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Archive-name: music/ska-faq/part1 Last-modified: $Date: 95/04/26 16:45:09 $ Version: $Revision: 3.18 $ Part: 1 of 3 URL:ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/ska-faq/part1 URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/music/ska-faq/top.html FAQ for alt.music.ska Tomas Willis tomas@cae.wisc.edu Administrivia: Go forth and skank. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: 1.1 Introduction In response to all of those ``Isn't ska some dance form of reggae?'' questions, I present the following historical background to the music we call ska, gleaned from liner notes I have lying about the place, various postings to alt.music.ska, and sundry emailings with helpful ska fans. This is part 1, $Revision: 3.18 $, posted to alt.music.ska, rec.music.info, alt.skinheads, alt.answers, rec.answers, and news.answers. This FAQ is posted twice a month, whether it needs to be or not. This FAQ file is also available for anonymous ftp on the archive site rtfm.mit.edu as the file `pub/usenet/news.answers/music/ska-faq/part1'. Disclaimer: I am not a musician, nor do I play one on TV. Neither am I a musical historian. I do love ska music, so I offer this material unto the public domain. Acks: Michael Cancilla (mcancill@polyslo.calpoly.edu) posted a long list of ska bands that I have incorporated into this FAQ. That list has grown to list over 500 bands! Mike Fragassi (mfragass@ucs.indiana.edu) emailed me about 10k in response to my request for more info and is still at it. Thanks Mikes! Thanks also to everyone else in a.m.s and other reaches of netspace who sent me info. Dance harder! Tomas Willis (tomas@psycco.msae.wisc.edu) ================= now in digest format, for easier digestion ================= Also, you can get at this document on the World Wide Web (WWW) at <URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/music/ska-faq/top.html> ------------------------------ Subject: 1.2: Table of Contents The ska FAQ is now distributed in three sections. Part one addresses background questions, part two contains information about ska via various media, and part three contains infomation about bands. Table of Contents: Part 1 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Table of Contents 1.3 What is ska music? 1.4 Where did ska come from? 1.5 What is first-wave ska? Second-wave ska? Third-wave ska? 1.6 What is ska-core? 1.7 What is a rude boy? 1.8 What is with the narrow-brim hats, dark suits and narrow ties? How come some of these ska bands look like the Blues Brothers? 1.9 What is skanking? 1.10 What about reggae? 1.11 Oi! What about skinheads? 1.12 Recommended reading and Bibliography Part 2 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Table of Contents 2.3 Where can I hear ska on the radio? 2.4 Where can I hear ska live? 2.5 Is anyone doing ska video? 2.6 Are there any ska movies? 2.7 Are there any books about ska? 2.8 What are some ska-related 'zines (fan-created magazines)? 2.9 How do I get a ska email-based mailing list? 2.10 What are some more Internet ska resources? 2.11 Can anyone reccommend some good ska albums for someone who has absolutely no clue about ska? 2.12 What are addresses of some record labels producing ska discs? 2.13 Are there some mail order stores that carry ska? Part 3 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Table of Contents 3.3 What are the names of some ska bands? 3.4 Can I write to any of these bands? ------------------------------ Subject: 1.3: What is ska music? Ska is dance music, first and foremost. Ska was a Jamaican dance music that swept out of Jamaica in the early 1960s to shake the butts of working- and middle-class Jamaicans before going on, via the West Indian immigrant connection, to the UK, and then on to the world. In the UK, ska was also known as `blue beat' music. Rocksteady, and later, reggae sprang from the loins of ska in the late 1960s. Mid-1970s and 1980s/1990s revivals of this popular dance form have kept this music alive and fun through the present. The ska beat on drums and bass, rhythm guitar, lots of horns and maybe a Hammond organ --- that's the ska sound. For the musically inclined, here is a description of the rhythmic structure of ska: ``Musically, Ska is a fusion of Jamaican mento rhythm with r&b, with the drum coming in on the 2nd and 4th beats, and the guitar emphasizing the up of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th beats. The drum therefore is carrying the blues and swing beats of the American music, and the guitar expressing the mento sound.'' [SB(JJ)] Brendan Tween (brendog@panix.com) mentions that the Skatalites frequently used a G--Em--C--D guitar progression, while most modern ska uses a straight 1-4-5 progression (A--D--E C--F--G), although A--D--E9--A is another possible progression. Ska features a strong bass and drum rhythm section, guitars, keyboards and brass. _I_ say, the bigger the ska band, the better. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.4: Where did ska come from? In the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica rhythm & blues sounds from the African-American experience in America were adapted by Jamaican musicians and blended with traditional Jamaican _mento_, spiced with jazz, as well as ya-ya, calypso and other island sounds and cranked out of dance hall systems and mobile sound systems mounted on huge trucks. In the late 1950s Jamaica was about to gain independence from Great Britain, and pioneering Jamaican record producer Clement ``Coxsone'' Dodd, no doubt in a spirit of nationalism and a desire to get down, called on his musicians to create a danceable uniquely Jamaican sound. Bassist Cluet Johnson (Clue J) ran the ``hardest-driving dance and recording band'' developing this sound in Jamaica and went about the town greeting his friends with ``Love Skavoovie.'' [SB(JJ)] From this greeting, the name of the music naturally developed into ``ska.'' In late 1960 and 1961 bands recording for Dodd laid down the first truly ska tracks, distinct from calypso, r&b, jazz and American and British pop sounds. There developed ``a unique Jamaican jazz culture where the melody of horns fused with the drums in a free form music which was mellifluous and rebellious.''[RAR, p.126] Thus, ska became Jamaica's first indigenous popular music form. A hit at home, ska reigned supreme in Jamaica for many years: ``The National Dance,'' indeed. As many have stated in alt.music.ska, ska did not spring into sudden existence out of nowhere. Many of the elements of ska can be heard in recordings from the late 1950s. It wasn't until these were all brought together in the Kingston scene under the influences of Coxsone, Prince Buster, Clue J and others that ska emerged as a distinct sound. By the time ska made its ``world debut'' at the 1964 New York World's Fair at the the Jamaican exhibition it was an established phenomenon at home. Ska came to England with immigrants in the early 1960s. Known in the UK briefly as ``Jamaican Blues,'' ska inspired the formation of the Blue Beat record company, providing yet another name for the ska sound: `blue beat.' Ska gained popularity in the UK with the `Mod' scene, leading to the residual association of small-brimmed trilby (hats) and scooters with ska music. [HSBR] (For scooter talk, check out the alt.scooter Usenet group.) Trojan Records was still releasing ska hits into the UK top 10 as late as 1969 or 1970, but by that time rock-steady and reggae were waxing as ska waned, for a while, at least. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.5: What is first-wave ska? Second-wave ska? Third-wave ska? These sound like musicology terms to me. These terms are used by some to describe ska music coming from three different time periods separated by gaps in the popularity of the music. Roughly speaking, first-wave ska began in late 1960 in Jamaica and lasted until the late 1960s in Jamaica and England (as blue beat), by which time its popularity had declined in favor of ska offspring rock-steady and reggae. Seminal first-wave Jamaican ska artists include the Skatalites, Laurel Aitken, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan and Desmond Dekker. Second-wave ska flourished in the late-1970s and very early 1980s and saw the emergence of popular groups such as the Specials, the (English) Beat, Madness and the like in England. Second-wave ska is strongly associated with the 2 Tone scene [1979--1981] in the UK, as shown in the movie _Dance Craze_. Two-tone ska is faster, tighter and uses more horns than some older Jamaican ska. Third-wave ska is a late-1980s/early- 1990s revival of ska, involving such bands as Weaker Youth Ensemble, the Allstonians, Bim Skala Bim, the Voodoo Glow Skulls and The Toasters. Many popular rock/hardcore/funk bands, such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, are strongly influenced by ska sounds. In the last few years, some bands, like Hepcat, Steady Earnest, the Allstonians, Skavoovie and the Epitones, have reverted to a more roots ska sound. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.6. What is ska-core? Yet another label. A matter of semantics. Ska-core is either hardcore/punk-influenced ska or ska-influenced hardcore music. Or a fiction. Compared to traditional ska, ska-core is faster and harder. Voodoo Glow Skulls and Operation Ivy are commonly called ska-core bands. At some points, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have claimed to play ska-core. Some claim that ska-core songs change rythmic structure from ska-like to hardcore-like within one song. This could be differentiated from ska-influenced punk. Just turn up the music and dance. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.7: What is a rude boy? A rude boy is not just an impolite male child. The street-cool toughs of Kingstown, Jamaica, dressed nattily in the latest and hep-est threads were known as `rude boys' and they ruled the Kingstown dance halls. (Read `rude' as `chill' or `dope' or, if you are older, `cool' or `reet'). The term spread to the UK, and was revived by second-wave ska fans in the UK. Academic Caribbean historian Horace Campbell writes, in ``Rasta and Resistance'': ``Between 1964 and 1967 a subculture of angry youths developed in the [Jamaican] society. Answering to the psuedonym _Rude Bwoy_ [sic] and searching for for avenues of self-expression and recognition, these unemployed youths were quickly integrated into the [ganga] export trade, many of them as enforcers. ...these young people created terror among working people, such that they were feared by both citizens and police.''[RAR, p. 111] The [bracketed] comments are mine. Referring to Desmond Dekker's ``Rude Boy Train,'' ``007,'' and other songs describing rude boys, `Melody Maker' defined the term as ``a sort of cool super-hooligan.' [DD] Dekker sings: ``Them a loot Them a shoot Then a wail At Shanty Town When rude boy deh 'pon probation Then rude boy a bomb up the town.'' [DD] Obviously, the people your mother warned you about. Consider Jimmy Cliff's character in the film ``The Harder They Come.'' Laurence Cane-Honeysett wrote on: ``From the summer of 1966, up until 1967, a whole series of records referring to the exploits of so-called "Rude Boys" were released in Jamaica. Almost every major artist on the island recorded material featuring lyrics either condemning or defending the actions of the young men who spread mayhem across the island. Some described the Rude Boys as no more than glorified hooligans, who caused trouble for trouble's sake, while others depicted them as heroes, akin to the gangsters and cowboys featured in the popular films of the day. To most, however, they were simply victims of the deprived social conditions into which they were born and subsequently raised. Whichever way one viewed them, the Rude Boys were an established part of Jamaican life and had been around long before the glut of releases which drew attention to there activities. The main reason for the sudden interest was the explosion of violence during the summer of 1966, undoubtedly agitated to a large degree by the exceptionally hot weather. By October, following six deaths over the preceding three months, the Jamaican government declared a state of emergency and instructed the police and military to cordon off the trouble zone in Kingston and enforce a 10pm to 6am curfew. The fact that this period coincides with one of the major transformations in Jamaican music is no coincidence.[sic] The heat which had made tempers become frayed had also made dancing to Ska an exhausting experience and it was a natural progression to slow the tempo of the music. Eventually the rhythm slowed to such an extent that it became a completely new sound - Ska had been replaced by Rocksteady. By early 1967, both the weather and tempers had cooled and the Rude Boy theme became less frequent in song lyrics. Over the years that followed, Rude Boys were rarely mentioned and despite the succes of Perry Hanzell's film, "The Harder They Come", which starred Jimmy Cliff as the doomed anti-hero, 'Ivanhoe Martin Rhygin', they featured only occasionally in songs such as the slicker's "Johnny Too Bad". Towards the end of the seventies, British Ska bands such as The Specials and Madness re-invented the image of the Rude Boy, presenting him as a fun-loving young man, attired in a stylish two-tone suit and a pork-pie hat, more akin to the Mods of the sixties than [to] the original Jamaican version. The British Rude Boy was not to last, however, and following the demise of the Ska revival, he quickly vanished. Since then, Rude Boys seem to have been all but forgotten outside Jamaica...until now!''[RAR2] ------------------------------ Subject: 1.8: What is with the narrow-brim hats, dark suits and narrow ties? How come some of these ska bands look like the Blues Brothers? This is rude boy fashion from Jamaica in the 1960s. Jamie in NYC (mowder@axp1.acf.nyu.edu) writes: About ska fashion: Maybe the ``dark suit and pork-pie hat'' thing comes from people trying to look like Jerry Dammers from those old Specials album covers. And _he_ was probably trying to look like ``Walt Jabsco,'' the cartoon guy from the 2 Tone label design. And Walt was (so I've read) modeled after the way Peter Tosh looked on the cover of the _Wailing Wailers_ album from Studio One. So, I guess all these ``Blues Brothers'' types are actually trying to look like Peter Tosh from 1965! About rude girl fashion, Alex Whitten (94maw_2@williams.edu) adds: When I was learning about rudeness I was told that rude girls (depending on what era they like best) can wear: 1. fifties type clunky-heeled black pumps, tight to the knee (or mid-calf) skirts with zipper sides, tight sleeveless shirt (or sweater set), (typical outfit would be a white shirt and black skirt), dark red lipstick, dark eyes, hair shoulder-length, small handbag, black sunglasses (cat's eyes) 2. or (nowadays it seems) ... psuedo-skinchick without the Chelsea hairdoo. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.9: What is skanking? Skanking the canonical ska dance. Being canonical doesn't make it the only or One True ska dance; it is, however, the standard dance. Skanking involves angular pumping of legs and arms, with knees and elbows bent. Mike Fragrassi (I think) described this a rythmic "herking and jerking." The original ``official'' ska dance was called ``the ska.'' This dance originated in Jamaica and was the dance one did at ska shows. It is not as punk-influence as contemporary skanking. Jeremy D. Mushlin (JDM7548@ACFCLUSTER.NYU.EDU) described it as: Not like jamming your elbow to your opposite knee back and forth, but sort of like the milk-the-cow, do the monkey sort of thing... Controversy now rages over the propriety of slamming, moshing, body-passing and stage-diving at ska concerts. These dances, while wildy popular with some, are reviled by more traditional types. However, Jay Vidheecharoen (jvidhee@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu) wisely points out that ``Stage diving on top of people who are skankin' isn't too smart...'' ------------------------------ Subject: 1.10: What about reggae? Reggae music is an offshoot of ska developed in the late 1960s. Reggae was developed out of rocksteady music, a music developed by early ska vocalists (e.g. Laurel Aitken, Derrick Morgan, Desmond Dekker) as audiences demanded a more ``steady'' beat [TKS] and perhaps less all-instrumental music. Note that many reggae stars got their start as ska musicians. Notable examples are Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Rita Marley Anderson, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker. As the fast beat of ska mellowed through rock-steady, it gradually led to the creation of reggae. Note that reggae has not always been inextricably linked to Rastafarian culture. The British band UB40, loosely associated with second-wave ska, offers the following thoughts about the origins of reggae in their all- cover tribute album, ``Labour of Love:'' ``This is a selection of songs. They represent an era. An era, after the first skinhead wave, when black boys were still rude boys and only hippies wore their hair long. They represent reggae when it was first called by that name. Reggae before it was discovered by cops, sociologists and TV producers. Before it was claimed by lefties, liberals, punks and rastas. Reggae was just another dance music and most D.J.' still sniggered at it. In those days, reggae appealed not to the intellect or the social conscience, but to the heart and hips.'' [LL] (Side note for UB40 fans: UB40 covers Tony Tribe's 1969 version of ``Red, Red Wine,'' but this song was written by Neil Diamond!) For futher Internet reggae info, check out the rec.music.reggae Usenet group. The rec.music.reggae-related Jammin Reggae Archive is accessable on the WWW from the Jammin home page: <URL:http://jammin.nosc.mil/jammin.html> ------------------------------ Subject: 1.11: Oi! What about skanking skinheads? Skinheads, originally, come out of the same culture as ska. Just look at early Sixties pictures of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer --- they have no hair! Skinhead culture spread more widely in the late Sixties as more and more Jamaicans went to the UK and influenced the White youth culture there. These old UK bald-heads were rude. Since the first skinheads were Blacks, it makes all those Nazi skinhead types seem pretty ignorant, eh? It's a good thing they are in the minority. For more info see the FAQ for alt.skinheads by Sid Sowder. ------------------------------ Subject: 1.12 Recommended reading and Bibliography Recommended Reading: The liner notes to [SB] are particularly rich, with extensive text and great photographs. Also, the notes for [C25] and [DD] are quite informational. Amber (74653.2176@CompuServe.COM) of KRUA's ``This is Ska'' show recommends ``Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica'' by Stephen Davis and Peter Simon for `` a lot about classic ska, the politics involved, the origin of Rastafarians, and a bunch of other stuff.'' Also, check into the alt.skinheads and rec.music.reggae Usenet groups for related topics. The rec.music.reggae-related Jammin Reggae Archive is accessable on the WWW from the Jammin home page: <URL:http://jammin.nosc.mil/jammin.html> There is a glossary of Jamaican terms and idioms in the book ``The Harder They Come'', by Michael Thelwell (Grove Press, NY, or Pluto Press, London, 1980). More etymological information is available in ``Dictionary of Jamaican English, by F. G. Cassidy and R. B. Le Page (Oxford University Press). The novelization of ``The Harder They Come'' has also been recommended as a tool for understanding Jamacain patois and culture. You can find a patois dictionary on the WWW at: <URL:ftp://jammin.nosc.mil/pub/reggae/patois.txt> For more information on Jamaican culture, you could check out the gopher and WWW servers at the University of West Indies, in Jamaica, <URL:http://www.uwimona.edu.jm/> (Let me know if this works.) Sappy@aol.com recommends: ``a really good book on Reggae, Ska, Calypso, and other forms of Caribbean music:'' ``Cut `n' Mix,'' by Dick Hebdige. ``It explains the heritage of these forms of music and talks of some of the more renowned original artists. The second part of the book gives a full account of the Rise and Fall of the Two-Tone label and movement in England. It's published by Comedia and the ISBN is #0-415-05875-9.'' Thanks, Sappy! Cited Sources: [SB] ``Ska Bonanza: The Studio One Years,'' Various Artists, Heartbeat CD: HB 86/87, (1992). Liner notes by Julian Jingles (JJ) and Chris Wilson (CW). [C25] ``Celebration: Twenty Five Years Of Trojan Records,'' Various Artists, Trojan Records CDTRD 413, (1991). Liner notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett. [DD] ``The Best of Desmond Dekker: Rockin' Steady,'' Desmond Dekker, Rhino Records R2 70271, (1992). Liner notes by Harry Young. [LL] ``Labour of Love,'' UB40, Virgin/A&M Records, CD4980, (1983). Liner notes by the band. [HSBR] ``The History of Ska, Blue Beat and Reggae,'' Various Artists, Esoldun S.A.R.L./Blue Beat REG 101, (1992). Liner notes by Delroy Sion Eccles. [TKS] ``Two Knights of Ska: Derrick and Laurel,'' Derrick Morgan and Laurel Aitken, Unicorn Records PHZD-61, (1992). Liner notes anonymous. [RAR] ``Rasta and Resistance,'' by Horace Campbell, Africa World Press, Inc., P.O. Box 1892, Trenton, New Jersey 08607, USA, (1987). [RPM] ``RPM'' A Ska museletter. (See the fanzine section.) Uncited Sources: [AMS] alt.music.ska, various postings. This has become the largest source of info for this FAQ. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ End of FAQ: Ska (alt.music.ska) Frequently Asked Questions: Part 1 ******************************************************************