Orange County's Punk vs. Ska: Round One by Various Artists

There is nothing I like more than a good compilation and this one doesn't disappoint. This time we steer a little away from stickily ska with a cd that is half punk. Many of these bands have more or less dropped off the face of the planet as far as the internet is concerned, though a few have gone on to become popular or in one case a genuine legend. Since we have two genres I figured I would do my stand out tracks a little different this time. In the punk corner some of the stand outs include 22 Jacks, Ignire, and Stymie with their rousing rendition of La Bamba and in the ska corner the bands to check out are My Superhero, Pocket Lent, and the legendary Suburban Rhythm.

Track listing:

1. In the Ring by Various Artists

2. Girl in the Pit by White Kaps

3. Trust by Straight Faced

4. La Bamba by Stymie

5. Just a Waste by Drain Bramaged

6. Embrace by Ignite

7. Buzzkill by Jigsaw

8. Remember When by Mind Driver

9. Vacation by 409

10. Gillette by The Grabbers

11. Race Car Driver by Co-Dependents

12. Charles Taking Over the World by Clean-X

13. Dead Girl by 4-Gazm

14. Swallow by 22 Jacks

15. Rowena's Theme by Longfellow

16. Out for Blood by Various Artists

17. Artificial Life by Save Ferris

18. 12 by Jeffries Fan Club

19. TV Life bu Channel 6

20. Groovy Kind of Love by My Superhero

21. No Way Out by Six Feet Deep

22. Incomplete (Version) by Suburban Rhythm

23. Kids With Guns bu Low Pressure

24. Lil' Suede Shoes by Pocket Lent

25. Slingshot by The Ex-Presidents

26. Talk Show Host by Lone Raspberry

27. Why Me? by Grover's Headache

28. To a Part by Slightly Stoopid

29. Ska, Ska, Ska by Turkey Mallet

30. The Bell by Various Artists

Yar!

Oh and by the way despite putting up a good effort, ska totally wins this fight!

New York Beat: Breaking and Entering Volume 2 by Various Artists

Sorry for the late post today but it works out as this is a great album for those late nights. Moon Ska Records is rather infamous for their roster, exemplifying a traditional ska sound in a time when most newcomers were associating ska with its punkier styles a-la The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the bands coming out of the OC ska scene. This compilation show cases a wide variety of styles from the old school to the jazzy to the two-tone. Stand out tracks for me are Montalvo by the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble for its smooth jazz sound combined with that traditional ska off-beat and Better Days by Edna's Goldfish because its lyrics speak to me and it makes great night city driving!

1. 2 Tone Army (Special Forces Version) by The Moon Ska Stompers
2. Man with the Golden Arms (Live) by The Scofflaws
3. Montalvo by New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble
4. New Wave Crashed by One Groovy Cocnut
5. A Fine Romance by Skinnerbox
6. Corner Boy by Metro Stylee
7. May I by Bluebeats
8. When the Snake Gets His Way by Buford O'Sullivan
9. Brushfire by Insteps
10. Bad Toupee (Live) by Mephiskapheles
11. Better Days by Edna's Goldfish
12. NYC Ska Mob - NYC Ska Mob
13. Kawaii by Pilfers
14. Pedophilia by The Slackers
15. Murder for Rent by Agent 99
16. The Train Song by Inspecter 7
17. Skinhead Train by Radiation Kings
18. Believe by Orange Street
19. Let Me in the Yard by Red Rube
20. Baldman Jump by Stubborn All-Stars
21. I'm Running Right Through the World by The Toasters
22. 2 Tone Army (Blues Reprise) by The Moon Ska Stompers (plus a hidden unlisted track)

Yar!

Ska Sucks by Various Artists

Not exactly a hard CD to get a hold of but it is my favourite. This introduced me to a good many of bands that will more likely than not be featured in this blog at some point. I took the liberty of scanning my copy although it has seen better days I'm sure. Stand out tracks on this compilation are Maggie Mae by The Pietasters and Stop Looking at Me by Unsteady.

Track Listing:
1. He Wants Me Back by Dance Hall Crashers
2. Marcus Garvey by Hepcat
3. Maggie Mae by The Pietasters
4. Skagasm by Ocean 11
5. We Go Together by Less Than Jake
6. Spy Market by Let's Go Bowling
7. Suicide (Or a Better Way) by Choking Victim
8. Stop Looking at Me by Unsteady
9. Jerry by Mustard Plug
10. Introduction to the Yellow Passion by Mephiskapheles
11. Orange Boy by The Usuals
12. Kind Of by Link 80
13. Asleep at the Wheel by The Hippos
14. Clear Color by Limp
15. Believer by Chickenpox
16. Da Strike by Millencolin
17. Hangin Out by Home Grown
18. Tune Me Out by Mu330
19. Dream Girl by Jeffries Fan Club
20. Almost Punk Enough by Slapstick
21. Oceanside Putt-Putt by Attaboy Skip
22. Ska Sucks by Against All Authority
23. Face-First! by The Impossibles
24. Share by Cousin Oliver
25. Teen Idol by RX Bandits
26. Full Trucker Effect by Johnny Socko
27. Not Your Pet by The Chinkees
28. Kick the Bucket by Liberator
29. A Day in the Life of... by Homeless Wonders
30. We Are Potshot by Potshot

YAR!