I forgot to mention that last weekend I saw a couple of copies of The Drastics'MJ a Rocker "bootleg" LP at Rock and Soul--an old skool shop near Madison Square Garden/Penn Station with electronics in the front and LPs, 12" singles, and DJ equipment in the back (they even have a couple of turntables set up so you can listen to the vinyl--loudly!). Rock and Soul mostly carries hip-hop, but there are some reggae and new wave (!) albums and singles to be found there. Having said that, this was one of the last places I expected to come across this LP.
MJ a Rocker was proudly displayed on the shelf with a slew of Michael Jackson vinyl...
Proving that a great pop song remains a great pop song no matter how you interpret it, The Drastics have recorded and released a free download of Michael Jackson covers inna skinhead reggae style (in honor of his August 29th birthday). The digital EP MJ a Rocker contains extraordinary versions of "I Want You Back," "Rock with You," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal," and "The Way You Make Me Feel"--tunes that, if you've had any exposure to mass pop culture over the past two decades, have been grafted into your brain over the years (and you have to admit that they're damn catchy no matter what your feelings are about MJ). Those looking for a campy swipe at the self-anointed King of Pop should look elsewhere--this is a heartfelt tribute to a gifted musician/performer by a band that is clearly proud to counted among his many fans.
Simply brilliant stuff.
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Also, in the great ideas department, Chuck Wren of Jump Up Records has organized a free reggae/2 Tone film festival (the schedule and all details are at right), with popcorn and DJ sets (courtesy of Chuck himself) before and after the flix. If you are in the Chicago area, this is a no-brainer: go, dog, go!
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Amy Winehouse's appearance with The Specials earlier this week at the V Festival (singing "You're Wondering Now") coincided with the delivery of her "Free Nelson Mandela" single (on white vinyl with a cover that mirrors The Special AKA's) that I had ordered from Jump Up (as always, Chuck carries a plethora of ska releases from around the world...if you want it, he's probably got it). The cut--that I consider to be one of Jerry's best compositions ever--is a live recording from Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebration in London, back in June of 2008. Amy is backed by Jerry Dammers on keys, the Soweto Gospel Choir, and a cast of thousands, including Annie Lennox. Check out the viddy below...(and the original by The Special AKA can be seen here).
What They're Saying About My Book "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone"
“An essential read…Stephen's eye for detail is incredible and his love for 2 Tone oozes from each page.” — Kevin Flowerdew, Do the Dog Skazine
“Written with a personal touch and with great passion about the bands and releases while giving a lot of emphasis to the lyrics, Stephen’s book is a great guiding hand to navigating your way to some great new music.” — Peter Walsh, 2-Tone.info
“It's some of the finest Madness analysis I've ever read.” —Donald Trull, Stateside Madness
“Steve's own story would make a great book, but instead he's written The Duff Guide to 2 Tone, a 250+ page collection of 2 Tone-related pieces from his blog. There are reviews of original pieces, but the book's real purpose is to show how the 2 Tone sound and—more importantly its ideals—carry on today...Get this book right away!" — Charles Benoit, Reggae Steady Ska
"...Shafer has definitely not forgotten how socially conscious issues were at the root of Ska even from the beginning. He makes certain to thread the political issues that motivated the development of Ska throughout his narrative; painting a picture that took both the oppressive political environments and the often ecstatic musical content into account. And in that, he nails down for me what the enduring pull of Ska was to its many fans. Was there ever a more upbeat dance music that combined its boundless energy with a push for progressive social values and calling truth to power?" —Post-Punk Monk
"...[The Duff Guide to 2 Tone is a] chatty, informative and knowledgeable work, one that you can either sit down and read or use as a reference source..." —Nik Skeat, Scootering Magazine
"During the reading of the book it is dangerous to have a screen open next to you with Discogs. I have found lots of ‘new music’ via the stories in The Duff Guide to 2 Tone which I must have." -- Peter Vrakking, Blue Beat & Ska
In the mail today, I received the first copy of my new paperback book The Duff Guide to 2 Tone --and am thrilled to announce that it is now...
About Your Duff Guide
Steve Shafer/The Duff Guide to Ska For most of the 1990s, I was the promotions, marketing, production guy for Moon Records (RIP). It was one of the best jobs I ever had. Seriously, I miss it badly. During 1999/2000, I ran 7 Wonders of the World Music, the first digital download-only ska label that was too ahead of the curve for its own good (RIP).
I filmed and edited this Toasters video for $2,500, which made its debut on MTV's 120 Minutes. I also put together these compilations for Moon: the first three Skarmageddons; Ska United: A Global Ska Sampler; Skank Down Under; This Are Moon Ska I, II, and III; and Moonshot!
Here's an old interview with Adam Monkey from Read Magazine that covers my days at Moon and 7 Wonders. I also did a somewhat more recent interview with Read Junk.
I've been interviewed about ska music and Moon Records for The New York Times, Heather Augustyn's "Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation," Aaron Carnes' "In Defense of Ska," Kenneth Partridge's "Hell of a Hat: The Rise of '90s Ska and Swing," and Marc Wasserman's "Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History" (I also wrote the introductory chapter "1985: The Year American Ska Broke" for Wasserman's book).
And I'm the author of "The Duff Guide to 2 Tone," which can be ordered from Amazon--and is available in the US from Jump Up Records, and in Europe from the 2 Tone Village Shop (Coventry, UK), Champion Sound Records (Hull, UK), Aggroshop (Nijmegen, Netherlands), and Copasetic Mailorder (Hamburg, Germany). Plus, my book was on sale in the museum shop for the "2 Tone: Lives & Legacies" exhibition (May 28 - September 12, 2021), curated by Simon Reynolds, Cory Barrett, Pete Chambers, Jennifer Otter Bickerdike and Daniel Rachel, at the Herbert Art Gallery Museum in Coventry, UK.
I'm now working on my next book, "Calling All the Rude Boys: The Duff Guide to The Toasters, 1981-1992," to be published in 2023.
If you have a ska or reggae release that you'd like me to consider reviewing, please send an e-mail to Steve at duffguidetoska@gmail.com. You should know that I am old school and prefer music in tangible formats (plus I might use your music when I DJ ska events). I'd also appreciate any news or tips you may have about bands.
All reviews and interviews posted on The Duff Guide to Ska are copyrighted and are the sole property of Steve Shafer. Please contact me for permission to reproduce anything on this blog.
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A mock-up of the cover of Wasserman's book "Ska Boom: An Oral History About the Birth of American Ska and Reggae" In addi...
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Check out The Duff Guide to Ska Video Channel for footage of ska bands in action in clubs around NYC, as well as unusual and rare ska videos from the 90s! Bands featured include The Toasters, The Bluebeats, The Forthrights, Across the Aisle, The Caroloregians, The Moon Invaders, The Rudie Crew, Tip the Van, Hey Stranger, Beat Brigade, Bigger Thomas, King Chango, The Scofflaws, UB40, The Hard Times, Jah Love and the Valentinians, The Shifters, Rudies Don't Care, Big Audio Dynamite, Stranger Cole and Patsy with Crazy Baldhead, Queen P of Ocean 11, King Hammond, The Snails, King Django, Doomsday! The Ultimate Tribute to Mephiskapheles Consisting of Former Members of Mephiskapheles, Destroy Babylon, The Frightnrs, The Pandemics, Los Skarroneros, The Bullbuckers, The Scofflaws, The Reggay Lords, The Copacetics, Rude Boy George, Dave Hillyard and the Rocksteady 7, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, The Specials, Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding, The Ladrones, Chris Murray, Radio Riddler, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro, and Mickey Virtue, Barbicide, The Twilights, Bim Skala Bim featuring John Bunkley (Gangster Fun), The Pomps, and more!
I forgot to mention that last weekend I saw a couple of copies of The Drastics' MJ a Rocker "bootleg" LP at Rock and Soul--an old skool shop near Madison Square Garden/Penn Station with electronics in the front and LPs, 12" singles, and DJ equipment in the back (they even have a couple of turntables set up so you can listen to the vinyl--loudly!). Rock and Soul mostly carries hip-hop, but there are some reggae and new wave (!) albums and singles to be found there. Having said that, this was one of the last places I expected to come across this LP.
