Customer Reviews

Aggrolites (Dig)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am 55, white, and middle-class. I hardly know what Ska is, let alone "skinhead reggae." And when I first picked up this disk, I thought, "What do these WHITE BOYS think they're pretending to be?" But this stuff *EXPLODES* with pure energy. Brothers and sisters, if you can listen to this music and not move your body, you need to call 911, because you ain't breathin', Jackson!"

Absolutely scorching skinhead reggae from these So-Cal boys. This album tears it up from start to finish and will definitely get your ass shakin' and you body groovin'. Fans of early Upsetters and Jackie Mittoo will love the reggae stylings and even fans of Stax's brand of Memphis soul and R&B will appreciate the raw energy of this disc. The Aggrolites are definitely not ska or rocksteady, but it's easy to confuse the sounds. Most people are unaware of the whole connection between reggae and the early skinhead scene, so it's only natural that they be misinformed. Hopefully people will embrace this album and truly understand what the real skinhead scene is all about. This album ranks up there as an essential buy for any traditional skinhead and will proudly sit in my collection. Highly recommended, but if we could only get this release on vinyl along with The Aggro's first album "Dirty Reggae"

(No history lesson here. No endless debate of ska labels...)

THIS IS A PHENOMENAL ALBUM! Soul and sway unmatched since The Slackers, and power and fire unmatched since The Redskins; at first listen, you would think Toots & The Maytals have gotten their groove back! Songs that can make you sway, songs that can make you dance, songs that can make you rock steady... AND SONGS SO POWERFUL AND CONSUMING, YOU WANT TO SING ALONG AS LOUD AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN AS THEY DAMN NEAR CONSUME YOU! Recommended tracks: THE WHOLE ALBUM! But, primarily,
*Time To Get Tough
*Countryman Fiddle
*Someday
*Love Isn't Love
*LIGHTNING AND THUNDER!!!!!

OK- history lesson be damned, this is pure Skinhead reggae at its finest and that is not an oxymoron (read a book hippy!). These Lads are very talented musicians and they know what they are doing to the 10th degree. I got this the day it came out and have spun it since, favorite tracks being Mr. Misery and Countryman Fiddle. Anyway, glad they got onto Hepcat and brought this out because it is an essential in any collection, as is Dirty Reggae (search it- it's still in print). Do yourself a favor, do the Reggae with this blasting out of your system.

This band brings the old school sound of old time ska, and give it a breath of new life. Thumping rythm and groovy organs, with a few horns, make this an album for the summer. This album will be played all summer long, with albums by The Slackers, Westbound Train, Hepcat, and all the others that stay true to the sounds of the Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae.

This is the rarest of the rare: A band that really, really understands the music they play. This is pure '69 braces-and-boots skinhead reggae; I frequently mix this in with vintage tracks from Symarip, the Viceroys, Derrick Morgan, and Toots, and no one bats an eye. This is an astonishingly good album, I can't recommend it highly enough. Don't think, buy -- you can do no better.

Jesus this is a great album. I am not the kind of person you would expect to listen to a reggae album, im a hardcore punk fan with fast guitar and screaming lyrics. But i challenge anyone alive to listen to this album and not start nodding their head and tapping their foot. "Countryman Fiddle" is already on my most played list after only a week. And you know its a good band because Hellcat signed them!

Why does everyone continually refer to this as ska, or even rocksteady? The Aggrolites are an amazing band, but I think in order to truly appreciate them you should know a bit about the music they are trying to make. This music is called Skinhead Reggae, not Ska, and not Rocksteady. Skinhead reggae started up in the very late 60s, 1969 to be exact, and only lasted for a couple years, but those few years accounted for some great releases. Even the band name is skinhead! Aggro was a skinhead slang word from that era. Anyways, if you like this you will definately like the early Upsetters stuff and you should also check out Skinhead Moonstomp by Symarip (I think the Aggrolites even cover the title track live sometimes). Those recordings will give you a better understanding of where the Aggrolites are coming from. Anyways, whatever you want to call it one thing is for certain: it is just plain good.

This is one catchy reggae album. It gets me dancing in the shower alot and even on the train. I likes Someday,Countryman fiddle, Love isn't Love, and Fury now alot. but they're all good. Great organ too in the instrumentals.
I wish the back cover wasn't so cheesy with their tough looks and baseball bats-Like gees are you gonna beat my a$$ if I don't dance?

this is a killer killer killer album..i can't use the word killer enough bout this album...it's about time a band did some classic skinhead reggae....even you don't consider yourself a "reggae" fan...fans of early 60's soul and r&b should definatelly check this out...afterall it's soul and r&b that influenced all early reggae...this album will be a classic!