Let me tell you a little story about my introduction to ska music. On a fateful day 25 years ago, I purchased my first two ska albums. One was The Singles Collection by The Specials. The other was Destruction by Definition by The Suicide Machines. I immediately fell in love with the 2-Tone sound of The Specials, as well as the more ska punk sound from The Suicide Machines.
One of the things that stood out to me on Destruction by Definition was the trombone playing. A few years later, I heard another band called The Pilfers; again with that distinct trombone sound. Sure enough. Same person. Vinnie Nobile. At this point in my ska infancy, I hadn’t heard of Boston ska legends Bim Skala Bim. That changed shortly thereafter.
Forming in 1983, Bim Skala Bim is one of the bands responsible for ushering in the popularity of ska music in the late ’80s and before the whole “Third Wave Explosion.” Without bands like Bim Skala Bim and The Untouchables, I’m not so sure ska would have caught hold in American culture like it did. So many bands owe their careers to Bim Skala Bim. For instance, there’s no way The BossTones exist without Bim.
For the uninitiated, Bim Skala Bim brings a heavily-influenced British 2-Tone sound to the world. They also blend as rock, reggae, and calypso to their ska backbone. This year, the band is back with a brand new full-length called Sonic Tonic. If digital is your thing, you can get the album now via the bandcamp for The Specialized Project. The sales from Sonic Tonic help the non-profit with teen cancer and mental health charities.
If physical media is more your speed, then Jump Up! Records will have the vinyl on July 4th. There’s nothing more American than getting a brand new album of originals from one of the premiere ska bands in America today!
Ahead of the new album’s physical release, Bim Skala Bim frontman Dan Vitale stopped by to let us know a little bit of his music tastes. Aside from being a ska icon, Dan is also an accomplished filmmaker, which heavily influences his choices below. Keep reading to find out which albums Dan picked. Then, go and download the first new material from Bim Skala Bim in eight years. Trust me when I say this, Sonic Tonic was worth the wait.
Favorite Album
“When Bearded Gentlemen asked me to do this, I decided to really go back to the album I still spin most after all these years, and I know my answer is shared by many others but it is just undeniable. The Harder They Come Soundtrack is that album. I never tire of it, and I listen to it regularly. It was a total game-changer for myself and so many of my friends. In Boston, the film had a midnight showing at the Orson Wells Cinema for many years in the ’80s. It was really my first big taste of what would become a lifelong love of reggae and ska music for me. It just gets better with time. So many classic songs, outstanding vocals, and intense stories. how can you go wrong with all those classic Toots, Jimmy Cliff, Keith and Tex, Desmond Dekker, and Melodians cuts?
Overrated Album
“Overrated is the tough one for me. I strive never to dwell in the negative, but for the purpose of the question posed to me, I could easily answer with albums like Hotel California or almost anything from Madonna, Taylor Swift, or even most Metallica. But, I will stay with reggae and ska because that is what I care most about.
I choose Snoop Lion’s Reincarnated album. Although the lyrics seem mostly loving and positive, this album seems very contrived, and a bit creepy to me. Loads of talented people helped Snoop make this, but it was one of those albums that I listened to once and just never thought to go back to again. Not very memorable and somewhat confused to me in its overall sound. It may have seemed like a good idea in theory, but it was strangely executed and just never lived up to the hype.”
Underrated Album
“I am also a filmmaker as well, as a singer/songwriter, so soundtracks are always amongst my favorites. For most underrated and right up with my choice of Harder They Come, is the Rockers soundtrack. Not only does this hold up really well on its own as an album, but the way it enhances the movie can still bring a tear of joy to my eye.
Ken Stewart of Skatalites and I watched it recently one night here in Panama at my beach house on the Caribbean. We were on battery power because the electricity went out here for several hours. We both had seen it many times, but still shouted out like Jamaicans in a dark theater as our favorite songs popped out. It seems very strange to me that Harder They Come is so much more known and highly praised than Rockers. It is really possibly the best film soundtrack ever and I will happily argue that point ad nauseum.
Just listen to Bunny Wailer’s “We a Rockers,” Jacob Miller’s “Tenement Yard,” Peter Tosh’s “Stepping Razor,” Junior Byles’ “Fade Away” Gregory Isaacs, “Slavemaster,” Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves, and ” Third World’s “Satta Amasagana.” These are some of the best of the best from a golden era. The way these songs set the perfect tone for the scenes they sit so beautifully behind is unsurpassed in my “Book of Rules.”
