In my opinion, Ska is the most underrated of all genres, considering the countless musical styles it has influenced (directly or indirectly) that are much more popular than it. For example, the Clash had a lot of obvious Ska influence in their sound. Think of how many bands the clash have influenced. And how about Bob Marley? The entire genre of reggae is influenced by Ska, and is pretty much just Ska played at a slower tempo. (Contrary to the common misconception that Ska was influenced by reggae, and is just “reggae punk”)
The Creation Of Ska And Ska’s First Wave
Ska started in Jamaica, 1962, when Rhythm and Blues musician
Prince Buster wanted to add something unique to his music. He told his guitarist to put the emphasis on the offbeat. The offbeat is basically what defines Ska’s unique sound. Ska is played with a staccato upstroke on every second beat. Soon, this style became Jamaica’s most popular musical style. During the 60’s, dances would be held, and people would go to dance to ska music (I will talk more about ska dancing later). Some first wave ska bands are
Toots and the
Maytals, and
The Skatellites.
2 Tone And The Second Wave Of Ska
Many Jamaicans had immigrated to England during the 60’s, and brought their music along with them. Eventually, ska started to catch on in England. Jerry Dammers, a member of a British band called the specials, started a record label called 2-Tone Records. All of the era’s most prominent ska bands were signed to this label, such as The Specials, The Madness, The Selecter, and The Beat. Along with 2-tone Records, came a new surge of popularity for ska in England during the 80’s. Also, the Clash adapted ska into their style, which paved the way for the combining of ska and punk in the 90’s. One of the main principles behind 2-tone era music and culture was racial unity. Band logos and such were, for the most part, black and white, to symbolize a sort of unity between black and white people. The fashion consisted of sharp black suits, with white shirts and socks, and black pork pie hats. As well as a pair of dark shades.
Ska’s Third Wave/ Ska Revival
In the 90’s, American bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish started playing Ska. In this period, it has been combined with many genres, the most prominent being punk rock. Ska has gained a large underground following, and a few bands (sublime, no doubt) even gained some mainstream popularity. Some third wave ska bands to check out would be The Mad Caddies, Save Ferris, Reel Big Fish, Mustard Plug, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and The Toasters.
Rude Boys (Rudies)
During the first wave of Ska, Jamaica was very ghetto. Many ska-loving youths from the Jamaican ghetto became Rude Boys. The principle behind Rude-Boyhood was that even though society said you were nobody, you were still somebody. In a way, Rude Boys were sort of the Jamaican version of punks. In the 80’s English Ska scene, Rudies would dress more like the mods in the 60’s, with black 2-tone suits (mentioned in the second wave part of the article)
Ska Dancing
Ska has its own sort of dance that is done to it called “skanking.” The original skank in Jamaica was a simple sort of swaying freely back and forth to the beat. Let your elbows swing around as they please. Your knees should be moving a bit, but not too much, make sure when your right knee goes forward your left arm goes forward, etc. During the 2-tone era, a new sort of skank developed. It involved a hunched back, clenched fists, and airborne knees. To do the 2-tone to modern day skank, put on your nicest suit and hat, and grab a pair of shades. Then make sure your hands are in tight fists. Arch your back, and assume a menacing posture. Let your right elbow come up to about mouth-level (keep in mind your hunched over the whole time) and bring your left knee up until your thigh is a bit higher than being parallel to the floor. Your elbow will be bent, and your fist should be sort of in front of your stomach. Repeat this with your left elbow and right knee. Repeat over and over again to that crazy Ska beat. This style of skanking is also commonly done at punk rock shows, but faster, and instead of doing it on the spot, you go around in a circle.
So now you know a little about Ska. I hope this article inspires those who aren’t Ska fans to go out to a few Ska shows and listen to the music, and skank the night away, and maybe it can serve as a bit of a reminder to those who are already Ska fans to remember their roots.
Not Covered In This Article
This is only a brief overview of the history of Ska. I did not talk about the political influence on Ska, the styles of music that inspired Ska, and why the Jamaicans were listening to that music at the time, or any of the genres that were inspired by Ska. I recommend doing some more reading on these topics, if you’re interested.
Recommended Listenings
01. Prince Buster
02. The Skatellites
03. Toots And The Maytals
04. The Specials
05. The Selecter
06. The Madness
07. The Beat
08. Bad Manners
09. The Mad Caddies
10. Reel Big Fish
11. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
12. The Toasters
13. Mustard Plug
14. The Aquabats
So untile next time, Love Skavoovie
- sincerely, sargasm.
:
