Ska. Most of my friends know of my strong interest in the music. Many, however, would be hard-pressed to describe the music, or it's most important contributors. And so, over the years, some of those "many" have asked me to put together an introduction for them -- an Intro to Ska, if you will. So, if you're interested in a little musical history yourself, put on your dancing shoes, let your hair down, and enjoy Ska: The Anthology. -- Kluv

Part One: 1960-1968.

Ska is dance music, first and foremost. In the early 1960's, Jamaican musicians took their native mento music, fused it with the popular American jazz, R&B, and rock'n'roll coming across the radio waves from New Orleans -- and created a sound that could shake the asses of the middle and working-class residents. This new and unique sound which spread across the island quickly became the national sound, and was unleashed upon the rest of the world at the 1964 world's fair. It would reign supreme for many years, featuring the artists that you'll hear on this record. In the unbearably hot summer of 1966, the crowds became too hot and tired to dance, and so the music began to slow with them (similar to American soul at the time) and became Rocksteady. By 1968, it had evolved into a new genre all-together, one with the slow, one-drop beat and a mellow groove: Reggae.

1. - "Boogie In My Bones" by Laurel Aitken

Laurel Aitken was known as the "Godfather of Ska". Not only was he one of the pioneers of the music, but he continued to perform it right up until his death last year. This song is the very first single ever released by Island Records -- and you can definitely hear the early blues influence on the track. He was a helluva dancer, I've been told, too. I never got a chance to see him perform -- the closest was when we went to London in '97 (where he was living). He actually played a concert in Camden the night I landed, but I didn't find out until the next day. *sigh*

2. - "007 (Shanty Town)" by Desmond Dekker

This gem is from Desmond Dekker's debut album. It reached #15 on the UK charts and cemented him as an icon for the Rude Boy culture (young, disaffected, and often violent youth who wore sharp suits, thin ties, and pork-pie hats to imitate the styles in popular American gangster movies). He had a gem of a voice, and is one of my favorite ska artists. He, too, died this year. *sigh* Desmond Dekker trivia: he is immortalized as a character in a song by his friend Paul McCartney. You might have heard it -- "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". "Desmond says to Molly, girl I like your face..."

3. - "Penny Reel" by Eric Morris & Baba Brooks

This fine track was the first release on the famous Trojan Record Label. Another great danceable classic.

4. - "Judge Not" by Robert Marley

You might have heard of this guy, too. His friends called him Bob. This is his first single, released in 1962. He would go on to form a group with his friends, first called "The Teenagers", then "The Wailing Rudeboys", then "The Wailing Wailers", and finally, just "The Wailers". I'm pretty sure you know what happened from there.

5. - "Forward March" by Derrick Morgan

Much of the upbeat sound in ska is attributed to the celebration from Jamaica's Independence from the UK ('62). Derrick Morgan captures that feeling here in this song -- "Gather together, big brothers and sisters, we're independent!"

6. - "Six And Seven Books Of Moses" by The Maytals

Eventually, they would become Toots and the Maytals, but in 1964, this young gospel trio overshadowed their rivals The Wailers. Backed by the now-famous house band known as The Skatalites, this song points to where most of these young men first started to sing -- in church.

7. - "Lucky Seven" - The Skatalites

Perhaps the most important of all Ska groups, the Skatalites were the house band for Coxone Dodd, one of the top producers of the day. The Skatalites backed almost every major singer from the era, from Marley to Prince Buster, Peter Tosh to Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker to Ken Boothe. By '64, the band recorded their own LP, and were in demand throughout Jamaica.

8. - "Stop Making Love" by The Gaylads

Those of you who listen to WIMR might have heard this track I picked a while back. Based off the tune "Same Old Song" by the Four Tops, the Gaylads added their trademark smooth harmonies, and turned it into a song sung by a man who's woman is cheating on him... right next to him. In bed. Awesome.

9. - "Man In The Street" by Don Drummond

Don Drummond was perhaps the most brilliant-but-troubled musician of his day. As trombonist for the Skatalites, he became of the most prolific composers in all of Ska -- recording over three-hundred songs until his untimely death at age twenty-seven. In '64, this song hit #10 in the UK (after which both George Shearing and Sarah Vaughan hailed Drummond as one of the five top trombonists in the world). Unfortunately, Drummond had battled manic depression most of his life, and later that year, went over the edge. He was arrested for killing his live-in girlfriend (and Jamaica's most popular exotic dancer & singer!), Anita "Margarita" Mahfood. He would be convicted, remanded to an asylum, and would be dead of an apparent suicide by 1969.

10. - "King Of Kings" by Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy pioneered the concept of a Jamaican act being a serious singer-songwriter -- which Bob Marley would later follow. He was Jamaica's first home-grown movie icon in the island's first home-grown movie ("The Harder They Come"), and was also one of their first artists to have an eye for a truly international audience, and was one of the main forces in breaking reggae to the rest of the world.

11. - "Woman A Come (featuring Margarita)" by The Skatalites

So... this song is sung by the Margarita, Don Drummond's girlfriend. You know, the one he murdered. I've never been able to figure out what she's singing about, nor do I think her voice is fantastic -- but there's something strangely mesmerizing about the song...

12. - "Housewife's Choice" by Derrick & Patsy

This tune by Derrick Morgan and Patsy Todd was originally called "You Don't Know How Much I Love You", but a famous Jamaican radio personality had received so many requests from housewives for it that she renamed the song. Fantastic track.

13. - "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker

Desmond released what is arguably his most famous song in 1968. He became the first Jamaican artist to enter the US market with Jamaican music, and "Israelites" hit the top ten, and even went to #1 on the UK chart. Matty and I would be standing at the Haunt in Ithaca, NY one night -- waiting for The Scofflaws to come on -- when this tune came on between sets. Sammy Brooks, the lead singer was setting up his mic, and turned to us: "Beautiful song. But after all of these years, I still don't have a fucking idea what he's singing about."

14. - "Train To Skaville" by The Ethiopians

This exuberant tune was the Ethiopians first (and biggest) hit. It has since become a classic, and has been covered countless times in the ensuing years. Fact: Leonard Dillon, one of the singers in The Ethiopians, had previously released songs under the name Jack Sparrow.

15. - "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small

The first major hit for Island Records, Lollipop was a smash and reached #2 on the UK and US charts. It would go on to sell over seven million copies worldwide.

16. - "Independent Jamaica" - Lord Creator

The official Independence song for the island, Creator (Kentrick Patrick) was actually born in Cuba. He moved to Jamaica in the mid-50's, when the music scene was preparing to burst out, and ended up becoming one of the most popular crooners of his day.

17. - "Dr. Kildare" by The Skatalites

Not only was ska music affected by the trends in American music, they also latched onto our pop culture, too; The Skatalites would often take popular film ("The Guns of Navarone") and television themes, like "Dr. Kildare", and turn them into something of their own.

18. - "Solomon Gundie" by Eric Morris

This tune is based off a 19th Century nursery rhyme. He's also a character in Batman. These are both things that make this song really awesome.

19. - "Pussy Price" - Laurel Aitken

By the end of the decade, Laurel had moved to England, continuing to build off of his success. By the tenor of the song, you might be able to figure out how Laurel was feelin' about the ladies at the time. Without turning the tune ominous, you can't really mistake the sentiment behind: "Pussy strike -- cock is crushed."

20. - "Simmer Down" by Bob Marley & The Wailers w/ The Skatalites

This track was Marley & the Wailers first #1 hit in Jamaica. Directed to the rude boys in the ghettos at the time, "Simmer Down" was a plea to cool the violence and crime that was plaguing Kingston. It was a sentiment that set Marley apart from his contemporaries, and would be the footstep towards what lie ahead of him. The song continues to be one of ska's most popular songs to this day.