3 comments about African Herbsman.

1. This was one of the first reggae albums I ever had and truly listened to. It's the best Bob Marley album that you've never heard of. If you love the scratchy sounds of STUDIO ONE and LEE PERRY, this will satisfy your soul.



2. Shalom, Bernstein. I heartily agree with your review(see below). But the "tinny" sound just comes with the territory (sometimes) when you delve into the older Wailers recordings. If you are new to the Wailers, this would not be my first recommendation, but it is a very fine album none the less, worthy of inclusion in any Marley collection. However, may I also recommend an alternative... "Bob Marley and The Wailers: The Early Years". You'll get a lot of the same songs, plus other great hard to find tunes, plus better sound. I normally hesitate to recommend "greatest hits" type albums but this one is exceptional and a safe bet if you're unable to collect each individual album from Bob's early work. Also, if you like "African Herbsman" or "...The Early Years" check out "Rasta Revolution"...a groundbreaking and overlooked gem, in my opinion. Any of the above mentioned albums are an excellent way to explore Bob's music before the more commercial Chris Blackwell production values came into the picture.



3. Perhaps I am mis-using the review system but I have a request. Could someone with an opinion of this album please review it. I've selected a score of 5-Stars to ensure the album is not overlooked. From someone's review of another of Bob's albums, they site African Herbsman as a strong roots collection. I will likely buy it anyway, but some opinions are always good to hear.

   Thanks!
   SKM

No comments about The All-Skanadian Club, Vol. 2.

5 comments about Wasting Time.

1. The year 2000 was a turning point for pop-punk. After reigniting and revolutionizing the sound in the mid-'90s, the genre's most famous band, Green Day, in Y2K released "Warning," a noted departure from the tried and true sound layed down on albums like "Dookie," "Insomniac," and the album's predecessor, "Nimrod." Though not without its strengths, "Warning" featured more mellow and relaxed arrangements that leaned increasingly toward alternative.
   
   Just when it seemed that the release of this album might signal a death note for the up until then increasingly popular pop-punk genre, along came a new crop of young bands who were just kids in 1994 when Green Day released "Dookie," an album that forever changed their lives and inspired them to create similar sounds of their own.
   
   One such band was the pride of Blue Island, Illinois (a close south suburb of Chicago), Mest. Although the band had released one album independently prior to this, "Wasting Time" was their major label debut on Maverick and was for my money their finest moment.
   
   From the opener "Long Days Long Nights," it is clear this band is full of youthful energy and drive. It never lets up from there. This album is just great! This song serves to set the tone with its high speed, ultra-catchy and melodic delivery.
   
   Frontman Tony Lovato is a truly talented individual and often the star of the show with his super memorable and distinctive delivery, but every member of the band turns in a stellar performance. The production is great as well and always comes through clear as a bell.
   
   This album predates the breakthrough of bands that would go on to become bigger sellers than Mest like Sum 41, Simple Plan, and Mest's buddies, Good Charlotte, by a good year of two. While all three bands mentioned are great and warranted the success they received, Mest are every bit as good.
   
   On the faster moments, the band is somewhat reminiscent of vintage Blink-182 (think "Dude Ranch"). Green Day's "Nimrod" seems to be another big influence, as the acoustic guitar that opens standout track "Drawing Board" is somewhat reminiscent of Billie Joe Armstrong's in "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)." (As a sidenote, the band would later remake the song on "Wasting Time's" 2001 follow-up, "Destination Unknown," but the original version is stronger and didn't really warrant a remake.)
   
   Similar to the Clash before them, the band sometimes experiments with reggae-ish tempos on slower tracks like "Change," and it definitely works well for them.
   
   Two of my favorite tracks though come at the very end, with "Random Arrival," which includes the very memorable and very true line, "It doesn't matter if you're black or white." Immediately following that is "The Last Time," which features a great chorus that should have made it a radio hit in league with songs like Green Day's "Basket Case" or Blink-182's "All The Small Things."
   
   All in all, 46 minutes and 14 tracks with not one stinker in the bunch.
   
   As these guys have since broken up, I find myself revisiting their albums time and time again (though with "Photographs" I mainly just view the bonus DVD) to keep the feeling alive. Hopefully all their Maverick discs will stay in print for many years to come, giving a new generation of fans a chance to hear the pop-punk brilliance of Mest. One of my favorites.



2. After writing an awful review for Mest's album "Photographs" I felt like going to the opposite side of the spectrum. "Wasting Time" is a great album for one simple reason: it's fun. Are the lyrics original? No. Are the melodies complex? No. So why does this album merit five stars? Honestly, it's just fun. The lyrics are simple, the melodies are almost too catchy, and it just makes you feel good. And honestly, when it comes right down to it, that's all that matters. Anyone can write lyrics about girls, anyone can play a few power chords, but not eveyone can weve it all together to make good music.
   
   "Wasting Time" is a great pop/punk album with a slight hint of reggae influence (found in "Slow Motion", "Change", and "What's The Dillio?"). Every song on this album is great, but for me the standouts are "Drawing Board", "Long Days Long Nights" and "Wasting My Time" (and make sure you don't miss the hidden track!).
   
   If you like this album, you'll probably like their second release, "Destination Unkown", a lot too. Their self-titled isn't as popular (though I love it) and "Photographs" should have never even been recorded.



3. Long Days Long Nights- 10/10 An excellent opener for an album, very fast, one of my favorites.
   Hotel Room- 10/10 Amazing chorus, some fast, amazing
   What's the Dillio?- 8/10 Some repetitive but very catchy
   Slow Motion- 10/10 First slow, then begins the fast, a great song
   Drawing Board- 10/10 A classic song of mest, awesome
   Change- 9/10 Great but not excellent, amazing chorus
   Forget You- 9/10 A great Jeremiah song
   Electric Baby- 8/10 A bit slow, funny lyrics, good
   Girl for Tonight- 9/10 Fast, simple, great song
   Lonely Days- 10/10 Cool lyrics, a bit short, still great
   Richard Marxism- 10/10 My favorite of the album, hilarios, amazing chorus
   Random Arrival- 10/10 Nothing outside of the normal, but it's a great song
   The Last Time- 9/10 Simple, but fine
   Wasting my Time- 9/10 A perfect ending of an album
   
   F--ck the Greeyhound Bus- 10/10 Hilarios, fast , an excellent ghost track



4. In my opinion this the the best album from Mest. It's got my all time favorite song (Drawing Board) and every song on the entire album is great. This album is probably actually a little softer than Destination unknown which isn't normal for a punk rock band's earlier album.If you like bands like Blink-182, Green Day, get this, I promise it won't leave your top 10 rotation in your car.



5. Whoah...this CD is incredible. This is Mest's best CD, closely followed by Destination Unknown. All of the songs are very upbeat, fast, and well-written. Tony's got an amazing voice, and, along with Nick's great drumming, Matt's bass, and Jeremiah's awesome guitar skills, this CD is a must-have if you are a fan of punk, punk-pop, emo, or alternative rock. BUY IT!!
   
   Long Days, Long Nights (8/10) a great, fast-paced song that really starts the CD off right
   
   Hotel Room (10/10) one of the best on the album, Tony's voice goes so perfect with the catchiness of this song. An AWESOME song
   
   What's the Dillo (6/10) this is the only song I dont personally like, its too repeatative and annoying or something
   
   Slow Motion (9.5/10) I love this song. Its just like the name, slow at first with great guitarness (haha not a word but whatever) and then it suddenly goes into this fast melody. A great song on this album
   
   Drawing Board (9/10) a lot of people could relate to this song, having been dumped and continually writing songs about them but knowing theyll never like it. A highlight of the album, though a bit slower, its a really cool song
   
   Change (7/10) Its a really cool song; the beginning is boring but it gets better. My 2nd lest favorite on the cd but still cool
   
   Forget You (8/10) good lyrics, I would like it better if tony sang it but still a great song, another many people (like me) can relate to
   
   Electric Baby (8/10) a funny song, well-written, very awesome
   
   Girl For Tonight (10/10) From this song up, I would say this CD gets more awesome than ever thought imaginable. An incredible song, very upbeat and punk-poppish
   
   Lonely Days (10/10) a great thing about mest, so many of their songs you can relate to. This is another one, about being alone and so torn and just wanting to be with someone but knowing you cant. Fast-paced, upbeat, catchy; a highlight of the album
   
   Richard Marxism (9/10) another song song by Jeremiah. With this song, though, a more serious one, his voice goes perfectly with the beat and melody of this song. An awesome song
   
   Random Arrival (10/10) Love this song, a definite party song. Nick's drumming is highlighted in this song and this song really gets you in a fun mood. Highlight of the album
   
   The Last Time (11/10) fastest song on the album, one of my personal favorites. I can relate to this one a lot and a lot of people could too. An extremely catchy, upbeat, and fun song
   
   Wasting My Time (12/20) best song on the CD, slow at first and then unpredictably (the first time you hear it anyway) goes into a fast, sincere beat that is just amzaing. Great way to finish the album. LOVE THIS SONG !!
   
   BONUS TRACK: F*** the Greyhound Bus (9/10) hilarious!! the bonus track, very funny

1 comments about Bread and Circuses.

1. Bop Harvey was a great ska band. This album was their debut album and like many bands their debuts tend to be their best material. This is certainly the case with Bop. The lyrics may be a little dated with several references to the Regan era (Poor Judeg Bork), but the music is great and the songs still have meaning in today's world. While basically a ska band, Bop has always leaned a little more torwards an island\World Beat sound. If you were lucky enough to see them rock the house at the Ocean Mist, where the floors would literally shake, you know what a great band these guys were. Unfortunately their timing was a little off being between the 1st wave of ska that included many of the great british acts like English Beat and the second Ska revival that saw band like Save Ferris and Real Big Fish. If they were around at a diffrent time they would have been a much bigger act. If you love ska and looking for something a little different buy this album.

No comments about Trojan Box Set: Ska.

5 comments about Rancid.

1. This one and "Let's go!" that's all I have to say. The rest are not so inspired.



2. This Band is the best punk rock band ever!! There's nothing much to say about this amazing disc!!!! Ok there's one thing BUY IT!!



3. to me, this is rancid's best work. i don't understand why people say it's "rough around the edges", and crap like that! this is punk people! anyways, every song is fast, and catchy - which to me makes it a classic. this album kicks off with "adina", (one of the best songs on this CD) which is a fast short song, with awesome guitar riffs. and after you hear that song...you definetely will wanna listen to the next - trust me. and the next song "hyena", is another one of the best songs, and an awesome chorus that's all yelling...every song has it's own thing that makes it good. one of the slower songs, has got to be "outta my mind". tim's singing is what makes this song a classic (to me). tim's guitar work, bret's drumming, and matt's bass playing are at their best on this album. so if you're new to rancid, i would HIGHLY recommend this. if not this, "let's go" is another good one.



4. This record is awesome. This was before Lars joined the bad, but Lint, Brett Reed and Matt Freeman were all in it. Matt sings a lot more in this album than Rancid's later albums (prolly because Lars is a better punk singer), so if you don't like Matt's voice you might not dig a couple songs. Overall: f'ing rad album. Go to Epitaph Record's website to listen to a couple of the tracks before you buy it, if you want.



5. Man, oh man! This record kicks the sh*t outta all those pussy Good Charlotte albums. It starts out with Adina, fast pumping and loud! This whole album rocks, though I still don't see what people have against Indestructable. Oh, well. If you like real punk, get this.

No comments about The Best Of & The Rest Of Reggae Classics.

5 comments about Dub 56.

1. This album is great, one of my favorite Toasters album. A must for Toasters fans!



2. I have a nerd-gasim too every time I here this album! By far some of the greatest SKA songs you'll ever hear. No one cares if you don't like Ska, because if we see you in the pit we're going to bust your lip!!! Down with the RADIO and Skank to the Reggae show. Original Rude Boy Style



3. This cd is allright. I like the end where they put up part of their live performance in LA. To me, that part of this album stands out the most.



4. This album is in my top 10 favorite Ska cds, if I were on the proverbial desert island (with electricity and a stereo) I would have this in my three cds with me, along with Skarmageddon Vol I, and III. Better yet, on the "Big Brother" television show, winning "Head of Household" this is the cd I would want waiting for me in my room, and then all of America can know the magic of the Toasters. Horn section on the opening track "Direction", just about perfect, gives you that nerd-gasm , moving along "Mona" "Dub 56" and "Legal Shot" will also get you rockin' and car-dancin' just like that girl in that commercial. On a side note, buy "Ska the Third Wave" to get a really awesome re-mix of "Dub 56" You must comply! The power of Ska compels you!



5. This is Ska 101 for those unlearned amongst us. The main reason is the live tracks, ska is and always will be live music and this doesn't fail to deliver.
   As a musician and an avid lover of all things musical this ranks in my top 5 of all time.
   If you dig on this please check out Rancid and also 40.oz to Freedom by Sublime. But of the entire genre this is clearly the best of the bunch live. Sit back, open a cold one and enjoy.
   RESPECT!

1 comments about 2012 E.D..

1. If you like spanish rock, you'll definitly enjoy this album.It has a twist of funk/ska, afro-cuban beats and most of all powerful lyrics. This is an awesome band from the San Francisco Bay Area who have been working hard for a long time. If you can, catch them at one of their show, you'll enjoy their live performance. And if you like this cd, you'll enjoy as well their freshman album self-titled Orixa. I've been a long time fan since the Berkeley Square days(club they used to play @). Anyways, you won't be disapointed by this band. And to end this, my last words are "SACUDETE" Peace Out.

No comments about E EP2.