Ska: A Brief History Jonathan Migneault

The iPod is a wonderful machine in its ability to revive old songs that you had completely forgotten. Last night, I experienced one such "revival" when the song "I Can't Wait" by third-wave ska band, Hepcat, popped into my random shuffle. The song brought back memories of a genre that gone through many ups and downs over the years. It seems that ska was virtually cleaned off pop culture's radar when the 90s ended. It's a shame because a lot of great music came out of the genre. I think a little ska-revival, at least for a day, is in order. Too many people often have an averse reaction to ska because all they remember is The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' "The Impression That I Get" and how they wanted to stab themselves in the ears after its one-thousandth play on the radio. Fortunately, there is a lot more to ska than The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish. In general, ska's history is split into three distinct waves. The first wave was born and blossomed in Jamaica. Artists like The Skatalites and Prince Buster transformed the music they heard on American radio into their own unique style. Early ska combined elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento, calypso and African rhythms to create a sound that has come to define Jamaican music. Bob Marley and the Wailers adopted the sound and transformed it by slowing the tempo and adding more rhythm guitar into the mix. This, of course, resulted in reggae. The first wave was short-lived and made way for reggae's huge popularity in 1966. The Skatalites, arguably the first period's most important band, have since made several comebacks. Ska's second wave is my favourite. Also called the Two Tone era, after the movement's most popular record label, ska's second wave melded the genre with England's punk rock aesthetic. The movement's most popular bands included The Selecter, The Beat, Madness and The Specials. Jerry Dammers, the latter band's keyboardist, founded 2 Tone Records. The label's name described the solidarity between black and white members of the working class during a time of high racial tension in England (history seems to be repeating itself). These ska-loving English minorities were part of a larger sub culture that called itself the rude boys. Ska music has many references to rude boys/girls and the name "Rudie." Two great examples are The Clash's "Rudie Can't Fail" and The Specials' "Rudi, A Message To You." Ironically, second-wave ska's greatest moment, at least in the mainstream, was when the Clash released its masterpiece, London Calling. The double album had only three songs that could be called ska: the aforementioned "Rudie Can't Fail," "Wrong 'Em Boyo" and to a lesser extent, "The Guns of Brixton." Nevertheless, the album's Jamaican sounds, largely influenced by the band's bass player Paul Simonon, helped cement second-wave ska's sound. The late 80s and early 90s saw ska's third wave quickly rise in popularity. Based largely in the United States, third-wave ska emphasized the second wave's punk aspects. Bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake broke into the American mainstream. Meanwhile, bands like Hepcat (who inspired this article) and The Slackers stuck more closely to their predecessors. These bands never gained the others' (short lived) popularity but managed to please the purists while they maintained a contemporary flair. Below I've posted a small sampling of ska songs. They are each placed under their respective period. If you enjoy these you should go to your local record store and dig out a few ska albums. There are plenty of gems available (probably cheaply) in this mostly forgotten genre. Download: First-Wave The Skatalites - James Bond Theme The Skatalites - The Guns of Navarone Prince Buster with Determinations - Dance Cleopatra (Live) Second-Wave The Specials - Rudi, A Message to You Madness - House of Fun The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail The Clash - Wrong 'Em Boyo Third-Wave Planet Smashers - No Self Control Leftover Crack - Gay Rude Boys Unite Hepcat - I Can't Wait The Slackers - Wasted Days The Slackers - Wanted Dead or Alive For the haters Propagandhi - Ska Sucks Buy: The Clash - London Calling The Skatalites - Foundation Ska Hepcat - Right on Time The Specials - Specials The Slackers - Peculiar