Ok. This is LMC number one hundred. That is kind of a big deal (to me and no one else). I had a Phoenix song all planned out to post this week. Then… when I saw what number of LMC this was going to be, I had to call an audible. Just to give you an idea of how much work I put into this post, let me break it down– 25 mins spent tracking down original compact disc purchased when I was 17 years old (yes I was one of those dorks who bought tons of CDs and still hangs onto them for some reason); 5 mins Emailing former front man of the group for a photo to include with the post; 10 mins Ripping said CD to iTunes, which maddeningly made it into an m4a file; 10 mins converting said CD to mp3; 5 mins scanning the album cover (above), then editing image file; 5 mins uploading image and mp3 file; 5 mins whining via blog post about all of the aforementioned items.

So, as you may recall, mi hermano Pete guest posted about Stretch Arm Strong a couple of weeks ago. SAS is not to be confused with Stretch Armstrong, later changed to Stretsch Armstrong (because of some retarded litigation). I grew up going to SA shows, basically every other weekend during my high school career. Those shows were basically the most fun that I had growing up. The whole crowd would dance. Everyone knew all of the lyrics. It was all an amazing phenomenon. So, what I’m getting at, is that Stret(s)ch Armstrong put out some extraordinary freaking Ska music. In my opinion, it was on par with the Specials or English Beat. It was very hard to narrow down a “favorite” SA track for this post, but I ultimately decided on “Scratch the Ear”. Check it.

Here I go with the ska, again. In some previous LMC posts, I mentioned how my affinity for ska, growing up, was heavily influenced by the plethora of extremely talented local ska bands that were around, at the time. One of my very favorites was Swim Hershel Swim. I don’t even remember how they came up, a couple of weeks ago. But, I was trying to tell Reagan about them, and ended up doing a bit of digging on the web. I discovered that, not only do that have a Facebook page (including a photo of a couple of the shows that I attended), but that they also had all of their MP3s available for download, on the web. I couldn’t resist sharing one of my faves. It is the first track on the only LP (to my knowledge) that they ever released, titled “Burn Swim Burn.” The song is called “Shut up.”  So, feel free to click play.

One day when I was about 10 years old or so, I asked my older brother, who had a pretty extensive collection of music, if I could borrow a couple CDs. I was looking for something besides my usual suspects: symphonic rock, the Phantom of the Opera, and the Chipmunks.

One of the CDs he gave me was The Specials: Specials.

The Specials original line-up had actually broken up the year before I was born, and to this date have not played together in their entirety, although many of the original members have formed and re-formed many times in many combinations over the last 30 years to put out an occasional album or play on tour here and there. I remember a concert for the Special Beat being advertised by KJQ. According to the house rules, I wasn’t old enough to go.

That is pretty much where it all started. Since the first time, The Specials have always been music that I could get down to. In San Diego, some of the local radio stations play “A Message to You, Rudy” a couple times a day. It is my all time favorite “on the way home from a 10 hour day in the work truck and stuck in traffic because it took us too long to get the job done” song. Sometimes during my shifts at Starbucks, I get to listen to some of my old time favorites: “Monkey Man,” “Nelson Mandela,” “Ghost Town,” and even their version of “Pressure Drop,” as they have made it onto official “hear music” play list.

However, none of the aforementioned songs were ones that I would listen to on repeat in my room for hours at a time while reading or playing videos games or whatever. “Doesn’t Make It Alright” was.

To my brother, I say: thanks for sharing.

To everybody else, I say: enjoy.

Click to Play———–> “Doesn’t Make It Alright”

I know that I said I was going to try to chill, with the whole ska thing, but dude, I guess I just can’t At least the song I’m sharing today probably wouldn’t really fit under that genre, although Madness, is definitely one of the quintessential Ska groups of all time.

Madness was formed in the UK (shocker [not that kind of shocker, sicko]) in the mid-70s.  They were on the 2 Tone Records label, with the Beat and the Specials. Madness brought us some insane hits that, certainly everyone remembers and love, such as “Our House” (in the middle of the street; and “One Step Beyond.” The song that I’m sharing is “Wings of a Dove.” Spin it.

As cleche as it may be, I had to do a Christmas song this week. This is the second ska song that I have shared. I promise, I’m not some sort of rude boy wannabe, or something. It is just happens that this is one of my favorite (secular-style) Christmas songs. The last ska song, by the Beat, was a sample of British Ska. This time we are getting down to the Southern California brand of the genre with No Doubt. This was before Gwen shacked up with Gavin and got all weird. All of that is beside the point. This song tells a happy little Christmas story about how the punks and the skins weren’t getting a long. At one point they get into a roof  brawl. Just when things are getting really ugly, God comes down on Christmas day, saying “Oi” to the punks and to the skins. By the end of the song, the punks and the skins are so caught up in Christmas spirit, that they go back to the bar and buy each other bourbon. I mean, if that doesn’t say Merry Christmas, I don’t know what does. Check it out—-

For whatever reason, there was a huge Ska scene in SLC during the early 90′s. I mean, 3 out of 4 local bands that regularly played gigs were Ska groups. Some of my favs were Swim Herschel Swim, Stretch Armstrong (from Provo), and Model Citizen (from Logan). After seeing so many local Ska shows, I started to become a huge fan of the genre. At first I really thought that all of the horns and stuff were kinda corny. I mean, I would totally get down to it in the pit, during a show, but for some reason it was weird listening to Ska music in my bedroom at home. It just isn’t the type of music that you would ever want to blast with the windows down while dragging State St. Hahahahah.

I soon became very keen on some of the larger names in the Ska Scene like the Specials, and the English Beat. My friends and I started to learn all of the rude boy terminology, etc.. Although, we never went as far as forming a Vespa gang or wearing checkered Chuck Taylors with skinny ties. I did at one point own a fedora, though. Okay, several fedoras. Once No Doubt came through town, on their “Trapped in a Box” tour. This was long before “Tragic Kingdom,” When ND really did play Ska music. I had one of my two run-ins with Gwen Stefani that night at their show. It was performed in a Racquetball court, at some Lo-bo sports club in Orem UT. I’m trying to remember who went with me. I don’t think that I could even drive yet. Taylor or Tadd, did you go to that one? I’m pretty sure that Gavin and Kim were there. I was wearing combat boots, 2 sizes too big. I was up on top of the pit, and they tossed me on stage. I stumbled to get my balance and knocked Gwen right onto her booty. Whoops, hahaha.

Back to the point: I’m sharing one of my favorite English Beat Songs, “Too nice to talk to.” I had the pleasure of seeing them perform this diddy live a couple of times, even before they merged with the Specials, to become Special Beat. It is an amazing track, full of Ska flavor. Give it a listen.

Note: The .M3U link will only work in Windows Explorer. I have still been too lazy to build a little pop-up player. I’ll try to work it out by the time I write the next music post.