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Ska Radio
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One of the earliest and most important ska revivalist groups, Birmingham's the Beat formed in 1978 (the band had to change their name to the English Beat in the U.S. to avoid confusion with Paul Collins' band of the same name). The multiracial band carved a distinct sound through the use of alternating lead vocals by guitarist Dave Wakeling and punk-toaster/rapper Ranking Roger, supported by a tight band consisting of Andy Cox (guitar), Dave Steel (bass), and Everett Moreton (drums). The addition of 50-year-old saxophonist Saxa, who originally played with Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker, gave the band credibility and fleshed out its sound. An opening spot for the Selecter led to the band's signing to 2-Tone, where they released the hit single "Tears of a Clown," a wonderful version of the Smokey Robinson classic. In 1980, the band decided to form their own 2-Tone-inspired label, Go-Feet (distributed by Arista). A string of hit singles followed in the U.K., including "Mirror in the Bathroom." Their debut LP, I Just Can't Stop It, combined the early hits with other pop/ska-oriented material. "Stand Down Margaret," with its anti-Thatcher stance, found the band moving in a more political direction, leading to several benefit gigs for "radical" causes. Musically, the Beat slowed down the tempo for a more traditional reggae sound showcased on 1981's Wha'ppen. This direction failed to bring the chart success of its predecessor. Featuring a more pop-oriented approach, 1982's Special Beat Service helped the band increase its U.S. fan base through MTV exposure of "Save It for Later" and "I Confess," but the band members decided to call it quits later that same year. Wakeling and Ranking Roger went on to form General Public, and Cox and Steel formed Fine Young Cannibals. � Chris Woodstra
Special Beat is a band put together in the early '90s by ex-members of the Specials and the English Beat, headed by Beat toaster Ranking Roger; former Fine Young Cannibals trumpeter Graham Hamilton is also present. The group's raison d'�tre seems to be mounting tours with a featured repertoire of Specials/English Beat classics � and they have met with considerable road success in England and Japan. Their recordings � all live, all quite similar � include 1992's Live, 1994's Live In Japan, and 1998's Gangsters. � Steve Huey | |
 
Despite being the band that got the least press during the ska revival of the early '80s, the Selecter, while only recording one undeniably fine record, deserved better than they got. Hailing from Coventry, England, the same hometown as ska pals the Specials, the Selecter's secret weapon was lead singer Pauline Black, arguably the best lead singer of the ska revival, who gave the jumpy and jittery songs an edge that veered into haunting drama. Although they got off to a roaring start with their debut record, 1980's Too Much Pressure, the second record, Celebrate the Bullet, was a strained follow-up that led to the band's rapid demise. Black spent some time singing solo and eventually re-joined guitarist Neol Davis in a Selecter reunion in the early '90s that has seen them become dance club favorites. | |
 The band Bad Manners was formed in UK in the year of 1979. This year was dominated by, what is called the second wave of ska (2-Tone), and where bands such as The Specials and Madness were dominating the charts. Bad Manners was influenced by these 2-Tone contemporaries, but unlike them, the band stayed faithful to ska through out the second and third wave of ska! | |
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"wow this site is awesome.....i`ve never learned so much about the music i listen to in my life..... if you`re really into ska....this is the place to go....it`s got like everything you wanna know..... awesome ska bands that i haven`t even hear of before... lots of concert dates...... and don`t forget to sign the guest book..... it all boils down to thins..... if you are a great ska fan like i myself am....then u gotta at least know sumtin about the music that you listen to.....so i encourage you to go to this site.... cuz you`ll gain a lot from it... oh yeah..... if ya like ska and ska core...... then here are sum bands to listen to... less than jake, the planet smashers, the kiltlifters, reel big fish, the mad caddies, me first and the gimme gimmes, who else is there??......umm straight outta ontario... the 4:20 club..... umm yeah so check these bands out if ya can...see them live...cuz skankers put on the best show......yeah to ska........we love it......the site is great....and keep it up people..... artman..." Comment by: Arthur Ostrowski | |
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Reflection on the last few great years at KXCR! The Ska Show got it's begining in the spring of 1994. Ska was slightly played on the Reggae Show "The Punky Reggae Party". It got it's big pull when the show Stepping Out went off the air for a few months. After about a year its really became an instant success. It ceased been part of the Reggae show. You could tune in an listen to ska and punk from 8 to midnight: Sunday was made for skanking. Telephone calls went none stop with requests, dedications, and shout outs. It has been the number one show at KXCR ever since. The show was moved to Saturday to create an alternative block. All day Saturday you could tune in to a wide diversity of music. Several show were created to include Hip Hop, Techno, Alternative, and of course ska & punk. For the last three years it became the place for local bands to come and get interviewed and have their music played. With so much aloted time, we were able to include local music with our own ska and punk. We had a great turn out, that we were able to create together our own (2 CD set) compliation CD from the local bands. We were able to create another compilation CD the following year.   We also had the opportunity to interview many national and international bands, such as:Public Service, The Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Slackers, Musturd Plug, The Ataris, Lawrence Arms, Skankin' Pickle, Assorted Jellybeans, The Murder City Devils, Citizen Fish, Neville Staples, Dave Wakeling, The Teen Idols, and a lot many more. Due to our ability to pull bands together, we did two benefit shows which helped bring in some necessary funds. We have also been able to promote several shows with national bands such as: The Slackers(twice), Bongzilla, Conviction, Firme, etc. But unfortunately, KXCR is a public radio station and was unable raise enough funds to keep it on the air. Several show have been cancelled, but I have been fortunate enough to be given 2 hours of air time for the next two months. The Ska show will cease airing ska and punk music this coming December. Thanks to everyone for the 8 wonderful years! Even though we will be off the air, We are still broadcasting ska, punk, and reggae on the web. It is not as much fun as live radio but it is still a lot of fun hearing from people form all over the world. I am hoping for a miracle, for another local radio station to pick us up. It would add a great number of new listeners to their station. Plus it would give a lot of the local bands a place to play their music. Thanks, Augustus | |
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