"Twenty-one years in captivity. Shoes too small to fit his feet. His body abused but his mind is still free."
Ska's "second wave," also called the "2-Tone" movement in honor of the record label that served as its main catalyst, was a radical hybrid, wedding the rhythm and style of 1960s Jamaican Ska and Rocksteady to the sonic aggression and socio-political lyrics associated with the then-burgeoning British Punk-Rock scene. As a result, second wave Ska had more on its mind than being merely danceable; many of the 2-Tone bands such as The Specials, The (English) Beat, and The Bodysnatchers (to name only a few) wrote lyrics touching on both the public and private disaffection of black and white working-class youths during the early years of Thatcherism. While the ironically titled Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics is far from comprehensive as a compilation of second wave Ska (for example, The Beat are entirely missing), unlike many of the other available 2-Tone collections, this one includes several obscure, yet important tracks otherwise unavailable on compact disc.
Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics
1. The Special A.K.A.- Too Much Too Young (2:05)
2. Madness- The Prince (2:28)
3. The Selecter- On My Radio (3:04)
4. The Bodysnatchers- Let's Do Rock Steady (2:54)
5. Rico- Sea Cruise (4:00)
6. The Specials- Nite Klub (3:19)
7. The Selecter- Three Minute Hero (2:55)
8. Rico/The Special A.K.A.- Jungle Music (4:00)
9. The Higsons- Tear the Whole Thing Down (3:28)
10. The Selecter- James Bond (2:54)
11. The Specials- Rat Race (3:08)
12. The Bodysnatchers- Ruder Than You (2:46)
13. The Swinging Cats- Mantovani (3:17)
14. The Special A.K.A.- Nelson Mandela (4:16)
15. The Selecter- Missing Words (3:51)
16. The Bodysnatchers- Easy Life (3:13)
17. The Specials- Ghost Town (5:14)
18. The Friday Club- Window Shopping (3:49)
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ReplyDeletemore Ska coming soon
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