Redskadrila - Promo + Live in KSET

This is the complete recorded legacy of a band some of my friends were in; three demo songs and two live shows recorded over their rather short career (a little over a year between the first and last gig, if I remember correctly). They played in a style I believe is called "combat ska", but this really isn't my scene - I can say I enjoyed their live shows a whole lot, but also that these recordings don't sound THAT great to me now; that's probably alcohol related though. If I try to be objective I'd say they were a rather good band with potential to become much better, which was never realised; if you're into this kind of stuff, they're definitely worth a listen.

Track listing (mildly accurate; please mail corrections if you have any):

1. Omladinac (4:22)
2. Potrosio si zivot (3:28)
3. Vasa demokracija (3:14)
4. Adelante comandante (live) (2:24)
5. Potrosio si zivot (live) (3:07)
6. Nepoznata (live) (3:49)
7. Zivimo jako dobro (live) (4:08)
8. Omladinac (live) (4:07)
9. O bella ciao (live) (2:03)
10. Jos jedna noc za nama (live) (3:18)
11. Vasa demokracija (live) (3:52)
12. Stalingrado (Banda Bassotti) (live) (3:15)
13. Adelante comandante (live) (3:16)
14. Potrosio si zivot (live) (3:56)
15. Nepoznata (live) (4:04)
16. Zivimo jako dobro (live) (3:50)
17. Omladinac (live) (4:02)
18. O bella ciao (live) (2:15)
19. Vasa demokracija (live) (3:48)
20. Jos jedna noc za nama (live) (3:05)
21. Go On Home British Soldiers (Banda Bassotti) (live) (4:38)
22. Nepoznata (live) (3:50)
23. Go On Home British Soldiers (Banda Bassotti) (live encore) (4:50)

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Amy Winehouse - The Ska EP Expanded

What a great cover.

I won't be getting into the unfortunate girl's fate here, as I'm sure you've read more than enough about it these last days (as I'm writing this it's been less than a week since she has passed away); I'll just share a part of her musical story some of you may have not be aware of - at least I wasn't, until quite recently. Here is a collection of her ska recordings, comprising four studio covers of classics you probably know if you're at least a bit of a ska fan; six more live recordings of (mostly) the same songs; a live cover of a song I never liked, but have included for completeness' sake ("Free Nelson Mandela" by The Special AKA); and a bonus cover of one of Amy's songs performed by 2Tone legends The Selecter, a few hours after she died, less than two miles from her flat. Heavy shit.

Here's what Terry Hall of the Specials looks like these days. And what has been seen, CANNOT BE UNSEEN.

Anyway, from what can be heard on these recordings, Amy was a fantastic ska performer, picking mostly material from the 2Tone era (either Specials songs or songs The Specials had covered, basically), but delivering them in a wonderfully giddy, childish tone, which makes them sound much closer to the Jamaican originals of the Sixties, at least to my ears; add to that the clipped sound featured on many of the songs here (that's the way to think of it - a feature, not a bug!), and you've got yourself a great fake ska classic from '65. Have fun!

Track listing:

1. Monkey Man (2:54)
2. Hey Little Rich Girl (3:33)
3. You're Wondering Now (2:32)
4. Cupid (3:23)
5. Hey Little Rich Girl (Glastonbury 2008) (3:46)
6. A Message to You, Rudy (Glastonbury 2008) (4:07)
7. You're Wondering Now (Glastonbury 2008) (3:00)
8. Cupid (Glastonbury 2007) (4:00)
9. Hey Little Rich Girl (Glastonbury 2007) (4:19)
10. Monkey Man (Glastonbury 2007) (3:05)
11. Free Nelson Mandela (Mandela's 90th Birthday) (5:24)
12. The Selecter - Back to Black (O2 Arena Islington 2011) (4:26)

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Various - Jamaican Ska - 18 Original Jamaican Ska Classics

I am a big fan of the original 1960's ska and rocksteady, and this cheap compilation has made me such about a decade ago. The above picture is not the artwork included with the CD - it is a low budget venture with generic artwork and no liner notes, and its obscurity made it impossible to even find a picture of it on the Internet. All tracks are great - my favourite would probably be the Skatalites saxophonist Tommy McCook's beautiful instrumental "The World Needs Love" (and it does), but none of the others are too far behind it, so low budget or no low budget, the disc is a nice introduction to this wonderful music. U-Roy's tender "Wear You to the Ball", the Ethiopians' elegant "Everything Crash" and Justin Hinds and the Dominoes' sweet "Here I Stand" are also highlights. Enjoy!

Track listing:

1. Judge Dread - Al Capone (2:54)
2. Blue Rivers and The Maroons - Guns of Navarone (3:19)
3. The Pyramids - Jesse James Rides Again (2:33)
4. U-Roy - Wear You to the Ball (2:33)
5. Justin Hinds and The Dominoes - The Higher the Monkey Climbs (3:00)
6. John Holt - Tonight (2:31)
7. Hopeton Lewis - Boom Shaka Lacka (3:13)
8. Rockers Express - Phoenix City (3:01)
9. Stranger Cole and Patsy - Hog in a Cocoa (2:20)
10. The Skatalites - Lucky Seven (2:53)
11. Laurel Aitken - The Ska Is the Limit (2:40)
12. The Ethiopians - Everything Crash (2:38)
13. Lester Sterling and Stranger Cole - Bangarang (2:45)
14. Justin Hinds and The Dominoes - Here I Stand (2:28)
15. Tommy McCook - The World Needs Love (2:12)
16. Dennis Alcapone - Musical Alphabet (2:55)
17. Nora Dean - O Mama (2:18)
18. The Mopeds - Whisky and Soda (3:50)

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