CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

.

Swinging the Blues Dancing the Ska

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Jools Holland

Release Date November 07, 2005
After the trilogy of Friends albums Jools returned with an album where the style and tone of the music was more suited to the big band sound of his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. I was hoping he reverted to being the main singer but he shares the vocal duties with his regular female vocalists Sam Brown and Ruby Turner with a star turn by Beverly Turner and two with Solomon Burke including his greatest creation `Everybody Needs Somebody to Love'.

I think the album works best with the arrangement of the instrumental numbers and the songs which Jools sings but some of the guest vocalists are given sympathetic arrangements particularly Ruby Turners ambitious take on Dylan's `Blowin' in the Wind'.
Not a total return to form but still ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

.

Best of Ska

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date October 22, 2001
This is a top ska collection, it contains plenty of classics including a few from the godfathers of SKA music, The Specials. Defenite stand out tracks are Rat Race, Rudy, a message to you and Ghosttown.
Its cheap and you get over 50 tracks to chose from, there has to be some you like in that lot!

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

.

Trojan Ska Box Set

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date July 04, 1996
3 CDs of absolute classic ska. With the sheer volume of tracks this set provides, its a bargain. This is the real deal.A good cross section of Jamaican ska, with some tracks better known than others (perhaps) but don't let that put you off. If you have only heard the tracks that have also appeared on other ska compilations & you liked them, then the rest of this collection is a must.
This is a really expansive collection of quality ska music & Trojan have done a great job in selecting the tracks for this set.If you enjoy this , then the Rude Boy box set is also worth a punt.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

.

And This Is A SKA Explosion

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date March 19, 2007
I couldn't give this five stars, because there are a few dud tracks on there. But at the price it is well worth the money, because there are loads of great tunes. In fact it is worth the cash just to get a copy of 'Rukumbine'. There is a groovy ska version of the James Bond theme, and a couple of minor key instrumental grooves that really get you dancing. Also 'A little oil in my lamp' is a great singalong ska version of a traditional song, with a gospel feel to it.

I don't know why they chose to start the CD with the Prince Buster tune which is more of a reggae style and not like the rest at all (although it's not a bad tune).

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

.

Barry Myers Presents Scratchy Sounds (Ska, Dub, Roots & Reggae Nuggets)

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 26, 2008
DJ Scratchy was a regular figure at Punk gigs in the late 70's. He was the DJ who introduced Reggae, Ska and Dub to the bondage trousered crowds at Clash gigs, tirelessly promoting the Jamaican sound. Here with this double CD he relaunchedhis career, and what a wonderful collection it is, with a mixture of old favourites and obscure gems. If you listen carefully, you can still feel the Punk vibe here and relive the whiff of stale beer and marijuana in the air of those grungy London clubs.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

.

Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date September 17, 2001
`Too Much Two Tone' is a supermarket compilation and yet where other supermarket compilations miss whole swathes of essential tracks this one ticks all the boxes with the all important Special number ones `Too Much Too Young' and `Ghost Town' (the extended 12" dub, no less) as well as a sprinkling of the rarities such as Rico's `Sea Cruise' and the later bands such as The Higsons and The Friday club which are generally air brushed out of the labels history to make for a monochrome Ska label which is readily identified.

That's not to say the Ska is underplayed, as well as the four Specials track, the Madness 45 `The Prince' is here, two Bodysnatchers tracks (neither of which are available on CD elsewhere) and three singles released on ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

.

Trojan Ska Vol.2

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 26, 2008
Before reggae there was ska and rocksteady, indigenous musical forms that had evolved from the imported rhythm and blues and jazz styles prevalent in Jamaica from the fifties onwards. The Trojan Ska Box Set had gathered 50 representative tracks from the period up to 1966, including some very well known big sellers.

A number of the leading artists appear again on Vol. 2: Don Drummond, Lee Perry, Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, the Skatalites, Owen Gray, Roland Alphonso, Tommy McCook, Desmond Dekker, Justin Hinds and the Dominoes, the Maytals, Lyn Taitt and others, with well known and less well known examples of their art, including some appearing on CD for the first time.

Occasionally they appear to have been mastered from less than ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

.

Ska & Reggae Collection

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Suzi Solidor

Release Date July 08, 2002
This is not by the original artists. It should be illegal to do this, they are fooling people into thinking it is a great compilation CD, when it is actually just a crap cover album. There is no other point to it than to make money by tricking people, it's not as if they are adding anything or creating their own version of the song like other covers. They just cheaply copy other people's work, so why not just listen to the great original versions of the songs?
Avoid.

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

.

Trojan Ska Rarities Box Set

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 26, 2008
This is not by the original artists. It should be illegal to do this, they are fooling people into thinking it is a great compilation CD, when it is actually just a crap cover album. There is no other point to it than to make money by tricking people, it's not as if they are adding anything or creating their own version of the song like other covers. They just cheaply copy other people's work, so why not just listen to the great original versions of the songs?
Avoid.

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

.

King Of Ska

CD-Charts > Music > General
by: Prince Buster

Release Date October 13, 2000
If you like the Prince you will not be disappionted with this little gem from THE KING OF SKA.The tracks on this one appear to have been remastered to some extent,allthough,sleeve notes are a bit scant.

The version of Madness is slightly different from the version I have on another disc.It has some very nice clapping and is clearer to listen to.This is my favourite track along with Couny Machukie and God Son which seems to be a Prince Buster rendition
of the Desmond Dekker classic Honour Thy Mother and your Father.

Of all the 16 tracks on the album ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE is the only one not credited to Campbell.

Unlike , Fabulous , most of the tracks here are Ska instrumentals with Campbells talent shining through ... Read More: