Various - Let's Do Rocksteady

Yep, more early ska! This compilation was released in 2002. I actually purchased it solely for Stop That Train, which was also included on The Harder They Come soundtrack (hiding behind the title "Draw Your Brakes") that I coincidentally purchased at the same time. Oops.

This is double CD seemingly contains every rocksteady song ever rocorded! Which can either be a good thing, or a bad thing...

Bad news first. Aside from a handful of well-known pop songs, most of the songs blur into each other for me. So I very quickly get bored when trying to actively listen to it.

On the plus side, this same-ness makes for great background music. By putting this CD on, you are guaranteed approximately 2 hours of a gentle mood without imposing any surprises or disturbance.

I diggit?

Sadly, I'm not enough of a rocksteady aficionado to properly appreciate this.

Various - The Harder They Come soundtrack

This is the soundtrack to the 1972 film starring Jimmy Cliff.

The album is bursting with reggae hits, immediately starting with You Can Get It If You Really Want. It's pretty simplistic (therefore getting repetitive after a while), but there's no denying that it's seriously catchy pop music. And while it's quite unusual for the same song to appear twice on the album (first and second-last), somehow I find this quaint and endearing.

Draw Your Brakes (an alternate title for Stop That Train) is one of my all-time favourite rocksteady songs. More specifically, that rocksteady groove is wonderfully enveloping- it's one of those riffs which could happily continue forever. Bliss!

In isolation, Rivers Of Bablyon is probably not a song I would enjoy. But being engrossed in the mood of the album means that I really dig it's gospel style. Similarly, I'm not sure exactly why I like Many Rivers To Cross, but I do! Somehow this is music that skips any logical judgement (not that it's a bad song) and takes a short-cut straight to the soul.

Looking at the list of "favourite songs" below, you might notice that it's only the pop hits. I think this is because the more traditional (calypso-esque) style of reggae isn't really my cup of tea, so unfortunately I can't get into songs like Sweet And Dandy and Shanty Town.

...So, let's back to the hits then. Sitting In Limbo is pop perfection. It's quite simple, yet the hooks are all wonderfully effective. Also, I really like how the intensity gently builds up throughout the song.

Finally, the narrative of the The Harder They Come is fantastic: uplifting and defiant. The backing music is also brilliantly catchy, and I especially enjoy the pre-chorus.

For me, the movie (a pretty ordinary film IMHO) is completely redundant. This collection of songs tells a wonderful narrative all on its own.

Favourite songs

You Can Get It If You Really Want, Draw Your Brakes, Many Rivers To Cross, Sitting In Limbo, The Harder They Come

I diggit?

Absolutely, even if only for the hits.

Judge Dread - Ska Fever

Judge Dead's musical career spanned from 1974 to 1984. This compilation was released in 1998.

The lyrics are purile and annoying. Worse than that, they're also racist and homophobic. Obviously, this is a deal-breaker.

Which is occasionally a shame, because sometimes there's a solid ska/rocksteady groove hiding in the background.

Favourite songs

None.

I diggit?

I regret giving money to the record company that published this.

Various - Three To Tango soundtrack

This is the soundtrack to the 1999 movie. The obvious question is why on earth did I buy a soundtrack to forgettable romantic comedy?? Well, there were a handful of cracking neo-swing songs included, so I thought it would be a convenient way to get a neo-swing sample. So, let's see what the rest of the album reveals...

It doesn't start out well. The jive influences of Jumpin' East of Java and Swing Sweet Pussycat feel too plastic for me.

On the other hand, Maddest Kind Of Love is chock-full of genuine emotion. Yet it is also wonderfully cruisy listen, which makes for a very abstract and enjoyable experience. A particular highlight is the instrumental bridge, where the horns and piano gradually work their way to a gentle climax. I reckon this song is an all-time classic, up there with Mack The Knife.

The tongue-in-cheek sleaze of Here Comes The Snake is fantastic, and well complemented by the rich instrumentals.

Then we make another rapid stylistic jump to Trou Macacq, which is a fine example of Squirrel Nut Zippers' rambling dixie-jazz style.

Although I'm a big fan of Royal Crown Revue, somehow I find that Datin' With No Dough lacks flow. Violent Love might initially bring LOLs due to the inappropriate title, but I think it's more likely that back in the day, the word "violent" merely meant "intense".

This marks the end of the neo-swing content. I tried to avoid being blinkered, thus appreciating the other songs in their own right. But I couldn't really get into any of them, so it was a miserable failure!

Favourite songs

Maddest Kind Of Love, Mr Zoot Suit, Here Comes The Snake, Trou Macacq

I diggit?

Suprisingly... no. The great songs are from great bands, so I should really buy their whole albums instead.

The Offspring- Splinter

Sorry, yeah it's yet another Offspring album... (I actually didn't realise that I also owned this one) Splinter is The Offspring's seventh studio album. It was released in 2003, three years after Conspiracy Of One. 

The Noose kicks off with a great reminder of just how fantastic a trademark Offspring chorus can be. Unfortunately, the rest of the song is quite disjointed.

The audio quality for Long Way Home deserves a mention: it's awful. Similarly, Never Gonna Find Me sounds really muffled. It's all quite strange, since the audio quality on the rest of the album is very good.

While I'm whingeing, Hit That and Spare Me The Details are, of course, awful.

A lot of the songs are a case of "so close, yet so far". For example, Race Against Myself has a great chorus, but the tacky effects in the verses are a deal-breaker (perhaps the effects were a feeble attempt to hide the blandness of the verses?). Can't Get My Head Around You has some great lyrics, and I really like the contrastingly quiet pre-chorus. But the rest of the song is frustratingly disjointed. And Lightening Rod is just a good chorus short of being a highlight.

The Offspring have done some pretty tacky ska over the years, but The Worst Hangover Ever takes the cake as the tackiest of the tacky! It's amusingly bad.

Speaking of amusing, Da Hui is great fun. And When You're In Prison is a hilarious parody of 'ole time jazz. These are my actually two favourite songs on the album, which is a pretty poor reflection on its "proper" song siblings.

Favourite songs

Da Hui, When You're in Prison

I diggit?

No.

Gyroscope- Cohesion

Cohesion is Gyroscope's fourth album. It was released in 2010, two years after Breed Obsession.

Live Without You kicks off with a snappy and interesting verses. Unfortunately, the chorus lets down the team. I Still Taste Blood reverses the situation- a great chorus but forgettable verses. Of the two songs, somehow I prefer the I Still Taste Blood (which perhaps indicates that choruses are more important than verses?!).

My sole reason for buying this album was hearing Baby I'm Getting Better on the radio. Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me, but on listening to it recently I was a bit surprised at how quick the tempo is. Anyway, the music is pretty generic, with only the occasional interesting chord progression to spice things up. But the narrative is absolutely inspiring. I don't even really understand the story, but somehow it resonates very deeply with me. It's an all-time favourite song of mine.

The rest of the album doesn't really appeal, but I guess that's the risk you take when you buy an album on the back of one song! Most of the time, it's just that the style doesn't appeal to me (ie "it's not you, it's me"...). But what the hell is going on with What Do I Know About Pain??? It sounds exactly like a typical Katy Perry song. In other words, awful.

To end on a positive note, Working With Wood nicely injects some variety into the album. It's dripping with emotion, and the bridge is a particular highlight. White Dove / Black Crow has a great chorus, but unfortunately soon runs out of ideas and becomes tired.

2021 update: Coming back to this album after a long hiatus, I'm really enjoying Some of the Places I Know, Working with Wood, Don't Forget Me When I Die, Run, White Dove / Black Crow, and yes, even What Do I Know About Pain (mostly thanks to the chorus). It is fairly generic pop-rock stuff, but maybe the nostalgia is kicking in these days. Also, the recording quality is great, in particular with a stadium-rock feel with huge scale.

Favourite songs

I Still Taste Blood, Baby I'm Getting Better, Some of the Places I Know, Don't Forget Me When I Die, Run, White Dove / Black Crow

I diggit?

It's a similar situation to The Refreshments: an album bought on the back of a single song that time has revealed to be a bit of an overlooked gem. Also, Baby I'm Getting Better is still single-handedly worth the price of admission alone.