The original version of this is a bombastic theme tune for a 1961 film – as you might guess, that film is called ‘The Guns…
Ska
25/10/2020: “Time Bomb” by Rancid
Rancid stem from the earlier ska-punk outfit Operation Ivy. There probably aren’t many bands who had the same influence on the trajectory of punk rock…
25/10/2019: “Swan Lake” by Madness
The more refined among you may be aware that ‘Swan Lake’ was not originally composed by Madness. That honour goes to some bloke called Tchaikovsky,…
20/03/2019: “I’m In The Mood For Love” by Lord Tanamo
This song is also called “I’m In The Mood For Ska”. That’s because it’s a Ska cover of the original classic, which was written in…
17/03/2019: “Bella Donna” by Doe Maar
Doe Maar are a Dutch pop band, who draw their musical influences from Ska and Punk. They were actually one of the most successful Dutch…
31/07/2018: “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker
“Israelites” was originally released in 1968, becoming the first reggae song to hit number one in the U.K. That version is a classic reggae/rocksteady song,…
13/07/2018: “Just A Girl” by No Doubt
Gwen Stefani has one of the coolest voices on the planet. And she was distinctive, although by no means alone, by being a female singer…
07/07/2018: “Superman” by Goldfinger
The post on Madness mentions the 3 major waves, or generations, of Ska. This is from the 3rd wave. “Superman” is in many ways the…
15/06/2018: “One Step Beyond” by Madness
The original Jamaican Ska is great stuff, albeit often pretty rough round the edges. It was an important movement that laid the foundation for reggae…