. this black music.. then went out at nights looking for black kids to beat up for no reason. It led to me actually burning some of my collection in disgust at one point.
I suppose it didn't have that unpleasant association in the US.
— http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns
Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.
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SurfBandBill
Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 1487
San Francisco
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 01:09 PM
Q: How many rude boys does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: Eleven -- one to drop the bulb, and the other ten to pick it up, pick it up, pick it up.
Sorry, I just had to.
~B~
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 02:57 PM
DannySnyder
PolloGuitar
Too bad they didn't put some modern stuff on their like they did for the surf comp....
--fd
I think the trad/modern battle rages even more fiercely in Ska than it does in Surf.
I agree. I'm more of a trad fan of ska/reggae myself. The only modern bands I care for are the ones that go for the trad sound. The band that Scott of MFM was in, The Hi-Lites, is a perfect example.
Even this comp treads into territory that I don't care for. It's '67 - '74. I saw the CD for the first time today. UPS just brought it a couple of hours ago!
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 03:05 PM
estreet
This stuff was about whilst I was at school ... I could never understand why the Skinheads there (and there were quite a few) who adopted it as 'their' music .. this black music.. then went out at nights looking for black kids to beat up for no reason. It led to me actually burning some of my collection in disgust at one point.
I suppose it didn't have that unpleasant association in the US.
Actually, I'm sure most Americans make that association. The first skinheads were Jamaicans. It was the British kids (mainly those in the mod scene) that adopted the culture when the reggae hit the dancefloors in 1969 (google Skinhead Moonstomp). Unfortunately, many people turned it into something it didn't start out as. There are interesting video clips available on YouTube, taken from documentaries on the subject.
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 03:10 PM
estreet - here is one of my favorite clips on YouTube. It features Laurel Aitken (RIP).
-K
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufKb5M9Uj4E
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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estreet
Joined: Mar 17, 2007
Posts: 839
United Kingdom
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Posted on Jul 26 2007 06:59 PM
Thanks Tena, that was an interesting clip. I knew, but must admit that I'd forgotten, that the Skinheads were rooted in the Jamaican 'Rude Boys'.
Unfortunately, my own experiences of Skinheads in the UK have been entirely negative. I was at school in the early '70s and the Skinheads there couldn't be called anything other than racist morons whose only other pastime was soccer violence. Also, later, when i was about 17, I was demonstrating outside a meeting of the National Front (the UK Nazi party at the time, a position now occupied by the BNP) when the leader arrived with his Skinhead militia - a chilling experience.
Then, in the early 80s we got the 'Oi' movement which, for a while seemed like it was going to revive the whole thing again - also bands like 'Skrewdriver' and others who spouted Nazi ideology. It was probably The Clash who did more to reclaim Ska from the racists here than anyone because they embraced both it and a vehemently left-wing stance. Also - in a far more mainstream way - UB40, who were again outspokenly anti-racist.
Thing is, if you read the responses to that clip there's plenty of evidence that that mentality is still alive and well, which is a shame.
I must admit that seeing a black guy singing 'Skinhead Moonstomp' (I think the version that was popular here was a cover) caused me a strange feeling. Here, to 'Stomp' someone was to kick their head in, and thats the way the Skinheads I knew enjoyed that title...
So - I'm sure there are non-racist Skinheads who are in tune with the original good-time ethic, but I'd say they are still very much a minority here. Anytime I've seen a skinhead in recent years I've not had to look far for the George Cross and BNP tattoos.
— http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns
Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 27 2007 12:09 AM
Unfortunately, my own experiences of Skinheads in the UK have been entirely negative.
Actually, growing up in Huntington Beach, the only ones I knew were WP too. They actually caused a lot of trouble for me. At that time, I didn't entirely know the whole connection to the Jamaicans. I listened to a lot of 2 Tone, but wasn't too familiar with the original music of the 60s.
I was at school in the early '70s and the Skinheads there couldn't be called anything other than racist morons...
I don't doubt that. I've seen some documentaries that tied into that too.
Then, in the early 80s we got the 'Oi' movement which, for a while seemed like it was going to revive the whole thing again - also bands like 'Skrewdriver' and others who spouted Nazi ideology.
Oi wasn't really about all that either. If you listen to bands like The Oppressed and the 4 Skins, the lyrics are quite anti fascism/racism. Skrewdriver isn't an Oi band. Ian Stuart started the whole Rock Against Communism movement, which was really a cover for his alterior motive.
It was probably The Clash who did more to reclaim Ska
Yep, and the Clash covered "Police and Thieves!"
Thing is, if you read the responses to that clip there's plenty of evidence that that mentality is still alive and well, which is a shame.
I noticed that. It's very sad.
So - I'm sure there are non-racist Skinheads who are in tune with the original good-time ethic, but I'd say they are still very much a minority here.
I'm not sure what it's like there these days. In the LA and Central California, there has been so many good shows and clubs. I go to one club in Santa Monica called Soulside, put on by the Westside Scooter Club. It's all Ska, Reggae, and Northern Soul. No B.S.
Back to the Oi, I went and saw the Business last year, thinking it would end up in ruins for obvious reasons, but the show turned out great and I didn't spot any WP. However, early last year, I was at a show that ended up in a riot due to some guy starting in with his nonsense.
Back to the reggae!
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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websurfer
Joined: May 14, 2007
Posts: 1753
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Posted on Jul 27 2007 12:41 AM
In those innocent and heady days of the early 80's bands like English Beat, Selector, the Specials and Madness was how ska was filtered down to me. The beat seemed so exotic, different and just plain infectious compared to what was going on in American music at the same time.
I never followed the influences back to explore the real thing, other than a very brief flirtation with reggae. This looks like a good comp.
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estreet
Joined: Mar 17, 2007
Posts: 839
United Kingdom
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Posted on Jul 27 2007 12:48 AM
Tikitena
Back to the reggae!
-K
Indeed, I don't wanna go on and on about it. Back to the compilation - I'd like to have seen 'Elizabethan Reggae' on there...
— http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns
Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 27 2007 12:56 AM
Trojan puts out some great comps, particularly the boxsets. They are 3 CDs (50 songs) for under $20. You can go wrong with those.
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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Tikitena
Joined: Mar 21, 2006
Posts: 1540
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Posted on Jul 31 2007 09:40 PM
The Trojan comp is available today!
-more good music for work, and the surf comp hasn't gone away yet!
-K
— "Turn the knob to 10 and break it off!" -Baja Marty
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archimedes
Joined: Dec 10, 2006
Posts: 104
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Posted on Jul 31 2007 10:07 PM
im glad to see someone else talking about this music. i have been really into ska, rocksteady and reggae for the past 3 months. i actually just got back from a trip to jamaica last friday. skatalites, early wailers, stranger cole, duke reid, alton ellis, the melodians, the techniques, the ethiopians... i love it all.
i actually found a great ska cover of pipeline by the keyboardist of the skatalites, jackie mittoo. it is on his album called last train to skaville. it is called ska-culation, for some reason but it even has a reverb drenched guitar come in at the end.
Tim
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