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Posts Tagged Ska

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June 13, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Specials: Encore

The Specials  Encore UMC (Universal Music Catalog).  The three remaining Specials are here – Terry Hall (vocals), Horace Panter (bass), Lynval Golding (vocals/guitar) – which means this is The Specials. But there were more original members of the band around and present for the reunion of 10+ years ago and all the live albums and bits and pieces that have […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Bonus, Brexit, Deluxe, Encore, England, Horace Panter, Live, Lynval Golding, Saffiyah Khan, Ska, Terry Hall, The Specials, The Specials: Encore, UK, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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December 5, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 108: Bad Brains– “I Against I”

Of all the albums in this challenge I just feel nothing really about I Against I. I didn’t hate it and I’m not sure I rate it – I’m glad I heard it I spose, so there’s that. And I’ve played it through a few times now to try to hook into something more – […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums Challenge, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1980s, 1986, 80s, Bad Brains, Bad Brains– “I Against I”, Eighties, Hardcore, I Against I, Punk, Reggae, Ska, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 108, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 108: Bad Brains– “I Against I” ·

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October 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 92: Madness – “The Rise & Fall”

It was probably The Young Ones that introduced me to Madness – and madness! And when I watched them, the first few times, I was a (very) young one and I thought it was one big long series of 12 eps, not two separate sets of six eps each. So I was impressed that Madness […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums Challenge, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1980s, 1982, Brit, British, Complete Madness, Divine Madness, Eighties, Madness, Madness “The Rise & Fall ”, Our House, Ska, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 92:, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 92: – Madness “The Rise & Fall ”, The Rise & Fall, The Young Ones, UK, Young Ones ·

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January 29, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 196 Ska

I think it was the killer basslines that hooked me in and the attitude as much as anything. When I first moved to Wellington in 1980 I guess I was still writing folk songs. Louise and I had found work at the Art Centre and I felt under pressure to write. That first Specials album […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #196, Dexys, Dub, England, Fishing, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, https://offthetracks.co.nz/gig-review-the-selecter-wgtn/, Idiot Sun, Jon Mcleary, post-punk, Reggae, Ska, Specials, Spines, The Beat, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 196 Ska, The Selecter, The Specials, The Spines, UK, War Stories # 196, War Stories by Jon McLeary ·

Archive

January 25, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Gig Review: The Selecter & The Beat (January 25; Wgtn)

The Selecter & The Beat Opera House Thursday, January 25 Two tones of 2-tone bands on the one bill and it seems The Beat and The Selecter take it in turns to headline; Pauline Black bounds onto the stage, her energy palpable instantly. It’s The Selecter’s turn to start the night, it’s hot and the […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 2-Tone, 80s, Arthur "Gaps" Hendrickson, Britain, England, Gig, Gig Review, Gig Review: The Selecter & The Beat (January 25; Wgtn), I'll Be Your Mirror, James Bond, January, January 25, Live, Live Gig, Live Music, Pauline Black, Pressure Drop, Punk, Ranking Junior, Ranking Roger, Reggae, Review, Rocksteady, Ska, The Beat, The English Beat, The Opera House, The Selecter, Thursday, Too Much Pressure, UK, Wellington, WellingtonW ·

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January 24, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Selecter: Daylight

The Selecter Daylight DMF Music The Selecter will always be remembered for its part in the UK ska/reggae/punk explosion across the late 1970s/early 1980s, its debut remains a classic. And there is much to praise about this band – now multi-generational (in band make-up and audience) as well as multicultural and featuring a strong female […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Britain, Daylight, DMF Music, England, Gaps Hendrickson, Pauline Black, PressPatron, Ska, The Selecter, The Selecter: Daylight, Too Much Pressure, UK ·

Archive

January 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

Bad Manners: NZ Tour 2018

Ska Legends BAD MANNERS bring their non-stop party back down under for a Greatest Hits Tour! Get your Tickets Now Fronted by the larger than life Buster Bloodvessel,  BAD MANNERS setlist is all chock-a-block full of bouncy ska toons – ‘Lip Up Fatty’, ‘Special Brew’, ‘Just A Feeling’, ‘Skinhead Love Affair’, ‘My Girl Lollipop’, ‘Inner London Violence’, ‘Walking In The Sunshine’, ‘Lorraine’ and of course the […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged BAD MANNERS, Bad Manners: NZ Tour 2018, NZ Tour, PR, Promo, Ska, Tour Announcement ·

Archive

October 8, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary #182 In Your Wound

It hurts to laugh and hurts to cry Nearly sixty years on the planet and this is the first time I’ve ever needed to be in hospital for my own health I did spend months in Dunedin Central at my son’s bedside when he was in a halo so I am quite familiar with the […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged # 182, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hpspital, In Your Wound, Jon, Jon Mcleary, Pancreas, Reggae, Ska, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary #182, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary #182 In Your Wound, The Ghost of Electriciy, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Wellington, Wgtn ·

Archive

July 15, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 856

The Specials, A Message To You Rudy [Single] (1979) Geez I love The Specials – well, I love the first couple of records. You know they have to be one of my favourite bands that I hardly own anything by…one day I’ll get around to getting that classic first album on vinyl (I have the […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 2-Tone, 7, A Message To You Rudy, EP, LP, Nite Klub, Punk, Single, Singles, Ska, The Specials, The Vinyl Countdown # 856, Two-Tone, Vinyl ·

Archive

December 7, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

Gig Review: The Skatalites (Dec 6, Wgtn)

The Skatalites Bodega Saturday, December 6 Billed as the 50th Anniversary tour – for indeed a band called The Skatalites started recording and performing music back in 1964 – this was one of those situations where you could cynically talk about the band being a cover act, a tribute version of itself; one original member […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 50th Anniversary, Bodega, December 6, Doreen Shaffer, Gig Review, Jamaica, Rocksteady, Ska, The Skatalites, Wellington ·

Archive

August 28, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

The Skatalites: NZ Tour (December)

Jamaican institution The Skatalites are marking an incredible 50 years as a band with an anniversary tour that includes three NZ dates in December of this year. Formed in 1964 the band’s been through plenty of line-up changes, break-ups, reformations and reunions but retains founding member vocalist Doreen Shaffer – aka The Queen of Jamaican Ska. Should […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 50th Anniversary, December 2014, Doreen Shaffer, Jamaica, NZ Tour, Ska, The Skatalites ·

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