Do you remember the Ska explosion of 1997? A
phenomenon that was sparked by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the
moderate successes of other third wave Ska bands. (I’m not writing a Ska book
here, so I’m not going into the differences in the waves.)
Every major label in
the county was pissing in their pants to sign a Ska band. Fucking Less Than
Jake got like a five record deal with Capitol. They actually released two. I
believe that whole bout of buffoonery set Ska music back years! It’s just now
catching up! In the aftermath around the turn of the century known Ska bands
were releasing albums without horns or with the horns scaled way back, because the genre had been tainted by the
tyranny of evil men. Bad times.
To quote the amazing A House, "The music business is incapable of bringing music to the
future, as it sits just waiting to pounce on any third rate trend, milking it
to death, once again putting money where the music is not."
I'm certainly NOT saying Ska was or is a third rate trend, but that quote completely describes The Major Label Ska Explosion Of 1997.
I have a confession to make. As much as I love the
Bosstones, they don’t have one album I really love. Do they have about ten
songs I can’t live without? You betcha!
Back in the 90’s the Bosstones were constantly on a
northeast swing and I'd go see them play at least once a year. They'd come down from Boston and hit all the towns in New York
along the 90; Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. Bands would call it the
Glamour Run.
Anyway, one night in 1993 the Bosstones were booked at the Horizontal
Boogie Bar in Rochester and then were playing the Tralf in Buffalo the next
night. During the Rochester show the band whipped the crowd into one of those “pogo”
frenzies that were in fashion at the time, and the floor collapsed! The best
part is nobody was seriously injured!
The next night they played the Tralf, and
God damn it if we didn't try and collapse the floor too. F those Rochester
d-bags! While we “pogo’d” our hearts out in Buffalo, they fixed the floor at
the Boogie Bar and two nights after they broke the place, the Bosstones played
the same room. They wrote a song about it, I think. True story.
I sure love “Someday I Suppose!” Yes I do. "Don't Know How To Party" sounds like I had listened to it in the past a couple few times and then
there’s the rest of the album. Good stuff.
I am what you would call a casual fan of Ska. I like a bunch
of it, but definitely not all of it. Ska is just another station stop on my lifelong musical journey. Keeping that in mind, I would say
that pound for pound this is THE BEST SKA ALBUM EVER RECORDED! The guys in the band probably wouldn't agree with me on that one, but Ska doesn't get
much better than this.
Turn The Radio Off is a perfect album. There is not one dud among the
sixteen tracks. Every song has a hook. Every song is a shitload of fun. Every song has that big beautiful brass section blowing up a storm. And the album even has a bona fide hit... "Sell Out."
It’s one big old immature and oafish hell of a good time! I
think the chorus from “All I Want Is More” can sum up the whole thing. “Someday…
Maybe she’ll come back to me… and I’ll say… Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” Why don't you go fuck yourself, indeed.
You know the Desert Island Disc thing? What ten albums would you take with you if you were going to be stranded on a deserted island? I can't say for sure if I'd take Turn The Radio Off, but it would be in the discussion right up until I made my final decision.
A bunch of years ago I did a song exchange with my friend Veronica Beans. I sent her The Monkees "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and she sent me Big D And The Kids Table "My Girlfriend's On Drugs."
My song was about a tender love affair that takes place south of the border between a gringo and a sweet senorita. They spoke the international language... OF LOVE! The international language of love! (A dollar to anybody that can name the movie that last line is from!) Anyway, its a cute little song about longing and the heartbreak of saying goodbye.
Her song was about some loser who is dating a girl on drugs. She's into pot, coke, pills and thinks that huffing is a challenge.
I can't say for sure how much Beans listened to The Monkees, but I really dug the rollicking Ska jam she sent me. Sadly, that's pretty much all I know about Big D And The Kids Table.
I was sent a physical copy of this album a couple years ago when I was working for a Rock station in NYC. I immediately emailed Beans and said she could have it. She said she didn't like having CDs and no thanks. Did I mention she's a twenty-year-old puke? I should also mention she's a very promising young lady with a great future ahead of her. She did the whole Binders Full Of Women thing.
So, here we are two years later and I'm listening to For The Damned, The Dumb & The Delirious, finally for the first time.
I liked "Clothes Off" a lot! And now I have two Big D And The Kids Table songs I like!
Thanks, Beans!
Correction - Tomorrow is Post Hardcore Day! Whatever that means.
Here's April's Playlist!
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