Ska 154 Items

Lovers rock legend returns with two brand new vintage style tunes produced by MITCH "KING KONG" GIRO. "GIRL WHO CRIED" is a rootsy midtempo rocksteady jam with true lovers flava, the flip "I DON'T WANT ANYBODY BUT YOU" is a fantastic ska groover.

"Skinhead Moonstomp Revisited" is a new recording of the classic album with Roy Ellis.

New single by Nagoya based SKA band THE Rude Pressures, who are set to perform at Fuji Rock Festival '24! The Rude Pressures, a Nagoya-based SKA band active since 1990, will release their first new single in four years, a collaborative single featuring Japan's proud Rock Steady singer Takako (The Drops /ex Dreamlets ). Takako's own bittersweet original tune and a cover of "You And Me" by Penny & The Quarters, an insert song from the movie "Blue Valentine" starring Ryan Gosling. The arrangement is a superb Lovers Rock Steady that makes the most of her unique style.

Original album + live. 2 x 140g Crystal Clear / 2 x Printed Inner Sleeves / Gatefold LP Jacket / RSD Sticker

The Carmines are back with their 3rd full length album "Work Harder Not Smarter"! The band may have matured over the last decade, but the sound is the same and the melodies are here to stay! Staying true to their roots, they pump out 10 new songs, recorded and mixed all analog by Pete Mattern at Horsetown Recording Company, that really capture the sound and spirit of early ‘90s Lookout! Records! Limited to 200 copies on blue-ish/green-ish vinyl

Nice repress of these classic tunes.

Brand new album from all-star Denver band, 10 tracks of top-shelf ska-jazz instrumentals for fans of THE SKATALTES or modern acts like NEW YORK SKA JAZZ ENSEMBLE. Tracks range from BLUE NOTE flavored rock steady to uptempo scorching ska with a 2-TONE feel. A truly wonderful listen.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.Side A : Never Released. Early Ska Vocal.1961 Recording At Federal Studio. Unknown Duke Reid's Duo Artist. Side B : Recoding At Federal Studio 1961. Great Ska Instrumental. This One Was Recording Before "You're So Delightful" By Skatalites In Jamaica.

Side A : Unreleased Great Rock Steady Vocal. Recording In Duke Reid Studio 1966. Side B : Unreleased. Great Rock Steady Instrumental. Recording In Duke Reid Studio 1966.

A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

First time on vinyl for this 2007 classic from Washington DC ska reggae soul legends. Includes fan favorites "don't Wanna Know", "keep ON Lyin'", "late Night Call", "change MY Ways" and their TOM Petty cover of "listen TO HER Heart". White vinyl limited to 300 copies.

Debut Epitaph/Hellcat release for the pietasters. Produced by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion/Epitaph Records. Peaked at #44 on 10/25/1997

First time on vinyl for classic 1995 album from long running New York ska act, originally released by Moon NYC. Inc the band's biggest hits "william Shatner" & "nude Beach". Traditional big band ska with the zest of 2-Tone, with Victor Rice and Buford O'sullivan (easy Star). Blue vinyl.

Side A: 1969 Recordind Duke Reid's Studio. Unreleased. Great Harmony And Killer Early Reggae Vocal. Side B: 1969 Never Released at 1969. Wicked Early Reggae Vocal. A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

First time on vinyl for 1999 ska reggae classic originally released on Moon NYC. St Louis' darlings blended soul, neo-traditonal ska & rock steady into a wonderful mix that truly shows on this sophomore album. Inc fan faves "hold ME Tight" and "strikeout Summer". Heavyweight green vinyl.

a Sino/Japanese twist.

In the early 1960s Justin Yap and his brother Ivan [aka ‘Jahu’] ran the Top Deck sound system from their family’s ice cream parlour and restaurant in Barbican, Kingston. The local success of the sound system encouraged them to venture into the recording business, and by 1962 Justin had recorded singers Larry Marshall, Ephraim ‘Joe’ Henry and Ferdie Nelson. The fledgling label enjoyed a modest local Jamaican hit in 1963, with trumpeter Baba Brooks and the Trenton Spence Orchestra's “Distant Drums” issued on Top Deck Records as the b-side to Larry Marshall’s hit “Too Young To Love”. As a fan of exotica composer Martin Denny, Justin had heard “Jungle Drums” on Denny’s 1959 LP “Afro-Desia”. His liking for Martin Denny would prove fruitful later, when Justin recorded the Skatalites in a mammoth all-night session in 1964 at Clement Dodd’s Studio One on Brentford Road.

By 1963-1964, hundreds of ska tracks were being recorded by Clement Dodd, Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid, Vincent Edwards, Vincent Chin, Leslie Kong and Prince Buster and others. Justin had linked up with Allen ‘Bim Bim’ Scott, a friend of Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd, owner of the Studio One label who had already recorded the musicians who became the Skatalites.

Justin and Ivan organised a session in November 1964 at Studio One; it lasted 18 hours. The length of the session allowed for alternate takes to be recorded, but the highlights of the sessions were the five original compositions by Don Drummond – “Marcus Junior”, “The Reburial”, “Confucious”, “Chinatown” and “Smiling”. The first two are in tribute to the Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey; “The Reburial” refers to the occasion of his interment in Jamaica in 1964, his remains having been brought from the cemetery in Kensal Green London, where he was originally buried in 1940, and reburied in King George VI Memorial Park Kingston [later renamed National Heroes Park].

Along with these originals were some well-chosen cover versions. Two came from the Duke Ellington songbook: “Ska-Ra-Van” is of course Ellington and his trombonist Juan Tizol’s classic composition “Caravan”, while “Surftide Seven” is Ellington’s “In A Mellotone”. The LP title track “Ska-Boo-Da-Ba” is a version of Bill Doggett’s 1958 “King” US 45 “Boo-Da-Ba”. “Ringo” had also appeared on Arthur Lyman’s “Taboo” LP [1958] as “Ringo Oiwake”. Originally it was sung by Hibari Misora – a very famous vocal song in Japan, recorded in 1952, the melody composed by Masao Yoneyama. Yet another tune copped from Lyman’s “Taboo” LP is “China Clipper”, composed by the pianist / arranger / orchestrator Paul Conrad.

The last track on this fine LP is “Lawless Street”, a feature for Roland Alphonso. Unlike the other Skatalites, Roland wasn’t a graduate of the celebrated Alpha School, like many of Jamaica’s top musicians from Bertie King to Yellowman. Alphonso was a graduate of Boys Town School in Denham Town. “Lawless Street” was another tune that was recorded twice at the session – the second version features vocal ‘peps’ and exhortations by DJ King Sporty.

By late 1966, Justin emigrated to the USA, settling permanently in New York. There he took up US citizenship and was called up to serve in the US Army in Vietnam, In the early 1970s he worked in computers and eventually drove a New York cab. In his all too brief involvement in the competitive Jamaican music business he certainly left his mark as a producer. He produced some of the best ska ever made, and the LP reissued here is perhaps the most coherent LP in that genre, deriving as it does from a single session.

The celebrated record producer at Randy’s Studio, Clive Chin:

“It wasn’t the fact that they [the musicians] really love Justin; it was the fact that Justin used to pay them the right money and make them comfortable. Make sure them have them smoke, them food, them drink, and after them finish they got paid.” Unlike many other producers, Justin actually attended the sessions.

It stands as his defining legacy in Jamaican music history.

Jamaica's ska originators celebrate their 60th anniversary with two new songs on a limited edition 45! Both tracks are midtempo ska groovers, with cool lyrics and hot horns. Beautiful old skool label art designed by Chema Skandal, big hole black vinyl DJ friendly press of 1000 copies. (

Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down is the seventh studio album by The Toasters. It has a much more mature sound than their previous albums and wasn't as solely focused on one genre (2-Tone) as their other albums before it had been. The album's cover includes the supposed-Latin motto, "Illegitimis non carborundum", which is supposed to mean "one must not be ground down by the bastards", although it is largely faux-Latin, with "carborundum" (intended to look like a Latin gerundive) actually referring to silicon carbide, a type of abrasive.

Vinyl reissue of third wave ska classic from 1994, originally released on Moon Ska NYC. At the time of release, the ska scene was on the verge of breaking into the mainstream. Excitement electrified the air. No album captured the sheer exuberance of this time like Dub 56. From the opening note to the closing refrain 14 tracks later, the listener is drawn into a party that just doesn't want to end - the band play like they're standing in front of an ecstatic hometown crowd. Highlights include "Mona" with it's irrepressible melody and swing, Skatalite Lester Sterling on "Dancin'" and "Marlboro Man," "Midnight Hour" shows just how much fun you can have with a soul classic, and of course title track with the toasing skills of Coolie Ranx. Essential Third Wave Ska album.

One More Bullet is the ninth studio album from the ska band The Toasters. Released in 2007, the album was the first Toasters release on Stomp Records. It was their second album not to be released on Moon Ska Records (excluding early records); as that label became defunct in 2000.

The US ska-heroes captured live in a German studio, during a couple of days off from their 2023 European tour. 'Men In Underwear' contains impromptu live versions of 11 popular Toasters tunes!

Italian Jamaican boogie, calypso & ska trio return with a brand new album. Ten tracks including wonderful versions of "got MY Mojo WORKING","L-O-V-E', "buona Sera", "that's Amore", "down IN Mexico" plus the title track. Back in print on random color heavyweight vinyl.

Italian Jamaican rhythm & blues trio release first holiday 45 on colored vinyl. Lead by the charismatic MR T BONE, THE UPPERTONES have taken the world by storm with their distinct pre-ska vibe. LOUIS PRIMIA'S classic never sounded better, flip "RUDOLF THE RED NOSED REINDEER" in mento style!

Originally released in 1987, this album is considered by many to be the birth of modern "third wave" ska in the USA. Remastered audio with "new" artwork that includes illustrations by legendary comic book artist BOB FINGERMAN.

Side A : 1968 Recording. Never Released. Wicked Winston Wright Playing Organ Rock Steady Instrumental. Side B : 1968 Released. Great Rock Steady Vocal By Bobby Davis Lead Singer. A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

Killer early reggae vocal tune and an funky instrumental Reggae cut. TIP! A premium series of limited edition Japanese pressed 7"s - featuring unreleased and impossibly hard to find gems from the Duke Reid archives.

Coxsone’s Music is a stunning new 3-CD/two separate double LP (+ free download) collection featuring over two and half hours of early Jamaican proto-ska, rhythm and blues, jazz, rastafari and gospel music – charting the earliest recordings produced by Clement Dodd, in the years before he launched the mighty Studio One Records, brought together here for the first time ever.
Clement Dodd’s Sir Coxsone The Downbeat Soundsystem ruled Kingston’s dancehalls during this era and these recordings strongly reflect the influences of American rhythm and blues and jump jazz on Jamaican music fans.
By the time the new record company formed in Brentford Road, Kingston in 1963, the young Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd had already managed to release an incredible wealth of recordings by the talented musicians and artists on the island of Jamaica and this collection reflects just that:
Featuring Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Harriott, Owen Gray, Clancy Eccles, Count Ossie, Monty Alexander, The Blues Busters, Ernest Ranglin, Rico Rodriguez and many, many more all captured here in their formative early years.
Before Studio One, Clement Dodd released this music on a variety of his early record labels such as Worldisc, All Stars, Coxsone, D Darling (named after Coxsone’s mother, who received a production credit on the label), Muzik City (named after Dodd’s record store on East Queen’s Street), Port O Jam, Supreme and Sensational.
Sleevenotes to this collection are by Studio One authority Rob Chapman, author of the Never Grow Old and Downbeat Special books cataloguing the many recordings of the label.

Here is the much anticipated volume 4 of the HOT SAUCE compilation LPs dedicated to the Trojan related UK labels between 1965 and 1975.
HOT SAUCE VOLUME 4 features outstanding original Rock Steady, Boss Reggae and early Reggae (“Reggay”) tracks including rare songs, overlooked gems, hidden treasures and a couple of hits.
The record labels showcased on this fourth volume are Amalgamated, Big Shot, Duke, Explosion, Grape, High Note , JJ Records, Treasure Isle and Trojan.
The tracks here have been selected according to their musical interest firstly, their rarity, and their complementarity.

Death Is Not The End together all three LP volumes of the critically acclaimed If I Had a Pair of Wings LP compilation series for a bundled edition.
"...all of the music on this compilation is the result of the forward-thinking artists and producers that realised the worth of local Jamaican artistry during a time when the island's leading political figures had not yet managed to throw off the colonial yolk. These are sounds with a certain innocence and the optimistic promise of better to come, with the influence of American pop ballads and doo-wop looming large, yet already pointing to the innovations of the future. Listen keenly and take in the sounds of the Jamaican music industry at its very beginnings, its singers and players drawing from the popular styles of the island's larger neighbour and already changing those styles into something their own." - David Katz
Lauren Laverne's comp of the week on BBC Radio 6 Music w/c 11th Jan.
Guardian feature: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/12/a-thousand-teardrops-how-doo-wop-kickstarted-jamaica-pop-revolution-reggae-rocksteady

UK ska/reggae charity collection tributes the crooner RAT PACK style, inc FRANK SINATRA & TONY BENNETT songs! Ten trax from RUDE GIRL REVUE, CRAZY BALDEAD w/JESSE from THE AGGROLITES, KING DJANGO, SPECIAL BREW, SKAPONES, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, MR KINGPIN and many more. Generic white sleeve.

In the 1950s, Jamaican dancehall regulars were crazy about the haunting sounds of American Rhythm & Blues. But in the mid-1950s, Rock 'n' Roll began to replace RnB in America, and Jamaican dancehall owners like Duke Reid and Clement Dodd turned to local musicians to record their own versions of American RnB. The trend of covering foreign hits exploded during the Ska heyday of the early 60s and continued through the Rocksteady and Reggay eras. Jamaican musicians have covered virtually every genre of music, from jazz and rock to film scores, television soundtracks, pop, classical music and more. Over the years, they have also recorded many "versions" of already existing covers. Cover of cover of cover… Admittedly, some of these covers were futile but many were sublime as this new and eclectic collection of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggay nuggets, compiled by the very competent and very charming D.J. Héléa, brilliantly demonstrates. Attention we are here "undercover", there are no well-known covers. Some of the tracks selected are rare, others unknown or forgotten - but all are excellent and blended in an impeccable mix, in line with previous the Harlem Shuffle compilations... All Killer, No Filler! Reggay Undercover is an exciting musical kaleidoscope of Jamaican and Reggae music from the early 60s through to the mid 70s. We hope you will enjoy listening to this album as much as we had composing it for you. All aboard for Reggay Undercover!

Record Store Day 2023 limited run of 650 copies.
During the final two years of the original Jamaican ska era, producer Arthur ‘Duke’ Reid released arguably his finest works in the genre. The popularity of his work from this time is reflected in the high demand for his productions from this period, with most of the 7” singles he issued between 1965 and 66 now fetching three figure sums on the collectors market. ‘Ska La-Rama’ brings together 14 of the Duke’s most elusive works from this golden era, with half of the tracks on the album appearing on vinyl for the very first time. Among those that have previously seen issue are a number of recordings widely regarded as being among the finest ska productions of the period, notably, the title track, ‘True Confession’ and the hugely collectable ‘Renegade’ by the Zodiacs. Pressed on Colored Vinyl and boasting an insert featuring a fascinating essay on the recordings by esteemed music historian Tony Rounce, this limited edition collection album comes housed in a stylish, retro-style sleeve, which captures the exciting spirit of the original ska era. An essential addition to the collection of any self-respecting fan of ska and Duke Reid’s inimitable sound.

Studio One Freedom Sounds is the new collection from Soul Jazz/ Studio One focussing on the intense period in the second half of the 1960s when Studio One’s vast and unbeatable output of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae made it literally one of the hottest musical empires in the world.
During this highly successful period, Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd released hundreds and hundreds of superlative singles seemingly on an almost daily basis, in the process making huge stars out of Jamaican singers such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, The Wailers, Slim Smith, Jackie Opel and many more.
Powered by the finest in-house musicians working in Jamaica, whether it was The Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo’s Soul Brothers, The Sounds Dimension or The Soul Vendors, Studio One functioned as hit factory on the scale of Motown in the USA, shaping and defining reggae music for decades to come.
Singlehandedly Studio One’s founder Clement Dodd was able to create the most successful vertically-integrated record company that Jamaica had ever known with pressing plant, printers, studio, shops, and sound systems all running at once, with over 50 employees and hundreds of artists working with Studio One during this time.
Studio One Freedom Sounds tells the story of Studio One in the 1960s with a stunning set of ska, soul, rock steady and reggae killer tunes as well as informative sleevenotes and track-by-track info by Noel Hawks. The album is released as heavyweight double vinyl (+ free download code), deluxe CD and digital album.

Soul Jazz Records’ new journey into the mighty vaults of Clement Dodd’s Studio One steps once more into the fertile
musical environment of Jamaican music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, from the sweet harmony vocals of
seminal 1960s Rocksteady right up to the nascent birth of Reggae and Roots music at the start of the 1970s.
Sleevenotes to this album are by Steve Barrow, author of ‘Rough Guide to Reggae’ as well as Soul Jazz Records’ own
‘Reggae Soundsystem Cover Art’ books.
While Ska at the start of the 1960s had taken American Rhythm and Blues as its main influence, Rocksteady focused
on the emergence of American Soul music – with Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, John Holt &
The Paragons, Carlton & The Shoes showing a particular fascination with the close harmonies of Curtis Mayfield and
The Impressions and other US Soul acts. Here The Heptones even feature with a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘I Shall Be
Released’.
The influence of Soul music on Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae is almost palpable, so much so that one wonders
how much more successful singers like Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, Slim Smith and John Holt would have been had
they been born in Chicago, Detroit or Memphis.
Artists such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson and Owen Gray defined the era – a slowed down beat as Jamaican political
and social heat slowly increased when the 1960s progressed into the start of the 1970s – and the music evolved
further from Rocksteady into Roots Reggae.

A blistering collection of ska tunes from Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, Jamaica's foundation label of reggae music. Featuring classic cuts from the originators of Ska - The Skatalites, The Wailers, Lee Perry - alongside a heavy dose of superb rarities from the might vaults of 13 Brentford Road - pure Ska Fever !

Jump UP and Detroit producer Eric "super Tiger" Mazurak create a twelve trax rots reggae sampler with vinyl exclusives from John Bunkley (gangster Fun), Gain Stages, JAH Ques, Leaving Lifted, Rachael Stokes (the Tellways), plus Jade Tremba of Rude Girl Revue & Scotch Bonnets. White wax ltd 250 copies.

This album here is a lightning roller coaster musical journey through the music of Studio One, the most important record company in the history of Jamaican reggae music. Ska and Rock Steady feature from the greatest names in reggae: The Skatalites, The Maytals, Marcia Griffiths and The Heptones alongside vocal and roots styles from Horace Andy, Willie Williams and Wailing Souls; DJ and dancehall styles from Michigan and Smiley, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger; plus some wicked instrumental and dub. It's all here! 100% essential foundation style.

Catbite, WE ARE THE Union, Kill Lincoln & More Combine FOR A Modern DAY “dance Craze” Showcasing THE Current State OF SKA 2xLP Gatefold With 11x17 Poster on Doublemint Green Vinyl Recorded live across the 24 dates of the 2023 Bad Time Records tour, “this IS NEW Tone” captures the energy and diversity of the modern ska punk scene through 24 brilliant tracks from some of the genres best and brightest bands. With Catbite, We Are The Union, and Kill Lincoln highlighted as the tour headliners, you get a taste for what makes each of these bands so special live... the songs have a unique energy, you can feel the crowd responding, and it’s easy to imagine being packed into a club somewhere across the country sweating it out to your new favorite bands. Joined by fellow label mates BAD Operation, J. Navarro & The Traitors (Jay of The Suicide Machines), JER, Omnigone, Eichlers, The Pomps, Joystick, and Thirsty Guys, each of the bands contributes their unique brand of ska and punk to this jam packed celebration of one of the best live genres in music. With the help of engineer / mixer Rick Johnson (Mustard Plug, Jeff Rosenstock), the album captures the raw experience of being at the club while also maintaining a high audio fidelity in order to truly document these bands properly. The record also accompanies a live concert film / documentary of the same name which will premiere in Spring 2024. If you’re looking for evidence that ska is still alive and thriving, look no further than “this IS NEW Tone”.

Attention all California 17 band ska collection on random color vinyl, includes Half Past TWO, Left Alone, Goodwin Club, Bite ME Bambi, THE Step Daughters, Monkey, Hooray FOR OUR Side, Gabriela Penka, Codename Rocky Tunnel Vision, DAY Labor, Ghetto ON Phyre, Noise Compliant, Meddlers & more

Tel Aviv's world famous roots reggae & rocksteady band's latest album now on yellow vinyl! Darlings of BBC presenters DON Letts and David Rodigan, the band is once again set to hit the European reggae circuit in 2024. Ten tracks of lovers rock vibes with gorgeous three part harmonies.