Skatalites- From Paris With Love

It is incredible to think that a band formed in 1963 are still going strong. But it is true, since re-forming the band in 1989, they have toured and recorded ever since.

From Paris With Love was recorded in 2002 and features about half the original Skatalites line-up.

From the opening song, Garden of Love, their ska style is impossible to resist. Garden of Love doesn't have the most memorable of melodies, but the song is very catchy nonetheless.

Glory to the Sound adds a darker mood with its rocksteady bassline and one-drop drums. It works a treat. While I enjoy boppy feelgood ska (ie the previous song), somehow the more aggressive undertone of rocksteady connects on a deeper level captivating.

Unfortunately, From Russia With Love has a fatal flaw: the horns are awfully out of tune. While this is an issue throughout the album, it is at its worst in From Russia With Love. Also quickly dismissed is Ska Fort Rock, it's simply too fast... more on this later...

Somehow, the songs with vocals (eg When I Fall in Love, Golden Love) don't appeal to me at all. While some might find the lyrics charmingly simple and lovestruck, personally I prefer my vocals with some narrative, journey or illustration.

To quickly skip over some more gripes, Lester's Mood is a bit lifeless, perhaps needing an injection of phat bass. And it may be sacrilegious to say this, but I don't really rate The Skatalites' Guns of Navarone. I much prefer the bouncy chaos of The Special's version (which is basically a cover of The Skatalites cover!).

The audio quality is often so-so, but usually its more of an issue of musicianship than production techniques. The horns often sound quite low rent- out of tune and their ensemble playing is sloppy. On the plus side, the recording of the drums is wonderful (crisp and airy) and the bass guitar sits under it all nicely.

Freedom Sounds is a brilliant fusion of ska and jazz, with interesting chord progressions added to spice up the backing to the solos. Another highlight for me is the majestic power of the horns throughout the song.

As a ska tragic, it is compulsory for me to own a Skatalites album. But why this one? Well, the reason is Rock Fort Rock, for which I would forgive any shortcoming on the rest of the album. That horn line is a timeless classic, every time I hear it I find myself humming it for hours afterwards! Combined with a brilliant rocksteady groove, and it's one of my all-time favourite songs.

Favourite songs

Garden of Love, Glory to the Sound, Freedom Sounds, Rock Fort Rock

Worthwhile?

The direct answer is "no". There are a few (wonderful) exceptions, on the whole I'm not really digging this album.

However, many of my favourite bands would not have existed were it not for their influence (most obviously Skazz). Therefore, based on this incredible legacy, it turns out that they are one of the most important bands in my life.