What’s with all the hate for 3rd wave ska in the past few years? Listen to any recent stuff by Reel Big Fish or Less Than Jake. Most of it is still as upbeat and fun as two-tone ever was.
I have no illusions that I have anything but terrible taste in music, but I unironically love ska. Virtually any form of it, from the original Jamaican through its modern incarnation. Even rocksteady and some early-style reggae, but most reggae I just don’t care for. Dub and crack rocksteady don’t do it for me, either.
I have narcolepsy and depression, and I think a large part of why I fell in love with it in high school (I was late, a while after ska had come and gone from the public consciousness) was the over-the-top energy and obnoxiously upbeat sound to counteract how exhausted and horrible I felt all the time. Now, I find the familiar, frenetic beat actually comforting and relaxing.
Great little ditty about that 2 1/2 wave from @JasonToon. The Toasters are indeed the perfect example of that era.
Growing up, I was a big fan of the 2nd Wave (The Beat’s Special Beat Service is still in rotation some 2 decades after I discovered it) and it helped make me wildly unpopular in high school. It wasn’t responsible, but it helped. I had a friend who introduced me to the more recent stuff coming out of New York… and eventually every town both big and small as the need for checkered print pants and chain wallets grew and grew. And yes, The BossTones paid their dues and had a fucking remarkable horn section, but it all soon came crashing down with critics heaping incredible amounts of unfair praise on good-to-mediocre bands like Sublime and No Doubt. I remember reading some shit article in Rolling Stone in the mid-nineties that referred to ska as being the invention of the Orange County scene. Absolutely. Spot on, y’all.
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the Jamaican roots of ska, then make yourself acquainted. Those dudes would hit up the US, buy a ton of Fats Domino and Motown records, and then make that music their own back on the island. And it’s pretty fascinating to hear the roots of one music become the roots of another, as happened on down the line with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd waves of ska. Well worth exploring.
@reddinghill Oh, and I voted for Party At Ground Zero. Fishbone becomes pretty unbearable fairly quickly after their first record. But that track is a beautiful and manic vision of the end of the world which induces spastic dancing. Hard to top.
@reddinghill Don’t hate me by saying this, but my ears and bring can’t get into 2nd wave ska. The Specials and Madness are just okay in my book, but bands like The Selector don’t do it for me.
Sorry rudebwoy.
However, that changeover between 2nd and 3rd wave is pretty good, especially the Toasters.
I get what you’re saying and you’re certainly entitled to that position. Personally, I don’t really listen to much beyond The (English) Beat these days. And an occasional Specials song or maybe a few of those Selector tunes that don’t do it for you… On My Radio… really? Nothing? Ok.
I think I’m more a fan of Dave Wakeling’s lyrics than the Two Tone scene as a whole. The Beat are a real standout from the era and vastly under-appreciated as pretty brilliant pop songwriters. And Saxa, man, Saxa. Ol dude’s still kickin it.
@reddinghill I really tried to get into bands like the Selector, The Beat, even Bad Manners, but it’s not my thing. “On My Radio” is Ok. I actually saw the Selector live ages ago, but meh.
“Soulless” is a bit harsh. “Vapid” maybe, but you’re not a terribly fun person if you dismiss 3rd wave altogether. You can’t just enjoy some ridiculously upbeat Save Ferris or Less than Jake? And your 1993 “ska sold out” cutoff is BS. Bands like the Slackers and the Pietasters had just started releasing records.
And what’s wrong with portmanteau band names like Skabba the Hutt? Nothing. It’s fun, sorry you don’t like fun.
Here, enjoy some Mephiskapheles. Hope you don’t mind that this music video aired on MTV.
I just saw the Toasters in January, btw, and they are still awesome. But I voted for Skankin’ Pickle, mostly because they were an option. I don’t see them in many playlists.
@InnocuousFarmer I know. It was a pretty brave effort on my part, but unfortunately was completely unnecessary. I only did it because I thought I recognized the name of one song, and someone in the comments said another was amazing. They lied though.
So I’m a huge Hepcat fan, possibly my favorite band of all time. Where would you say they fall? I believe they formed and released their first album around the time of the third wave / revival… But do they really qualify as “3rd wave ska” ska? They’re so much more advanced than the grand majority of third wave bands. I hear so much more musicianship, so much jazz, so much R&B, motown, so much dub in their music. I would propose they are something else all together. Their facebook page mentions “4rth wave”. Not sure if there is yet anyone else in that genre, but it might be the right category for them.
Nice playlist by the way. Takes me back and feeling good listening to it. Though besides Hepcat, I’m more of a fan of the Trojan / Studio One golden era.
@devinpaul Hepcat doesn’t fall into 3rd wave ska sound except for the timing that they came out. They fall under the “traditional” ska sound of the 90’s, along with The Slackers.
Hepcat is still in heavy rotation for me.
Fishbone hands down. The extended mix of Modern Industry was on heavy rotation on my car’s cassette deck. I saw them at the Keystone in Palo Alto (probably the Dec. 27, 1985 show) and they were mind-blowing. They were completely manic from beginning to end. At one point, the trombone player knocked his mic stand over while he was flailing about so he threw himself on the ground and played the rest of the song lying on his side. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Ah, yes. The days of Reagan-era protest songs:
/youtube fishbone ugly
I really got into aka during the 3rd wave, and more so during the latter part of it. Planet smashers, mad caddies and most importantly, streetlight manifesto… toh kay might be the most prolific song writer of this century. The dude is seriously talented and has an incredible ability to grab my ears and make sweet, sweet love to them.
@capguncowboy I saw the Planet Smashers at Warped Tour 2002 and was blown away. One of the best performances I have seen to this day, and I’ve probably been to 200 shows / concerts.
@capguncowboy Also, I never really got into Streetlight, but was a huge fan of Catch 22 back in the day.
Never knew there was a video for Catch 22’s Keasbey Nights until just now:
I didn’t vote for my favorite, which would have been Operation Ivy, but I voted for the one that made me discover ska music, BossToneS. It was the first ska CD I purchased. Also, “Where’d You Go?” was the first ska song I ever remember hearing (at least the one that stuck out.)
3rd wave ska for the most part didn’t age well. There ARE exceptions like Reel Big Fish’s debut, “Let’s Face It” by the BossToneS, Planet Smashers, Catch 22, Pietasters, Less than Jake, and a few others. However, there is a lot of stuff that is almost unlistenable (not a word, I know) to me anymore.
If it weren’t for the BossToneS, No Doubt, and Sublime, I wouldn’t have heard such beautiful music such as Desmond Dekker, Toots, Skatalites, and early Wailers.
Also, it was because of seeing Reel Big Fish live that I discovered my all-time favorite band, the Pilfers.
/giphy just pick one
As usual, just have to pick a random one from the list without listening or knowing anything about what I’m selecting.
Every time I hear ska like this, I think of Evan Dorkin’s Pirate Corp$/Hectic Planet series.
I have no idea what this is, but I have to track it down.
What’s with all the hate for 3rd wave ska in the past few years? Listen to any recent stuff by Reel Big Fish or Less Than Jake. Most of it is still as upbeat and fun as two-tone ever was.
I have no illusions that I have anything but terrible taste in music, but I unironically love ska. Virtually any form of it, from the original Jamaican through its modern incarnation. Even rocksteady and some early-style reggae, but most reggae I just don’t care for. Dub and crack rocksteady don’t do it for me, either.
I have narcolepsy and depression, and I think a large part of why I fell in love with it in high school (I was late, a while after ska had come and gone from the public consciousness) was the over-the-top energy and obnoxiously upbeat sound to counteract how exhausted and horrible I felt all the time. Now, I find the familiar, frenetic beat actually comforting and relaxing.
@FrozenTrout
Crack rocksteady… Man, I haven’t listened to Choking Victim or Leftover Crack in ages.
I vote that @JasonToon knows more about recent non-classical music forms than I do.
And it wouldn’t take much for him to also know more about classical music forms than I do.
I hope to get the chance to listen to some or all of these.
Great little ditty about that 2 1/2 wave from @JasonToon. The Toasters are indeed the perfect example of that era.
Growing up, I was a big fan of the 2nd Wave (The Beat’s Special Beat Service is still in rotation some 2 decades after I discovered it) and it helped make me wildly unpopular in high school. It wasn’t responsible, but it helped. I had a friend who introduced me to the more recent stuff coming out of New York… and eventually every town both big and small as the need for checkered print pants and chain wallets grew and grew. And yes, The BossTones paid their dues and had a fucking remarkable horn section, but it all soon came crashing down with critics heaping incredible amounts of unfair praise on good-to-mediocre bands like Sublime and No Doubt. I remember reading some shit article in Rolling Stone in the mid-nineties that referred to ska as being the invention of the Orange County scene. Absolutely. Spot on, y’all.
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the Jamaican roots of ska, then make yourself acquainted. Those dudes would hit up the US, buy a ton of Fats Domino and Motown records, and then make that music their own back on the island. And it’s pretty fascinating to hear the roots of one music become the roots of another, as happened on down the line with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd waves of ska. Well worth exploring.
@reddinghill Oh, and I voted for Party At Ground Zero. Fishbone becomes pretty unbearable fairly quickly after their first record. But that track is a beautiful and manic vision of the end of the world which induces spastic dancing. Hard to top.
@reddinghill Don’t hate me by saying this, but my ears and bring can’t get into 2nd wave ska. The Specials and Madness are just okay in my book, but bands like The Selector don’t do it for me.
Sorry rudebwoy.
However, that changeover between 2nd and 3rd wave is pretty good, especially the Toasters.
@hems79 TOO LATE I HATE YOU.
I get what you’re saying and you’re certainly entitled to that position. Personally, I don’t really listen to much beyond The (English) Beat these days. And an occasional Specials song or maybe a few of those Selector tunes that don’t do it for you… On My Radio… really? Nothing? Ok.
I think I’m more a fan of Dave Wakeling’s lyrics than the Two Tone scene as a whole. The Beat are a real standout from the era and vastly under-appreciated as pretty brilliant pop songwriters. And Saxa, man, Saxa. Ol dude’s still kickin it.
@reddinghill I really tried to get into bands like the Selector, The Beat, even Bad Manners, but it’s not my thing. “On My Radio” is Ok. I actually saw the Selector live ages ago, but meh.
“Soulless” is a bit harsh. “Vapid” maybe, but you’re not a terribly fun person if you dismiss 3rd wave altogether. You can’t just enjoy some ridiculously upbeat Save Ferris or Less than Jake? And your 1993 “ska sold out” cutoff is BS. Bands like the Slackers and the Pietasters had just started releasing records.
And what’s wrong with portmanteau band names like Skabba the Hutt? Nothing. It’s fun, sorry you don’t like fun.
Here, enjoy some Mephiskapheles. Hope you don’t mind that this music video aired on MTV.
I just saw the Toasters in January, btw, and they are still awesome. But I voted for Skankin’ Pickle, mostly because they were an option. I don’t see them in many playlists.
@Oneroundrobb I was really into the traditional ska of the 90’s way back when. Really liked the Slackers, and to this day I still jam to Hepcat.
@Oneroundrobb Completely forgot about this band. Gets old pretty quick, but I was happy to be reminded that they exist(ed).
Oh, and Skabba the Hut is a great name from a bar band that you never have to actually listen to, but other than that the fun factor is fairly low.
Hm, they all suck shit. I even listened to a couple seconds from two of them just to make sure.
I vote for this song.
@Al_Coholic
@Al_Coholic Those seconds of fairness.
@InnocuousFarmer I know. It was a pretty brave effort on my part, but unfortunately was completely unnecessary. I only did it because I thought I recognized the name of one song, and someone in the comments said another was amazing. They lied though.
@Al_Coholic it’s what sets us apart from the beasts. Kudos.
So I’m a huge Hepcat fan, possibly my favorite band of all time. Where would you say they fall? I believe they formed and released their first album around the time of the third wave / revival… But do they really qualify as “3rd wave ska” ska? They’re so much more advanced than the grand majority of third wave bands. I hear so much more musicianship, so much jazz, so much R&B, motown, so much dub in their music. I would propose they are something else all together. Their facebook page mentions “4rth wave”. Not sure if there is yet anyone else in that genre, but it might be the right category for them.
Nice playlist by the way. Takes me back and feeling good listening to it. Though besides Hepcat, I’m more of a fan of the Trojan / Studio One golden era.
@devinpaul Hepcat doesn’t fall into 3rd wave ska sound except for the timing that they came out. They fall under the “traditional” ska sound of the 90’s, along with The Slackers.
Hepcat is still in heavy rotation for me.
not really part of the second wave but they were still going “The Specials”?
or
or
@mrapathy The Specials are literally the definition of 2 Tone/Second Wave. They (well, one of their members) formed 2 Tone Records.
Fishbone hands down. The extended mix of Modern Industry was on heavy rotation on my car’s cassette deck. I saw them at the Keystone in Palo Alto (probably the Dec. 27, 1985 show) and they were mind-blowing. They were completely manic from beginning to end. At one point, the trombone player knocked his mic stand over while he was flailing about so he threw himself on the ground and played the rest of the song lying on his side. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Ah, yes. The days of Reagan-era protest songs:
/youtube fishbone ugly
If you hate them all, there’s a (NSFW) song for you too:
I really got into aka during the 3rd wave, and more so during the latter part of it. Planet smashers, mad caddies and most importantly, streetlight manifesto… toh kay might be the most prolific song writer of this century. The dude is seriously talented and has an incredible ability to grab my ears and make sweet, sweet love to them.
@capguncowboy I saw the Planet Smashers at Warped Tour 2002 and was blown away. One of the best performances I have seen to this day, and I’ve probably been to 200 shows / concerts.
@capguncowboy Also, I never really got into Streetlight, but was a huge fan of Catch 22 back in the day.
Never knew there was a video for Catch 22’s Keasbey Nights until just now:
Posited: there is no music fan than the “snotty about ska” music fan.
@pflats
Heh. Preach!
@pflats I resemble that remark!
@pflats Is there an adjective missing or are we supposed to fill in the blank?
Edit: when I posted that, “snotty about ska” was not visible. I swear!
I didn’t vote for my favorite, which would have been Operation Ivy, but I voted for the one that made me discover ska music, BossToneS. It was the first ska CD I purchased. Also, “Where’d You Go?” was the first ska song I ever remember hearing (at least the one that stuck out.)
3rd wave ska for the most part didn’t age well. There ARE exceptions like Reel Big Fish’s debut, “Let’s Face It” by the BossToneS, Planet Smashers, Catch 22, Pietasters, Less than Jake, and a few others. However, there is a lot of stuff that is almost unlistenable (not a word, I know) to me anymore.
If it weren’t for the BossToneS, No Doubt, and Sublime, I wouldn’t have heard such beautiful music such as Desmond Dekker, Toots, Skatalites, and early Wailers.
Also, it was because of seeing Reel Big Fish live that I discovered my all-time favorite band, the Pilfers.