REVIEW: Staring At the Rude Boys – The British Ska Revival 1979-1989 (Pressure Drop/Cherry Red Records)
The late ’70s was a time of rapidly-changing musical trends in the UK, but few brought people together like the ska revival, which began in 1979 in the wake of punk.
It saw Jamaican rhythms and melodies paired with punk’s aggression, but the big difference was that ska made young people want to dance, not ‘smash the system’.
Spearheaded by 2 Tone, the movement promoted unity at a time when racial tensions between black and white people were high, and, as you’d expect, all the bands associated with that label are here: The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, Bad Manners, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers (and not always with the classic 7in cuts you might expect).
Then there’s the original ’60s artists, whose careers enjoyed a second wind thanks to the ska revival, the likes of Laurel Aitken, Rico and Desmond Dekker, who became familiar to a new generation of fans.
Other acts enjoyed a taste of fame; the ‘King of Rudeness’ Judge Dread, who received little airplay due to his songs’ often risque content; The Lambrettas, more Mod than ska, whose excellent cover of Poison Ivy is among the highlights here; and The Piranhas, whose Tom Hark (again a cover) livened up many a boring school disco.
Covers are such a staple of the reggae and ska scene that it’s often hard to keep track of where a song came from; here you’ll find Diversion’s excellent take on The Four Gees’ rocksteady B-side Rough Rider, and Red Roll-On’s version of much-covered ’60s hit Pied Piper.
Plenty of ska groups laid the foundations for long and successful music careers; The Merton Parkas‘ keyboard player Mick Talbot would go on to join Paul Weller in soul-boys The Style Council; while Ded Byrds guitarist Wayne Hussey would later reappear as singer in goth rockers The Mission.
Graduate were more new wave than ska, but their Costello-referencing Elvis Should Play Ska is another highlight – and if the names of vocalist/guitarist Roland Orzabal and bassist Curt Smith seem familiar, it’s because they went on to sell millions of records in the ’80s as pop act Tears For Fears.
Like any good compilation, it’s not just the hits and familiar names which make it worth buying. It’s also the bands you’ve never heard of, who maybe released a couple of singles, or a track on a compilation, only to disappear into obscurity. That’s the case here with the likes of pop-ska outfit The AT’s, the splendidly-named Sax Maniax (most of who had appeared as characters in ’79s children’s TV show Animal Kwackers, fact fans!), and The Thrillers.
I’d question why Kim Wilde is on a ska comp, and the same goes for Splodge (aka Splodgenessabounds), but they don’t sound out of place on disc three, which takes us all the way to 1989, by which time the genre was experiencing a minor resurgence in the UK, thanks to bands such as The Burial and The Hotknives.
If you thought the ska revival started and ended with the 2 Tone bands, you need to give this 69-track, 3CD set a listen. It’ll definitely make you want to D-a-a-a-a-nce. 8/10.
