Friday, March 26, 2010

CLASHED!!!

I just discovered this band a few weeks ago. I was a little skeptical at first because there were so many bands that has covered "The Clash" without doing any justice to the song and to the band itself. This album is a split between Clash songs and reggae cuts that were covered by The Clash. After listening to AML, they really made sense - The Clash, a punk band incorporated reggae into their music when they released their first album in 1977. They had their own take on reggae and gave it a "Clash" treatment without losing the spirit and weight of JA's music, and then Germany's Anger Mangement League came along giving new life to the songs of John Mellor and Co. It makes perfect sense for the AML to re-visit The Clash's first batch of punk songs via The Upsetters.
There are hints of The Upsetters dub feel, Operation Ivy/Rancid punky reggae and The Agrrolites' dirty reggae in this album but I have to stress that they are not imitating these artist. AML are no copy cats as far as I'm concerned. This is AML second release by way of Jump Up records of Chicago. The AML's Clash covers aren't revelatory, but they're damn good and fun--and a good a reason as any for you to have this album.

01 London's Burning
02 Janie Jones
03 White Riot
04 Career Oportunities
05 Garageland
06 1977
07 Bring It Back
08 Why Why Why
09 New Blue Hat
10 My Only One
11 Mr. Hyde Park Dub
12 Police and Thieves

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Specials and 2Tone documentary BBC6


Thanks to a high speed connection, I'm now a regular listener of BBC Radio 6. There rumors that BBC6 will be taken off the air. I hope this will not happen. They happen to have good shows and documentaries. One particular favorite DJ is Steve Lamacq although Paul Sexton is presenting this 2Tone documentary. You'll only have 7 days to listen to this. This goes for all Ska fans around the world. This is to us. Quality education from BBC Radio 6.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Larry Ethnic Meets The Wailers

This one is a good find. The Wailers backing up some of Jamaica's prominent vocalists. This album consist of reggae versions of some popular songs during that time. Released in 1975 featuring the ever heavy and sticky Wailers providing the back beat to the soulful singers. Lovers reggae all the way.

Melinoco : Aston Barrett
Backing Band : The Wailers
Rhythm Guitar : Bob Marley
Lead Guitar : Ronnie Bop
Synthesiser : Ron Elliott
Percussions : Carlton Barrett

1. Jackie Paris - Once In My Life
2. Barrington Spence - Falling In Love For The First Time
3. Jackie Paris & Dennis Brown - Day Dream Believer
4. Barrington Spence - Tears On My Pillow
5. Dave Collins - My Heart Cries Out
6. Junior Delgado - Really For A Reason
7. Dave Collins - Get Ready Here I Come
8. The Chosen Few - Chain Gang
9. Sydney Rogers - People Living In Glass House
10. Junior Delgado - Reaction
11. Dave Collins - The People Band Wagon (Hitch Hike)

Sunday, March 21, 2010

WORK, REST AND PLAY!

Finally we're able to upload more music after a few weeks of trying to fix the problem. I decided to put up "The Nutty Boys" after all the trouble I've experienced the past few weeks and what a good way to start the week is by presenting one of the best British band of all time - MADNESS.

"Work, Rest and Play" was released on April 30, 1980 and reached the British charts at No. 6
The EP was headlined by "Night boat to Cairo" which was taken from their debut album "One Step Beyond..." After the release of their "My Girl" single, the band felt that they have exhausted good materials from their debut album and should not release any more singles from it. Stiff Records Head Dave Robinson disagreed and a compromise was made and the band decided to release an EP instead featuring "Night Boat to Cairo" and three new songs,and"Work, Rest and Play" was the result.

The EPs success was largely due to "Night Boat to Cairo" which is the carrier single and had an accompanying video to boot. Madness was accused of being racist becuase all members are white and supported the far right whites or the British National Front or NF for short. Some of their shows were disrupted by racist skinheads/boneheads violence which were common during the 2tone years or any 2tone gigs at the time. Chas Smash was qouted by NME in 1979 saying " We don't care if people are in theNF as long as they're having a good time." This was quoted to add to the speculation that Madness was a racist band supporting the National Front, although the band members denied those allegations. The fourth track of the EP "Don't Quote Me On That" was the direct answer to NME which painted the band as racists. How can you be racist if you dig Jamaican Music?

We bring yyou Madness - you know the drill. PLAY THIS LOUD!!!





1. Night Boat to Cairo
2. Deceives The Eye
3. The Young and The Old
4. Don't Quote Me On That

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

IT'S THE TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN!!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
FILE YOUR VACATION LEAVES!
MAKE EXCUSES OR TELL HALF-TRUTHS JUST TO BE ON THIS EVENT!


'CUZ ITS GONNA BE ONE HELL OF A PARTY!

VESPA JAMBOREE 4
ANGONO ROUND UP 2010

APRIL 24, 2010 (SATURDAY)
at the HAUNTED KUBO, Angono, Rizal


Party starts 11am onwards!
Eat, Drink and Rock 'til you drop!!!

FOOD, DRINKS, MUSIC, GAMES, RAFFLES AND SURPRISE PRIZES!

TERA NA!!!


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUL REBELS

Dexys' surfaced in the late 1970s, Kevin Rowland formerly of punk act The Killjoys found his partner in Kevin Archer and the rest of the gang collective that made up the band. Nodding to Stax and Northern Soul they had total conviction and essentially played a punk version of Stax stuff. They briefly flirted with Two Tone, before rejecting them, and soon after Rowland began baiting the press with his own essays.

Amid their first few years, when they all looked like something out of 'Mean Streets' and 'Raging Bull', they produced one of the greatest debut albums with this, 'Searching for the Young Soul Rebels.' This is the album most often picked out by music critics, but that overlooks the fact 'Too Rye Ay' (1982) and 'Don't Stand Me Down' (1985) are equally fantastic, if not greater!!

The band were sharp as anything, they had the songs, they had the style and at one infamous point, they had the master tapes! The 11 tracks form a classic sequence, this is one of those albums that I have to play all the way through - of course there are highlights, 'tell me when my light turns green' seems to me one of those classic Dexys songs that define them as a band (the other I'd say is 'Let's Make This Precious'). Opener 'Burn It Down' (formerly 'Dance Stance') is punk Sam & Dave, audaciously sampling 'Smoke on the Water', 'Holidays in the Sun' & 'Rat Race' before Rowland hollers "FOR GOD'S SAKE! - BURN IT DOWN!!!" The namechecking of Irish cultural figures would have an effect on later releases by The Pogues and That Petrol Emotion...(The Undertones' 'It's Going to Happen' was apparently a Dexys-tribute). The cover nods to Rowland's Irish roots, something more fully detailed in 1985's 'My National Pride (formerly Knowledge of Beauty).'

The teams that meet in the caffs' is a fantastic instrumental, while 'seven days too long' feels like a twist on a Northern Soul stomp - 'love part one' would start a kind of spoken word interlude track that would recur on subsequent releases. & then there are the fantastic singles the scathing 'there there my dear' and #1 'Geno' - whose videos are also found on this reissue.

Rowland sacked most of the band shortly after - though with Mick Talbot, this line-up reformed a few years ago for a tour - the DVD of which is well worth tracking down. The next Dexys' record was very Van Morrison, though songs like 'Show Me', 'Let's Make This Precious', 'Until I Believe in My Soul', & 'Old' weren't that far away (I guess people write off that album cos of 'Jocky Wilson Said' & 'Come on Eileen'?). Dexys were in a world of their own and this debut from 1980 is as classic as it gets - the kind of record no one should be without.


1. Burn It Down
2. Tell Me When My Lights Turn Green
3. The Teams That Meet in Caffs
4. I'm Just Looking
5. Geno
6. Seven Days Too Long
7. I Couldn't Help It If I tried
8. Thankfully Not Living In Yorkshire, It Doesn't Apply
9. Keep It
10. Love Part One
11. There, There My Dear