The Specials are Go (is Jerry?)

According to The Specials' original rhythm guitarist/vocalist Lynval Golding, all of the original members of The Specials apart from Jerry Dammers are tentatively planning to go on a reunion tour of the UK in October and November (with US gigs a possibility after that). Negotiations are still ongoing with Jerry and they are hopeful that he will be joining them on the keyboard this fall.

This and more comes from Bigger Thomas' bass player Marco, who writes an excellent blog that focuses primarily on 80s era ska and reggae bands. Marco and Bigger Thomas played a gig over the holiday weekend with a reunion version of The English Beat (essentially Dave Wakeling) with Lynval filling in on guitar--so this info is solid. Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned, kids.

Shots in the Dark: King Apparatus - King Apparatus

Editor's note: Shots in the Dark spotlights third-wave ska releases that should have been massive hits on the scene but, due to bad timing, poor luck, or a fickle record-buying public, were lost in the fray.

The Band: Toronto-based King Apparatus, Chris Murray's band before he ditched frigid Ontario for the warmth of Southern California, went solo (first as Venice Shoreline Chris, now the Chris Murray Combo), and found (relative) fame amongst US and international ska audiences.

The Sound: King Apparatus were one of the few 2 Tone-influenced third-wave acts to almost completely forgo horns and follow The Specials' revved-up guitar/keyboard-focused brand of ska. Interestingly, the Chuck Berry/Roddy Radiation guitar sound that drives Murray's songs often subtly incorporates elements of blues and country music.

The Release: Despite their obvious musical debt to The Specials, King Apparatus were by no means imitators to the throne--Chris Murray's powerfully original (and often sharply angry) songs coupled with the band's super-charged delivery proved that they were the real thing: a world-class ska band. From the first manic beats of "Non-Stop Drinking" to the defiantly misanthropic "Heartless," King Apparatus grab hold of the listener with their intense, compelling, and incredibly catchy songs and don't let go (after listening to the album for this review, I keep waking up at night hearing "Break Your Heart" running through my head). It's like being buttonholed by Coleridge's haunted Ancient Mariner in a dive bar--Murray is fated to tell you his tales about good and bad relationships ("Wasteland," "Hangin' On"), bogus televangelists ("Live Feed from Heaven"), a false leader urging ignorant kids to launch a racial war ("Tom Metzger's Big Plan"..."an Aryan time bomb/it's gonna get him rich/but it'll get you arrested"), all the characters hanging around waiting to be seen in the ER ("Hospital Waiting Room"), imagining his life as a TV movie ("Made for TV"..."and Nina Hagen/if we can name her price/could play my mother, my sister, my wife") before he can release you into the night, but it's all so good you'll end up buying him a drink because you want to hear more. It's a terrific album that sounds just as good, if not better, in 2008 as it did in 1991.

The Sad Circumstances: Originally released on Raw Energy Records in Canada in 1991, King Apparatus' self-titled debut--a big hit for the band north of the border--was picked up for distribution in the US by Moon Records (basically Bucket working out of his basement and me doing promotions part-time, after work out of my kitchen). Unfortunately, at the time, the American ska scene was small, disjointed, and disorganized (the pre-Internet days, baby!)--and this record went largely unnoticed and unsold. Having said that, several college ska DJs did pick up on the release and added it to their playlists and the odd skazine reviewed it, but few ska bands could venture out on the road for a national tour in support of their record (the best way to promote it) without losing their shirts--the ska touring circut just hadn't been firmly established yet.

The Grade: A-

Availability: In print and available from Asian Man Records.

Chant Down Babylon

It's not everyday that you read about Rastafarianism in the New York Times, but then again, how often is there an exhibition on Rastafari at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC?

Joe Higgs: "Life of Contradiction"

Pressure Sounds
2008

Originally recorded in 1972 for Island Records, Joe Higgs' Life of Contradiction languished in that label's vaults for three years, while Chris Blackwell tried to figure out how to market Higgs since, at the time, he was considered more of a Jamaican folk singer than a reggae artist (and, no doubt, Blackwell was also busy tending to the ascendant Bob Marley & the Wailers). When the rights reverted back to Higgs, the LP finally saw the light of day in 1975 on the Grounation label, and regardless of the sheer brilliance of the album, Life of Contradiction was very considered to be very much out of step with the reggae of that period--though it immediately strikes the modern listener as the early '70s roots reggae classic that it is. Indeed, several of the tracks had orginally been recorded during the ska era (such as "There's a Reward"); the influence of soul and R&B is powerful on several cuts (particulary on the title track and "Who Brought Down the Curtains"); and some of the arrangements, rhythms, and jazz-inflected performances were definitely atypical of reggae of that period.

Of note, Joe Higgs (who was already a hit recording artist with Roy Wilson in the duo Higgs and Wilson) was the vocal coach to The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingstone) in 1963 when they were just starting off--and he hooked them up with Coxsone Dodd, who produced their first single, "Simmer Down," which went to the top of the Jamaican charts in 1964 and set them on their long journey to eventual superstardom in the '70s. Like Bob Marley, Higgs has incredible command of his instrument (clearly he knew what he was doing when he taught The Wailers how to harmonize); his singing is wonderfully expressive and nakedly honest. Almost more importantly, he has an extraordinary gift for writing a catchy melody (my son, who tends to dislike reggae in favor of Green Day and the Beatles, was singing along to several of the songs as I played this record--which proves the adage that a good tune is a simply good tune, no matter the genre). All of the tracks on the LP are winners--no chaff here.

Nothing keeps Higgs down, despite the mess of life--the hardships of poverty, oppression, and heartbreak, you name it; his lyrics are doggedly hopeful: "Hard times don't bother me/life is so glorious/sticks and stones may brake my bones/faith and soul--can't cut it off" (from "Hard Times Don't Bother Me," one of my new favorite songs ever); "Everyday my heart is sore/seein' that I'm so poor/but I shall not give up so easily/no, no, no, cause there's a reward for me..." and "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child/you don't know, no one cares for me/I've never known sympathy/Sometimes I look to the world with a smile/can you hear what I say?" (from "There's a Reward"); to a wayward girlfriend/wife, he offers unconditional forgiveness: "Don't let me cross your mind/if I must stay behind/ but if you love me true/all you've got to do/is come on home" (from "Come on Home"). There is so much to enjoy and discover on Life of Contradiction, musically and lyrically. This rich, magnificent record is going to live with me for a long, long time. (A/A+)

(The LP contains the original album tracks; the CD adds two 1972 singles: "Let Us Do Something" and "Freedom Journey," both of which are availble as 7" singles from Pressure Sounds.)

Prince Buster Feature in June Issue of Mojo

Before you accuse me of being a shill for Mojo--I swear it's just that they are one of the few major music magazines that covers ska (even if it's in a backwards-looking way)--they are running yet another ska feature (following their great in-depth piece on The Specials last month). Their June 2008 issue contains a five-page story on Prince Buster (the UK cover sports Paul Weller, while US fans will have to settle for Slash...I wonder when the Mojo publishers will figure out that a great deal of their American readers are probably anglophiles/Britpop fans--we can read lots about ex-GNR band members in Rolling Stone and Spin, thank you). I'll let you know if the Prince Buster article is a good read when my local magazine shop gets it in.

* * * *

The Mojo piece on The Specials included this interesting tidbit--during the recording of "The Specials," Roddy Radiation recalled that producer Elvis Costello wanted the band to sack him for not being ska enough:

Costello wanted me out of the band. He'd heard '60s ska and didn't see any room for Chuck Berry or Johhny Thunders. He didn't understand. We weren't trying to revive ska. Terry Hall was hardly Prince Buster. We still had that punk element and the lyrics were from the Pistols/Clash school.

I've always hated that "authenticity" argument--ska music was influenced by so many other genres of music (American R&B, early rock'n'roll, mento, etc.) and has organically evolved over the past 50 or so years to incorporate other influences (as it should) that it's insane to think that it's a static art form (or try to "protect" it as such), whether you were in the UK in the late '70s or watching the rise and fall of ska during the '90s in the US. Change happens and change is generally good.

Interesting to hear EC's "authenticity" complaint come from someone who is guilty of dabbling in a mind-blowing array of musical genres...(ok, I still love him for My Aim is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!, and Trust, with occasional singles here and there).

Soon Come

Sorry not to have posted anything here recently--my work and personal lives have been hectic. Here's what's coming up next: I'm writing reviews of the Joe Higgs "Life of Contradiction" and Prince Fatty "Survival of the Fattest" LPs. Also, I'll have an interview up soon with the great Chuck Wren of Jump Up! Records. Stay tuned...

King of Calypso

Earlier this week, I was helping out a friend at a gala for a music school where I used to work (I'm a grantwriter/development professional during the working hours) and the featured guest was Harry Belafonte (the connection to Duff Guide=he is of Jamaican descent and was instrumental in popularizing calypso/Caribbean music). In his speech--he had just come from the UN and was off on a peacekeeping mission in Africa the next day--he made such a profound statement about the importance of music (that I'm paraphrasing here): "You can't fight a war while you're making music."

Maybe--whenever we get around to this--in addition to beating some of those swords into plougshares, we could forge some instruments? Just wondering...

Interesting factoid about Mr. Belafonte: his third album, Calypso (released in 1956), was the first recording by a single artist to sell over 1 million copies. Of course, this featured the ever-popular "The Banana Boat Song" aka "Day-O."

* * * *

According to the New York Times, 3,100 record stores around the country have closed since 2003--nearly half of those were independent shops. In Manhattan and Brooklyn alone, some 80 (!) record stores have closed in the past five years. For someone who grew up buying LPs and cassettes from real live people in stores (my local spot was Mad Hatters in Yonkers, which specialized in new wave and had tons of British imports), I find this terribly depressing, like helplessly watching some beloved species of animal going extinct no matter what you do. But, Saturday is Record Store Day! The day to fight back and support your local indie music shop. Go on, log off iTunes, turn off the computer, I know there is something out there that you are aching to buy! And be old school--get it on vinyl!

Interview: Buford O'Sullivan

Buford O'Sullivan is one of the NYC ska scene's best trombonists and has probaby guest performed in the studio or on stage with every ska band of note in our fair city. He was a member of The Scofflaws during the 90s, penning such tongue-in-cheek ska classics as "Nude Beach," "In the Basement," "Back Door Open," and "William Shatner," and joined The Toasters for a few years in the early 00s. Currently, he is the full-time trombonist for the Easy Star All Stars (along with another ex-Scofflaw, Victor Rice) and was kind enough to take the time to answer a few of our questions...

The Duff Guide to Ska: The Easy Star All Stars have achieved an extraordinary amount of success with both Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread. Apart from regularly having the cash to pay the rent, what’s it like to be in a band that has hit the big time?

Buford O'Sullivan: Ah, cash for rent…New York City is a tough call for that. Really, being a part of a band like ESAS is a sacrifice to the gods, in that it is not really lucrative so much as it is enough to justify the dream. I think the “big time” is a couple of rungs up the ladder… I’d say we’re some steps above the ground level, but we still share rooms. It pays well, and the people in the band are immensely talented, so sharing the stage with them is an honor. It is a road band, like a “road show” where the producers and creators of the project stay home as the artists go out. We are taken care of, we have per-diems, decent hotels, and all that. I’m racking up some frequent flier miles! I get to see places in the world that I’d never get to see otherwise. It isn’t easy, though. Playing music rarely is--it just looks that way.

DGTS: On tour, what are the ESAS crowds like, mostly alternative rock or reggae fans?

BOS: Reggae fans, some hippies, some alt fans, and some rudies thrown in for good measure. It always makes me happy to see a few pork pies out there.

DGTS: Your My Space page has a picture of you in front of the Pyramids at Giza; are there a lot of Radiohead and Pink Floyd fans in Egypt?

BOS: Well, that one was kind of a bust--we were supposed to play that cool stage under the Pyramids, but that fell through, so we played the hotel where we were staying. It was fun, by the HUGE pool, I had my own room that time. We had a guide take us around Cairo. The show wasn’t that well attended, but I mean, hey, it was Cairo. That is a crazy place with donkey carts on the freeways.

DGTS: Apart from Egypt, what are some of the more unusual places you have toured with the Easy Star All Stars? Any favorite moments that you’d like to share?

BOS: Playing Istanbul is great, because that is a combo between Cairo and Milan, kind of. We’ve played a lot of great festivals--we got to watch the Beastie Boys from back stage in Ireland. We played an outdoor arena in Rio de Janairo at 2am. We had a rock star crowd at Luna Park in Buenos Aires. We played Red Rocks in Colorado, just like Bono!

I think my favorite moment was a high-end wedding we played in Antigua. Our hotel was on the beach with Montserrat smoldering on the horizon. I went sailing in a hobycat in the lagoon. It was my birthday, so the band threw me a party… I mean, that was the best birthday EVER!

DGTS: What’s on deck for the Easy Star All Stars this year? Will there be a release of original material or a reggae version of another classic album?

BOS: Until That Day is a digital release, with a limited pressing. All original tunes by the band, and you can get it at www.easystar.com. The next project is a secret while the label gets the rights. We’ll know soon, hopefully. Just more touring, back to Turkey, Israel, Portugal, Baltimore…

DGTS: Are you still working on your own side projects (a la the Buford O’Sullivan Experience or Buford O’Sullivan and the Roosters, etc.)?

BOS: I am always writing. I am kind of in-between bands right now, the Roosters have a lot on their own plates, wives, kids, jobs…and they all live out on the [Long] Island, so it is hard to get them together. There’s another band coming around later this year, hopefully.

DGTS: Are you scheduled to make any guest appearances with any ska or reggae bands on tour or in the studio in the coming months?

BOS: I guest with Dub is a Weapon from time to time. I also play with The Ideas, a funk band with Roger Benson and Maria from DIAW. I also play with Courtney Lee Adams Jr, where I play country trombone.

DGTS: What was your first introduction to ska, and what are some of your all-time favorite ska releases?

BOS: First intro to ska was in 1980, when I heard Madness, The Specials, Bad Manners, the Skatalites, all before the ‘Third Wave’ ever came up. My first band, Big Noise, was a post-punk dance band, and we played a covers of “Nite Club" and "Ball of Fire."

Favorite releases…I think “Mirror in the Bathroom” is the coolest one, but that opinion changes from time to time. I always like the songs with Rico on them, so count the Specials in. Don Drummond wrote some beautiful stuff that transcended just a “dance beat” sound, it really had soul and identity and demanded respect.

DGTS: Which ska/reggae releases are you listening to these days?

BOS: Well, I play so much of that kind of music that I have been listening to other things in my spare time. I’ve been checking out some Duke Ellington. I always have WFMU on my internet radio, and that station plays all kinds of things, like Chinese pop songs from the seventies. Some Lou Donaldson. I was into Morphine for a while... I liked the Led Zeppelin reunion concert at the O2 arena…got me back into that stuff.

DGTS: What’s your take on the current NYC ska scene versus ska scenes elsewhere?

BOS: I just went out to LA with Dave Hillyard. I thought the scene out there was massive! New York is too, so don’t get me wrong-- the "Three Floors of Ska" shows at the Knitting Factory are always sold out.

The healthiest scene seems to be the UK. Last summer, ESAS did two consecutive tours of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and I saw all of the heros. Lynval Golding was playing with Pama International, which was completely great. We played with Neville Staple and his band, and Ranking Roger with HIS band at the same festival (cold, cold northern England festival, brrrrrr). Terry Hall was playing with The Dub Pistols, but I didn’t see them because I was being rocked by Iggy and the Stooges. I heard him from across the field, though. I watched Madness from backstage at a festival on The Isle of Wight, and it was like they were The Beatles! They played the songs verbatim, note for note, all original members. Bad Manners still play, the Selecter still play, ALL of them still have bands that play. There are also a lot of new bands who are great! Ska is tradition in England, while here in the States, it is kind of an import. The Toasters have trouble crossing the Midwest for lack of crowds and venues, though they still pack ‘em in in the major cities. You know, I think the USA is a tough place to play right now--not to insult any fans, of course, because they are still there and they have my full respect--but with the economy failing, and the way things are in the music scene lately, it is just hard to get people to come out. The UK is definitely the place to be as far as ska is concerned.

The Specials on the Cover of Mojo

Even though their story has been told many times, it's still a pretty big deal that The Specials command the cover of a major British music magazine like Mojo more than 25 years after they broke up (downer: the US cover sports Neil Young, with the Specials stuck up in the corner). Of note, when you purchase the mag, you receive a free CD with the mag that contains ska and punk cuts by Bob Marley & the Wailers, Neville Stape, Desmond Dekker, Symarip, Belle Stars, Toots & the Maytals, The Ruts, Rico, The Untouchables, Laurel Aitken, and more. They don't have this issue at the newstand near my job yet, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for it. Also on the Mojo site, they have links to all of The Specials' videos that are lurking out there on the web (in the UK, Chrysalis has released a Specials "best of" collection that includes a DVD of all their videos).

In related Specials news, according to BBC Radio 6, the band is going into rehearsals this summer in order to prepare for a tour in the fall. The article does not mention if every original member is participating (Jerry Dammers?)--only Terry Hall and Lynval Golding are named. Stay tuned.

The Toasters: Live at CBGBs

MVD Audio
2008

Ah, the live record...such a tricky proposition. On one hand, a band isn't worth its salt unless it can put on a good live show--a host of shortcomings can be hidden in the studio. Yet no concert performance is without its warts (despite our adulation, the musicians are only human), and capturing and conveying the vibe of a particular night in a club is difficult: you, the listener, are not in the crowd hearing, seeing, and feeling the same things everyone else is at the show. Let's be honest, listening to a concert CD can be a sterile, almost alienating experience (you're not soused, sweaty, and packed sardine-like in front of the stage, you're just probably doing something mundane at home or in your car or at work). And when we listen to a CD or LP, we kind of expect to be hearing something close to perfection from a band, whether it is a concert or studio recording, right? (Hell, the only time I'm really excited by a live recording is when the band's performance is freakin' sublime and they have altered the song in some way that greatly improves upon the original studio cut.) When you are at a gig, you're more forgiving of the band's mistakes, especially after you've had a beer or two.

The Toasters have released a number of live recordings over the years, most of them pretty good, though I'd always pick the experience of seeing them in person over Memorex. They always put on a good show. Simple as that. This brings us to The Toasters: CBGB Omfug Masters: Live June 28, 2002, The Bowery Collection. What makes this a notable recording in their extensive catalogue is that it was the last time The Toasters ever played CBs (before it closed in 2006) and the band hadn't played there since ska and hardcore were banned from the club around 1990 due to too much violence at gigs (going to a ska show in the early nineties was sometimes risky business--batteries were thrown at the band on stage, fights broke out on the dancefloor--stupid, depressing stuff). The performances here are mostly good--though there are a few bum notes (ahem, horn section) and botched lyrics (Buck totally flubs "2Tone Army" and then asks the band if they can do a song he knows the words to!). Also, the crowd that night sounds pretty lame (Sledge even asks them if they have ever heard "Run Rudy Run" before), but The Toasters make the best of it.

Since this was 2002, the band was road testing tunes in support of Enemy of the System ("Sitting on Top of the World" and "Modern World America") that sound good and the rest of the set list is made of up of a string of hits: "Shocker," "Shebeen," "Mona," "Run Rudy Run," "I'm Running Right Through the World," and one of my all-time favorites, the first Gulf War-era "Ploughshares into Guns." Trombonist Buford O'Sullivan even squeezes in his drinker's lament, "Can I Get Another?"

The CD packaging is pretty sad--mostly pictures of the skanky interior of CBGBs and a tribute to Hilly Kristal by Handsome Dick Manitoba of The Dictators--nothing about The Toasters (this recording is part of a series of live performances at CBs by various bands, so the label is saving some cash on the booklet and tray card). Also, a major complaint: the CD ends before the last song is finished; it simply fades out before they are done. Not cool.

All in all, this is not an essential Toasters recording to own, but it sounds like it was a fun night to see 'em. Obviously it's a must for Toasters completists; and if they never tour near where you live, it's the next best thing to being there. Just turn the stereo up loud. (B/B+)