Saturday, October 25, 2008

A History of Ska (and a great ska sampler!)

For those of you who don' t know ska music, (or for those of you who would like to learn a little bit more about it), here are some useful links that can teach you about the history of ska.
Here's my brief history:
Ska originated in Jamaica during the 1950s, the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of American Jazz and blues, and Caribbean calypso. It was, for the first time, music that Jamaicans could call their own. This music spread throughout the world, and became popular in Britain, sparking the 2-tone movement of the late 70s and early 80s, characterized by bands like the Specials, Madness, and the Selecter. Ska soon spread throughout the world, and the "third wave" of ska began. It began mostly in America, with bands like the Toasters, Operation Ivy, and Bim Skala Bim in the 1980s. The third wave continued into the 1990s, with bands like Reel Big Fish, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goldfinger, No Doubt, and Sublime.
Read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska

For a brief video history watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AesId12OKsY

or watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtyhRzHEV-Q
(its not that great, but what do expect from a mainstream TV show?)

and finally:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzpVZlTOjAs
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXYZ_Lmepq4

Now, if you like what you saw and read, check out this torrent.
It's a good start, but a little imbalanced as far as the third wave goes, but it's a good place for the beginning ska listener!

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