The Liquidators [U.K.] - Prepare to be Ska'd (2002)

 

This is not The Liquidators that you know of. Not the California band or the French band. This band was from the U.K. - probably from Devon or the surrounding area. 

They performed with Neville Staples and The Selecter and had offers to open for Bad Manners, The Beat, and The Skatalites. They might have actually opened for those bands but there's little to go on to know for sure.

The band played a mix of covers and originals. This 4-track recording demonstrates a bit of both. 

The band was (in order on the photo):

Lee Shepherd - guitar

Steve Thorne - vocals

Giles Isaac - bass

Mark Robinson - drums

and the band even played with trumpet player Major Chris Willis from the band Too Hot but this recording has no horns. 

This incredible post is thanks to Rikard who recently sent this to me. I haven't posted anything in the last couple of weeks due to an excessive work schedule but this was so good I had to find time to get back to the blog for a few minutes. 

Thank you Rikard!

 

1 Rude Boys Bar

2 Gangsters

3 I can't Sleep

4 Liquid Dance

 

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Riot [France] - Riot (1993)

 

 I know nothing about this band. The tape says it's live but it doesn't really sound like a live recording and there is no audience noise.

Male and female vocals sung in English and French.

1 Sally Brown

2 Les Milchiens

3 Destroy Fascism

4 Mister Pile

5 Riot

 

toneandwave · 04 Mister Pile

 

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Beatbusters - "Wanted" Dead or Alive (1992)

1 It's Gonna Get You

2 Saxica

3 The Popular Man

4 Ska-Fire

5 Inspiration 

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La Infinita - Last Train to Paradise (2014)

 This was a band from Southern California and, yes, they do play some of that Sublime-style reggae-rock but only in a couple songs. They do play legitimate ska as well as reggae. 

The song "Don't Let Me Down" is a Beatles cover and it's awesome. 

 

1 Welcome

2 Midnight Train

3 Lost in Paradise

4 Rhythm of Your Body

5 Moonlight

6 Blue By You

7 Little Token

8 Cali Breeze

9 Good Times

10 Revolution

11 Don't Let Me Down

12 All the Girls

13 Dance with Me 

 

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va Pick It Up (2005)

 This is a short compilation of bands from Holland and the surrounding area.

It's rare that I can listen to a ska compilation all the way through without having to skip a track but this is one of those rarities. There are only nine songs here. There could have been 20 but then we might have had to skip a few. This way there is only the best songs from great bands with no filler.

In my opinion the song by Zwit is the top track.

Zwit has been playing since 1984 but it's really hard to find their music anywhere. I have a small collection of songs by them, most of which are live. If this band ever did any studio recordings please let me know. I would love to hear more of them.  

1 Stenchtown - Sail On

2 Ska-D-Lite - Skaramanga

3 Skapiche?! - Ska D-H-D

4 De Groeten van Henk en Bep - Lone Ranger

5 Ollie Q. & The Deep Six - Waking Up Dead 

6 Splendid - Straight Up

7 2nd Hand Sneakers - One Night Stand

8 Zwit - Lock You Up

9  Mensergerjen!et - Laat Maar

 

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Turned Around Turtles

 

REPOSTED BY REQUEST

 

 

 The Turned Around Turtles were an unsung band from Germany that started in 1989. They put out 1 full length album in 1992 called "Ask" (an anagram for "Ska", obviously) with all tracks being sung in English. They were able to release a 2-song 7" in 1993 before breaking up with core members going on to form the band Frau Doktor.

This 7" rip is my own but the LP was graciously donated to us by Rude Rich.

 The Turned Around Turtles - Ask (1992) 
1 Rocksteady Beat
2 Hope My Friends
3 Betty
4 If You Wanna
5 K.K.K.
6 Live for Today
7 Popkings
8 Zummernight
9 A Little Bit of Soap
10 The Promise
11 One Drink Too Many
12 Fat Man
13 General Truth
14 Rude Boy Reggae

The Turned Around Turtles - De Working Monkey 7" (1993)
A - De Working Monkey
B - Bahama Drama


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¡Gracious Rude Rich!

Skoidats - non-album tracks

 

 

This is a re-post deluxe. I got a request to re-post the two demo tapes so, instead of just posting the two demo tapes, I also included a live recording and a collection of songs recorded at practice sessions that were never recorded in a studio. 

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The Blue Collars - Sparks & Burns (1999)

 This band was from Tulsa, Oklahoma. This CD has nine Tracks and all songs are instrumental. 

They did have one other release that they put out in 1998 - a year before they put this out - and that release was a live recording that showed they were not an instrumental band. There were vocals in some songs. That recording can be heard HERE.

 

1 Mike the Reindeer

2 La Cocina

3 The Day the Catfish Died

4 El Cid

5 Ghengis Kkan

6 Tilingo Lingo

7 Dance of the Maniacal Fan Blades

8 Mike the Reindeer (alternate take)

9 untitled

 

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The Fabulous Bowler Boys - Word * Sound * Power (1994)

 Ska band from Texas who only ever released this tape.

(Posted by request)

1  Man on the Scene

2 The Upsetter

3 Jimmy Hate

4 Waiting Game

5 From Cairo with Love

6 Sally Brown

 

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Anton Johnson - Hey Baby 7'' (1981)

 I was reluctant to post this because it is already on YouTube - two different posters  - but this is my own rip and I think it sounds better that the YouTube videos.

A - Hey Baby

B - Ice Cream

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Go Bananas

 This was a ska band from Bavaria, Germany. Very little is known about them and the only reason I know they were from Bavaria is thanks to Burn Heart from In Search of the Ska. 

This image has nothing to do with the band itself, just a sticker I found on eBay.

There are four tracks I'm assuming I must have gotten from MySpace many years ago but I don't remember exactly. Sadly the quality sucks but that's all I got. Here they are in incredible 52 kbps. 

1 Gobwithchilli

2 Right Now Finish

3 Silency

4 Your Town

 

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Verska-Vis - Danse L'Espace (1992)

 

1 Go Out Anymore

2 Do the Dog

3 Qu'est-ce Qui ne Tourne pas Rond Chez Moi?

4 Give Her

5 Time Hard

6 Get Crazy

7 A Message to You Rudy

8 Cure the Redeem 

 

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Esperanza

 

This is a ska band from Glasgow, Scotland

 Esperanza - Permanent Ska (2011)

1 Screwface

2 Be Brave

3 No Zion I

4 Pontiac Skank

5 The Lesson

6 Headliner

7 Talk About It

8 Mr. Rude

9 T3

10 Allergy 

11 Troubled Lands

12 Where You Gonna Go?

 

 

 

 

 Esperanza - Back On Hope Street (2016)

1 Glimmer

2 2-Tone Ain't Dead

3  One Man Down

4 Between the Sheets

5 Forget It

6 Inevitable

7 Naysayers Delight

8 Sunday Morning

9 Always Gonna Wonder

10 All You Wanted

11 As Day Turns Into Night

12 Weirdo

 

 

 

 Esperanza - Better Late Than Never (2022)

1 Better Late Than Never

2 Welcome to the Shite Show

3 Waiting for Billie

4 Trouble

5 Jean

6 Nobody's Friend

7 PRW

8 Bored

9 G12

10 Safe

11 At Large

12 Skallabye

 

 

 

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Babayaga [Germany]

 Babayaga - Heiss (2008)

1 Summer Ska

2 Live Dabei

3 Nase Im Wind

4 Hardcore

5 Zieh ab

6 On ne Veut pas Arreter

7 Proberaum

8 Sandra

9 Babayaga

10 Rosen für Dich 

11 Sweet

 

 

 

Babayaga - Funky Drop (2010)

1 I am a Train

2 Mellow Mood

3 Funky Drop

4 Life Hustle

5 Mafia

6 You Better Go

7 Yesterday Night

8 Hippie

9 Sweet

10 Motherless Child

11 Dos Alemanes Muertos

12 Der Traurige Clown

13 Sommawaso

 

 

 

 Babayaga - Night Owl (2018)

1 Night Owl

2 Being a Bum

3 Mad Man

4 Fool's Gold

5 Do it Again

6 Trouble

7 Two Two Tango

8 Batman

9 Reggae Got Soul

10 Red Headed Woman

11 High and Low 

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T. Crookham and the Accidentals - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (1998)

  Incredible talent from these young guys from...somewhere...Ohio, I'm assuming (?). Songwriting, musicianship, stage presence. They had it all.

I'm pretty sure they had other recordings besides this and a 5-song demo tape from 1997 called "Rebel Music" (which I do not, and never have, had a copy of). but I'm not willing to bet money on it. There are a few live shows on YouTube:

Live at Bogart's Battle of the Bands - July 8th, 1997

 

Live at Fountain Square in Cincinnati, Ohio - July 2nd, 1998

 

They were the headliners of their own "festival" 'Crookhamstock' in 1999

 

1 Cincinnati, Here We Come

2 Can't Get Enough

3 Fear of a Vegan Planet

4 Alan Greenspan

5 Poolside

6 Princess

7 Russians at the Rodeo

8 R. K. G.

9 Rebellion Alter Ska: Solar System Remix

10 Lactose Intolerant

11 Ace of Ska

12 My Butler is a Rude Boy

13 Rockfort Ska

14 Power Station

 

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2nd Hand Sneakers / Son of Blob

 2nd Hand Sneakers - demo tape (2003)

1 One Night Stand

2 Nica's Dream

3 I'd Rather Stay In

4 Youth 

2nd Hand Sneakers was formed immediately after Son Of Blob broke up in 2003. This is possibly their only recording.

Let's take this back a bit. Son Of Blob was a Dutch ska band that formed in the mid 90s. They played De Melkweg in Amsterdam alongside bands like  Catchup Squad, Venus Hill and De Hardheid and shared the stage with The Slackers, The Toasters and The Selecter.

The known Son Of Blob line-up was:

Skippy - vocals
Michiel Leeuwenburgh - bass
Maurice Bierhuizen - guitar
Kris van der Heyden - drums
Hessel van der Flier - keyboard
Jeroen Mullié - trombone, trumpet
Lodewijk Reijs - alto sax, baritone sax

 

Son Of Blob had a music video for their most well-known song Rode Fiets (Red Bicycle) but the drummer in the video was  called Ron and he was one of the founding members of The Upsessions.

Some of you may remember a post I did in September 2023 about a blank cassette I had and I didn't know who the band was.

 As it turns out it was a demo tape by Son of Blob that they recorded after their new singer Nena joined the band. I thank aboynamedstew for steering me in the right direction which eventually solved this mystery.

I don't know what happened to their iconic lead man Skippy but it seems like people were used to the original lineup with Skippy at the helm and Nina was a hard sell. I don't know for sure that's what the situation was but that's my observations as an American 20 years after the fact.

Nina was the vocalist for the demo tape as well as for their only full-length. 

The band didn't break up after that, they just changed their name to 2nd Hand Sneakers with the intention of changing their sound to incorporate more mellow reggae sounds as well as aiming for a pop sound.

This post includes the 2nd Hand Sneakers demo as well as everything I have by Son Of Blob which is not complete. 

I do not have their full length The Hippest Cats in Skaville (2001)

 

I also don't have their "Venus" 7" 

 

 Here's what I do have:

 

 

 Son Of Blob - S/T cassette (1997)

1 Rode Fiets

2 Lady Marianne

3 Mighty Spliff

4 Tweedle Kans

 

 

 Son Of Blob - Rode Fiets 7" (1998)

1 Rode Fiets

2 Make Me Feel

3 Penetration*

4 Fantast 

Son Of Blob - Skagiddyboogiddy (1999)

1 Britishlessness

2 Er Uit

3 Mr. PC

4 A-Team

 

Also included is a live song called "Het Strand" (The Beach) which was recorded on the same night that the first demo tape was recorded but it was not included on the tape.

 DOWNLOAD the three Son Of Blob recordings and the 2ndHand Sneakers tape

 

 

* The song Penetration is a cover of "Penetration" by the first American skinhead band The Pyramids.

They were skinheads before skinheads were a thing.

The Gangsters of Ska - Three for the Road (2002)

 Rare British ska from the turn of the century. Is this the only thing they ever released? I don't know. You tell me. I'm hoping they do have more to offer. 

1 Skank it Up

2 The Snake

3 Tom Hark

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Chafariz - Marisqueira 7'' (1985)

A - Marisqueira

B - Teus Olhos Tão Azuis

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Your Inlaws - 716.07 (1993)

1 Trendy Bitch

2 Dee's Revenge

3 Instrumental

4 Your Inlaws

5 Be Like Me!

6 Yeah Right

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Backdoor Stomp - Steps in the Alley (1999)

 Backdoor Stomp was a ska band from Brisbane Australia that was formed in 1998 by Tom McKenzie who was the sax player for The Funaddicts.

There are ten songs on this CD and eight are covers with only two being original songs by the band but those originals are well worth the price of the CD. "What's Goin' On" is a cover of the Funaddicts song which Tom McKenzie wrote so it is a cover but it isn't. And they do a Puzzles cover which I think they did a great job on. 

1 Steps in the Alley

2 Inspector Martens

3 Trouble

4 Breakin' Up

5 What's Goin' On?

6 Hey Yo!

7 Tequila

8 Lorainne

9  Just a Feeling

10 Nite Klub

 

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