CD REVIEWS!

grades: a-b-c-d-waste of cash! Updated,8-10-98 the best cd's reviewed, new one's reviewed every week or so, read this to spend your money on something cool! Now in alphebetical order! Cd reviews include both ska and punk! Comps now @ the bottem. 

  AFI:  Very Proud of Ya
This is Essential Punk from they East Bay (Berekley..San Fran area) EBHC!!! Rippin, shreddin, monumental punk..they define eatin gravle and converting it to a way of life, and a GREAT band! ------A 
  THE BRUCE LEE BAND:  s/t
This is the debut, inwhich we are pretty sure it is Less Than Jake on musics, and former Skankin Pickle member, Mike Park as Bruce Lee, with vocals, lyrics..it is fast pumped-intence-japanes style-funny-w/ short songs!! It has some cultcha, acoustic around 'dere it is over all, rad! WE LOVE MIKE PARK! ---A 
  BUCK-O-NINE:  Barfly
This has all the great things like on 28 Teeth, but this is a li'l more, Rasta Funky..it is super-dee-duper! -----A 
  BUCK-O-NINE:  28 Teeth
These guys are our heros!! If you have never heard ska, and don't even know what skankin' is...this will even make you have yer feet skip, and yer arms fling! We would move to San Diego just to have the chance of seeing these guys in Del Taco or sumthing! If you put 'repeat' on yer player, it is a new adventure every time! They have good brass, good drums, good everything.---A 
 DECENDENTS:  I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Old skool, melody, I can't believe these guys didn't get exploited! WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH WE CAN BARELY SPEAK! We totally give it an --A--for true punx! MILO ROCKS! 
  HELMET:  s/t
This is a metal, chains rippin and slammin..mush with image and soul, it is ok for the death rocker in ya. ----D (unfortunatly we don't have one in us!) 
  LAGWAGON:  Hoss
Definently worth a punx, while...this makes progress as a human being! Great vocals, melody---------A 
 LESS THAN JAKE:  Losing Streak
This is some definent heart filled poppy -ska. Some meaning that can drive a person to actual have a thought. These ska dudes and chicks pushes for an all-time best..striaght from Florida!---A 
LET'S GO BOWLING: Live
This is a great cd, fave tracks are: Spy Market,Oatmeal for X-Mas,Mr.Twist,Esta Noche,Rude 69,You Take Me,More Than A Person, LGB. This is a fine fine cd put out by the one and only Asain Man Records, enjoy I totally recommend it, rush out and get it, and catch 'em live would you!? We of course give it an--A 
  Link 80:  17 Reasons
A very good cd by the East Bay based band, on Asian Man Records Favorite songs: Dance Floor, Slap, Turn it Around, Pretty Girls, Verbal Kint. Sometimes it gets along that fine line of metal/punk..some songs may not be for you if you aren't into hard punk...some songs are great...I caught one of their shows, very energetic. Not for the jazzy-ska rudies. Simaler to Operation Ivy, same old good sound. (Buy from asian man for the cheapest price 'round town!)---B+ (so close to an A) (only becuase I am not so into punk anymore. Yet I love OPIv? Don't ask me!) 
  MUSTARD PLUG:  Evil Doers Beware!
A very fun, flop-a-lop around the room cd, these song you would think would make you wanna get a brake from the cd, but surprisingly, you wan to play this cd over and over! We give it an --A! 
  THE OFFSPRING:  Ixnay on the Hombre
Ok, so they sold out a little, but we don't care what any1 sez, when Dexter Holland's got the crowd, and Come out and play is grindin through yer skull, there ain't nothin' like it! (well, there is, but appreciate it!) Not live but on cd, they get a little crappy 80's...------B 
  OPERATION IVY:  Energy
This is not every recorded song like we previously thought, but it does have like 20 something songs of killer ska punk baked into a lovely cassorole, with of course a dash of unity. This falls NOTHING short of an---A 
 PENNYWISE:  s/t
Ready for heart-felt messages? ready for a band to get up and tell 'em straight? ready for a band not concered with image? Pennywise gunna gitcha! Guitars are great....this makes a punk have a full stomach! 
  POT SHOT:  Pots and Shots
This is some hardcore japanese ska...they actual pull of guitar from the 50's-60's-to the 80's! Total fast paste melodies!-B 
  RANCID:  ...And Out Come the Wolves
This cd is way cool! It is total SKA for Rancid style, a little hint of Op Iv in here, it is way cool! Time Bomb is the best song Rancid did! I give it an--A! 


 REEL BIG FISH:  Turn Off the Radio 


This is ok ska from Cali--poppy thrilled...good "sell-out" therapy messages for the confused Rudie or Punk.----B (yer average Cali ska band)


  Save Ferris:  It Means Everything 


Alot of people think that SF are sellouts..trendy ska..etc. But I say if they have talent, and I can swing my arms to it...crank it up! So if that doesn't make me punk enough...so be it. I'll still pop in that good ol' OPIV, ASSume what you will.---A


  SKANKIN PICKLE:  SkaFunkRastaPunk 


Well, sp debut, way back when....skafunkrastapunk, just about sums it all up right there, the entire existance of SP can never be put into words, but I think that is the best crack at it we're gunna get. It is so sad, but these guys do there  LEGENDARY thing and basically have a lot of fun. Some of this is live, and shows the true spirit of SP------A



 SKANKIN PICKLE:  The Green Album 


WOW...that is all we can say..WOW...this is SP's finest so far that we've heard all the way through..we can't believe this..we lost the tape and three months later songs were stuck in our head's....Vocals are incredible!  This is some ska that will NEVER, EVER be forgotten..----A 



 SKELETONES: Dr. Bones

Very cool, kinda punkish, fave songs: Dr. Bones, Anotamy of a Perfect Woman. Check it out we give it an A.



 SLOW GHERKIN:  Doulble Happiness 

Great ska from Santa Cruz, Calif., some definent culture, they got ska, jazzy stuff, punk, egyption, japanese, russian and what the?--- riffs. We totally recommend this full length debut!!!A


 
  THE SPECIALS: The Specials 

This cd is totally skankin, e/c style, from the grandfathers of ska, they bring it home like its a home made Jamacian Kabob! We truly love this stuff! Steady beat, old skool style, 2-Toned and all....A


  THE SPECIALS: More Specials 

I love these guys they keep comin' back with better slap stompin' tunes. They keep it low, and just jive with the Jamacian seas, they proform this like its all over, it is their last shot at ska. We like it, but it is a li'l to mellow. B
The Toasters: Hard Band For Dead Very cool cd, I recommend this one for those who have tried the Toasters before, but like that jamacian sound you rarely find on SKa Killers. More of a funky sound, doin' what they like. VERY GOOD! 12 or 14 songs or something.---A 
  THE TOASTERS:  Ska Killers
A very cool cd from the guys who supposidly ( as far as we know) brought ska to the states officially. Enjoy! Piano, sounding kinda like on the brink of the 3rd wave, doing their own thing, (obviously)!It is cool cd, and has a lot of songs to get your money's worth! ------A! 
 Unsteady: Double or Nothing
A very cool cd. I wasn't really expecting this from Unsteady...but they pull off this lounge-game show music. Very original, and if not at first listen you don't love...give it a chance. You will love it. But really, not for someone who is more (and only into) into ska-core, punk, etc. This is more intrumental (it has lyrics), fave songs: ME, Postcards, Ibarrha, One for the road, and mostly all of them. I recommend!!---A




 VOODOO GLOW SKULLS: What is it, is?

Super fast paste mexicali ska, one of their beter cd's, but all of them are cool, we give it an A.




















Comps.!!!



  Hey Brother Can You Spare Me Some Ska? No.2


This is  the best comp in history, if you buy one comp, buy this!!!!!!! It has oustounding proformances by:
Jeffries Fan CLub
Action League
El Scorcho
Joe and the Chickenheads
Other Cuts
Pharmecuetical Bandits (I am buying their cd, I am soo impressed)
Teen Heros
My Superhero (one of my faves)
The Jamons
The Ziggens (original name..not! but they play great ska)
Slow Gherkin (gotta love 'em)
Chanlle Six
The Decapitations
11th GHour Band
Course of Riun
The Golden Fluffys (neat in thier own kind way)
ONe in a million
Pocket Lent

(practically all of them! see what I mean)
Other bands include:
Longfellow
The Adjustments
Smiply Kung-Fu
Cooley's Market
Del Noah &the MT. Ararat Finks
The only band we thought really incredibly sucked was:
Slightly Stoopid
Slighty? I think you've gone the whole 9 yards buddy!



Ska Island

This is a very fun 1st wave stuff, (recorded now) cd, fave bands on the album include:
The Skatalites
The Toasters
Fishbone
Jump with Joey
Ocean 11
Hepcat
Freetown 
The Determinations
Dr. Ring-Ding &the Senoir all stars
 these are some 1st wave bands and just all waves, but it sounds for the most part all like 1st wave.
whole cd is:
Prince Buster& the Skatalites
The Skatalites
Doreen Shaffer & the Skatalites
The Toasters
Fishbone
Ernest Ranglin backed with Jump with Joey
Dan-I with Jump with Joey
Hepcat
Ocean 11
Rico&Freetown
Luarel Aitken and Freetown
Dr. Ring-Dong and the Senoir All stars
The Determinations
The Ska Flames
The Trojans





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