Various- Ska Bar

This CD was released to commemorate the 5th birthday and finale of the monthly "Ska Bar" night at the Arthouse Hotel in Melbourne, which was held from April 1999 to April 2004. It features 10 of the (mostly) Australian bands who played there over the years.

Since it appears that the internet has no record of this CD, I'll go through it track by track. By the way, it's a local ska release, so you can expect that recording quality will be hit and miss!

Muntsville by 99% Fat is a catchy party anthem off Recipe For Disaster.

Front Bottom by Oiska is a smooth instrumental off Time to get Naked.

Flasher by Trojan Horns is a very traditional rendition of the English 2-tone style.

1949 by Mr Coffee is a punk-ska song, similar to Goldfinger's style. Unfortunately this recording of their anti-war anthem feels quite rough and the tempo is rushed.

Sensible Ska by Commissioner Gordon is 3rd wave ska with a rocksteady groove off Get in the Car.

I Want by The Vaginals is a silly expletive-ridden skate-punk ditty.

Billy Blanks by Redsand Shuffle is a smooth and spritely tongue-in cheek song off their EP.

LT Smash by User Friendly is similar to Buck-O-Nine's style of light-hearted 3rd wave ska.

The Harder They Come by Jimmy Spliff and the Weedkillers (the name H-Block 101 used when playing ska shows) is pure awesome. This CD is worth it for this song alone. It is a brilliant Clash-esque cover of the Jimmy Cliff classic, featuring wonderful interplay between the jangling guitars. This is a live recording, so the audio quality is... ahem... raw...

Ska A-Go-Go by Blukilla is a catchy song in the German style of 2-tone ska.

Favourite Songs

Muntsville, Front Bottom, Sensible Ska, The Harder They Come, Ska A-Go-Go

Worthwhile?

Most of the songs on this compilation appear on the bands albums that I own. However, The Harder They Come single-handedly makes this a CD I'm very glad to have.