The original version of this is a bombastic theme tune for a 1961 film – as you might guess, that film is called ‘The Guns Of Navarone’.
This ska version is much more fun!
The horns are slower and more triumphant, and the classic ska bounce turns it into a dance song!
The Skatalites were a Jamaican band, but this song went over strongly in the UK, and reached number 36 in the chart. It’s brilliant first wave ska at its best.
It was covered again by the Specials in 1980, but The Skatalites’ version was released in 1965, four years after the film.