2 comments about Island 40, Vol. 1: 1959-1964 -- Ska's the Limit.

1. I purchased this CD because I am an avid collector of original Jamaican ska. I simply love this musical genre. This particular collection is not all ska. Several of the tracks are calypsos. There is some good vintage ska here, but the people who put this together shouldn't have marketed it as a ska compilation because it is not. It should be re-titled to better reflect what it is. Ska is ska. Calypsos are calypsos. Calypsos and ska tunes DO NOT sound good together. I was disappointed in this CD. I'm the Big Oh and I say don't say it's ska when it's part calypso. I gotta go.



2. This album serves as quite possibly the best and most accessable ska compilation available. It progresses chronologically from Laurel Aitken's 1959 hit "Boogie in my Bones" through the formative years of early ska, through Millie Small's 1964 smash "My Boy Lollipop." Along the way, it covers its bases with cuts from undeniably the world's greatest trombonist, Skatalite Don Drummond, as well as early tracks from Toots Hibbert, Jimmy Cliff, and Bob Marley. Two years ago, after spending a year listening to third wave ska, I picked up this album and haven't looked back since. It's full of amazing classics such as "Carry, Go Bring, Come" and a couple of sweet duets "We'll Meet" and the unbeatable "Housewife's Choice." This album is perfect for those just learning to skank, those fed up with ska-core, or anyone looking to supplement their reggae collection with some of the earliest classics. It's a great survey of the first few years of early Jamaican music.

No comments about Rock & Roll Au Go Go, Vol. 1.

2 comments about Poop Mixed With Pee.

1. Boy do I love poop mixed with pee they take me on a musical journey into wondrous realms of enchantment and emotion. I highly recommend poop mixed with pee for a quiet night with some wine by the fireplace with your significant other.



2. This is a superiffic cd! It is a great blend of punk and ska,there isnt a song on it that i dont like! But my favorites are the less than jake song, the one by diesel boy and fury 66 because i am a huge fan of theirs, if you are a fan of new ska-punk stuff or punk, this owuld be a great addition to your collection, so what are you waiting for? GO BUY THIS NOW!

2 comments about Guitar Ace: A Tribute to Link Wray.

1. Announced way back in 2000, GUITAR ACE is finally here! Some of the bands here have changed styles since this project began, while others are no more! But it was worth the wait. MuSick Recordings has a tradition on doing some of the best various-artists comps & tribute albums I've heard in recent years, and this is a fine addition to their catalog. There's a lot more variety in styles present than one might expect from a "surf" album, as Link Wray went through many different genres in his long career. In this case, some wonderfully obscure surprises are side-by-side with covers of well-known classics.

   SO MANY highlights!!! Spy-Fi's "The Shadow Knows" (with Phantom Frank, of Holland's The Treble Spankers); "The Outlaw" and "Comanche" by The Hellbenders and The Volcanos (would you believe they're the same band?); The Space Cossacks' "Mustang" (my #2 surf band, now departed); Dave Wronski's "Ace Of Spades" (sounding like it came right out of a Clint Eastwood western); Fifty Foot Combo's "Slinky" (Belgium!); Hypnomen's "Rumble Mambo" (Finland!); The Downers' "Genocide" (also Finland-- really, also the Hypnomen!). Then there's "Deacon Jones", a wild romp that, to date, is my favorite Woggles track; Calexico's "Fallin' Rain" (a gorgeous piece which reminds me of The Byrds in their "country" period).

   A few of these are so popular I've heard better versions elsewhere; Southern Culture On the Skids' "I'm Branded" doesn't hold a candle to Los Straitjackets' version, and Jackie & The Cedrics' "Run Chicken Run" pales besides The Planet Rockers'. These aren't bad-- I just strongly reccomend seeking out the others for your own comparison!

   I can't help it-- THE highlight for me is Evan Foster operating under 3 different names & styles: "Raw-Hide" (Mystery Action), "The Girl Can't Dance" (was this song originally trying to out-do Little Richard's "The Girl Can't Help It"?) and-- my personal favorite-- an ASTONISHING version of "Fire And Brimstone" (Boss Martians). I recently put together a pair of BM comps containing songs not on any of their 9 albums to date, and this song was one of BEST I included.

   Other comps I'd highly reccomend:
   CHINESE CHECKERS (Booker T & The MGs tribute)
   THAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT (Burt Bacharach tribute)
   SURFIN' SENORITA (Herb Alpert tribute)
   SWINGIN' CREEPERS (Ventures tribute)
   AN EVENING IN NIVRAM (Shadows tribute)
   SHOTS IN THE DARK (Henry Mancini tribute)
   SPAGHETTI: "DUCK, YOU SUCKERS!" (spaghetti-western; one of the best various-artists comps in my collections!)




2. Since everybody seems to have a tribute album or two, why has it taken so long for a good Link Wray trib to come down the line?

   Southern Culture on the Skids (who could easily do an entire Link tribute themselves), Deke Dickerson, Throw Rag, Pollo Del Mar and a host of others tackle the Fuzz-Master's material with great results, fun is had by all. The only way this could be better is if the Red Elvises and Guitar Wolf were also on it, but hey, maybe they're saving that for Volume Two!

   Also recommended is Link Protrudi (Fuzztones) album "Hit and Run", which also contains numerous Wray covers.

No comments about Supertones Surf / Modern Surf Band Spotlight.

2 comments about Afterburn: Wax Trax-94 & Beyond.

1. Wax trax has been introducing great industrial bands to the pubic for years.



2. mediocrity. I had this cd for a week when it first came out, and listened to it about 10 times. I listen to the average cd five or six times before tiring of it. The case looks cool, so if you pull it out, it's likely to get played by friends. The songs? There could have been a better track for KMFDM, but it's good music for sitting in a dark room and drinking Snakebite. The Ms. liked it too.

No comments about AMP Magazine Presents, Vol. 4: Punk Pop.

3 comments about Rutles Highway Revisited.

1. This is a tribute album to the Rutles, the Beatles parody group. All 20 songs from the Rutles first album are covered here. Most of the cover versions here are pretty good. Long live Rock and Roll!



2. This album is top, not just for shimmy disc fans, sixties completists, bozo dog do dah fans, python fans, but just solid music fans. DON'T BE RIPPED OFF though. It is available NEW from Hemisphere.nl at a fraction of the price listed here. It's even cheeper on postage if you go through musicstack.com.



3. This comp of Shimmy Disc artists (and others) doing Rutles covers is just amazing! If you're a fan of Bongwater, Galaxie 500, Kramer or other Shimmy Disc artists, for that matter if you love the Rutles ("Sorry girls, he's engaged ...") you have to get this comp!

No comments about Vol. 3 & 4-Oi! Chartbusters.

5 comments about Hipsters, Zoots & Wingtips.

1. I just bought this cd, several years after release, lots of these bands I have seen live and danced to.....my faves are The Red Hot Skillet lickers & The Fyling Nuetrinos. The most authentic thing on here Is Set'Em Up Joe's "She Can't Dance," straight L.Jordan..........and I think they wrote the Nuetrino's "Mr. Zoot Suit." It is sad the SNs drove this into the ground because it really was nice to dress up and go out dancing, real dancing............buy this cd if you want to know what the short lived craze was all about.
   Tomi Jenkins



2. Cool-daddy swing. Mmm-mm-mm!



3. Outstanding - can't stop listening to it and can't wait to get Vol.3! So happy SWING/DANCE music is back in style!



4. I bought this album because it was playing in the record (sorry, CD) shop, as I was browsing the other day. After I'd heard about six tracks, all of which had my feet tapping, I had to buy it. There are only two tracks which I don't think are excellent, and "Mr Zoot Suit" by the Flying Neutrinos is the best song I have heard in ages.



5. This CD is a pretty good mix of the modern swing bands out there now. It includes older bands such as Royal Crown Revue, but also gives equal billing to a couple of lesser known (but not lesser quality) bands. The only reason why I don't give it five stars is because some of the songs are too shifted towards rockabilly than swing--similar, but kinda deceiving when the subtitle is "The '90s Swingers".

   What I really liked about this comp is the liner notes--it gave great information about the bands, as well as how to get their albums. You'll probably be looking up at least one of the bands featured in this comp once listening to this CD. The sound quality is great for most of the tracks; some sound softer than the other, but this is just a good indicator that the compilers didn't mess around with the original music. What you hear is what the artist's albums will sound like.

   The people who put this together sound like a bunch of real fans of swing, and they show this in their writing and selection of songs. I highly recommend this CD for those wanting to check out different bands in this genre, or just getting a good mix of bands for a party.