Customer Reviews

Foundation Ska

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Poor imitation of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Huh?!?

The Skatalites *started* ska.

You didn't think it came from the US did you?

This album was recorded in 60's Jamaica, you can't expect crystal clear sound. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones aren't fit to lick the stage these guys played on. Third wave 'ska' is almost all garbage.

There are four kinds of ska:

1. Traditional aka 'first wave' (60's Jamaica) (ex. Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, Toots & The Maytals).

2. Rocksteady (late 60's Jamaican music with a tempo between the Skatalites and reggae) (ex. Phylis Dillon, Alton Ellis, Ken Booth, The Gaylads, The Paragons, Jackie Mittoo and Tommy McCook after the Skatalites broke up).

3. 'Two-Tone' aka 'second wave' (early 80's British ska revival) (ex. English Beat, Bad Manners, Madness, The Specials, Selector),

4. Neo-trad (90's traditional style) (ex. Jazz Jamaica, The Slackers, Hepcat, The Toasters, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra)

No Doubt is pop, only famous because their singer's a hot chick. The Bosstones are even worse, basically Green Day with a horn section.

This is the definitve Skatalites collection that I was looking for when I was a kid! These are some of the hardest and best recorded Skatalites tracks in existence. It's all here - Lloyd Knibs & Drumbago whacking the hell out of their kits with rimshots like firecrackers; Ernest Ranglin matching the whole massed horn section lick for lick; edgy, lyrical solos from Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook; Lloyd Brevett's nimble explosive-propulsive double bass; Jackie Mitoo's crucial piano; and, of course, Don Drummond's trombone like a Dread clarion over the whole glorius racket. This is the real thing, the orignal, and still the best.

(I just wish they had included their original recording of the "James Bond Theme" the version on "Ball of Fire" is nowhere near as intense as the original!)

This 2 disc set is well worth the amount anyone pays for it. Although I am a lil' bummed that the band's bigger hits aren't included (Guns, Phoenix City...) this is a truly great collection of their stuff. Some of the collection's biggest standouts occur when this super group backs super vocalists such as The Wailers on "Simmer Down", Stranger Cole and Ken Boothe on "World's Fair" and Jackie Opel's "Old Rocking Chair" which also features a great solo from Jamaican guitar legend Ernest Ranglan. The album also incldues a great set of liner notes describing the history of the band and the songs included.

I caught a whiff of this great music late at night on the left side of the dial where the public sponsored stations all hang out in a small, little huddle trying to remain fiercely independent. Most of these stations play incredible music of all types and this was one of the records the midnight DJ spun....

Oh, man...this is great stuff. I've always liked ska music, mostly English Beat and General Public, but that music almost sounds contrived compared to the "real thing"...

This music has a jumpy, happy beat...I mean, if you can make the song "Exodus" into something you want to dance to, you're onto something.

I have very eclectic tastes ranging from the conventional to the obscure. To me, music has the obligation to move the soul. If the soul is happy then the feet will be happy and if the feet are happy the hips will be happy until pretty soon your happy soul will unite with your happy body and you have what we call dancing and as Nietzche said in one of his essays, "I can only believe in a God that dances..."

Well, God does dance, friends, so let the spirit/the soul within you come out to play and buy this fantastic collection. It's a little pricey for something that's over 40 years old, but it still beats a lot of the stuff that's currently "out there".

I've got several problems with coxsone's selections for foundation ska. He somehow neglected to include such staples as "Guns of navarrone" and "Phoenix City." Moreover, because Heartbeat records deals only with Coxsone dodd, you don't get any of those justin yap - produced gems like Confucius et al. Still, for the dedicated skatalite fan, this is a must-have.

Everyone likes what they like; but comparing the musicians on this Skatalites CD to those of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is shocking. To state that the Bosstones are the source for insight or enjoyment for SKA flips reality on its head.

This is a great retrospect of the skatalites back in the late 50s/60s. The booklet is very informative and the music on these 2 discs is quality music. If you consider yourself a rudie, add this to your list of ska bibles. Big ups to the Skatalites!

The Skatalites not only invented the music we call ska, but without them I dare say Jamaican music would have never escalated to the level that it has become. Without the Skatalites there would be no reggae section in the record store. Without the Skatalites the world may have never herd of a man named Bob Marley. The Skatalites were the house band for Studio One in the sixties (the greatest legacy in the history of Jamaican music...one of the greatest in the history of modern music). Without Mr. Dodd, Mr. Alphonso, Mr. Drummond, Mr. McCook and the rest, modern music as we know it would be completely different.
Listen to this cd and what you will here is the foundation. Exceptionally talented musicians creating some of the most exciting and innovative sounds that the world has ever known. If you are a Jazz lover and have never herd the Skatalites before, get ready to experience Jazz Jamaican style.
This is the true definition of Ska Music. I am appauled by what many people try to pass of as Ska...not naming any names. This is what REAL Ska sounds like.
This music is GUARANTEED to lift your spirits and make you shake your booty. If it doesn't then you might want to check your pulse.

I'm not here to dis any of the other ska movements history has witnessed. I've got a soft spot in my heart for Third Wave; I started out with the English two-tone stuff. But you can't beat what the Skatalites put out. This music is amazing; it'll get your toes tapping or your feet stomping or whatever body part it is you normally use to express your appreciation of good music.
There are some awesome tracks here, although my personal favorites are Dick Tracy and Addis Ababa. The title "Foundation Ska" is fitting. This is the music that made all subsequent ska acts (for better or worse!) possible.

Keith raises an interesting point about whether Don Drummond would have been good enough to get into a top-line Jazz Band of the time. I don't think there can be any doubt, though he may well have felt more at home musically in Europe rather than the heavily bebop American scene. His blowing on Eastern Standard Time, in particular, is just sublime.

How on earth can you compare the lads from the Alpha Boys School with a college thrash band?