Customer Reviews

Ska Bonanza

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

 

 

This album puts you right in the middle of jamaica back in the late 50's and early 60's when ska was erupting. From the Skatalites to Bob Marley, this cd touches on all of the key players in the early ska years. Not only does it do a historical job in documenting ska music but it also offers you a wide variety of samplings. From the more upbeat "Go Jimmy Go" to the more sullen "Man in the Street". I would recommend this to anyone who likes ska, reggae,rocksteady or jamaican music of any kind.

If you listen to any ska show, especially a classic one, you are bound to hear something from this album.
This album is one of my favorites, that I highly recommend for a nice range of old school rock steady style. Comes with a booklet that explains the roots of this movement.
You will keep this in your turnstyle for years.

LOVE It!

You know, I downloaded this CD and it's even better than what I expected. It's of the same quality as the Trojan 3 disc set. With ska in general, it is very hard to go wrong as the majority of it just makes you feel good. This one is pretty reasonably priced so that puts it a shade above its competitors. If you're not familiar with the genre, imagine transporting yourself to a land where everyone likes everyone else and every day is a vacation--that's what Jamaican ska is. Sympatico. It's not for lifting weights or pumping yourself up; it's for relaxing, smiling, and sinking into the couch. Do yourself a favor and get familiar with these joyous melodies. I find that the nice thing about compilations is that it decreases variance. With ska, like anything else, some bands are better than others, and a wide selection always weeds out the sub-standard.

Contrary to the previous review, the sound quality is overall fine. A couple of songs have a little fuzz. There are 41 good ska songs here. My favorites : Nimblefoot Ska, Man in the Street, River Jordan, and How Many Times.

Get ready to throw your elbows back and skank your blues away to the soothing, upbeat classics this CD has to offer. Whether you're seasoned to the experience of classic Jamaican ska, or have yet to delight in this musical gift from the islands - this album is highly recommended. I've gotten much listening pleasure from this CD over the years and it has been a staple for making compliation tapes/CDs for friends - everyone enjoys a taste of Bonanza Ska!

I've listened to this collections dozens of times and love mixing in tracks on cassette. This one's a treasure trove of beats and rhythms. Yeah, some of it has a basement tape quality, but the vocals are stunning.

i love ska and studio one output, and many of these songs are catchy (in that chubby checker way - this is early stuff, not the rocksteady/lovers rock/ken boothe/heptones style) - but the sound quality is atrocious. i've read a few reviews that note the bad sound quality, but give good reviews for the music anyway. not for my tastes - there is lots of great ska that sounds good too - i don't need to listen to ska that sounds like it is being played on a garbled tape recorder at the bottom of a deep, tin-sided well. remaster this stuff, for god's sake. and don't say it's because it's analog. alan lomax field recordings from the 30s sounds better than this.

I listened to all the songs but I really did'nt like any of them. I also did'nt see any major bands. So that is why I did'nt like it.