Word: ska
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Bassist Joe Gittleman insists that the Mighty Mighty Bosstones is not a rock-ska hybrid exclusively designed for or accepted by college-bound students like...
...that is what the Bosstones are really all about: Connecting with the genuine fan base and music scenes that embraced them from the beginning by rocking out with melodic ska-core crunches and lead singer Dick Barrett's guttural chants that so many crowds flock to experience. Although they are "a constant, hardworking touring band playing over 300 shows a year," the Bosstones know that "Boston is a great place to play" and their hometown is where they experience the warmest embrace...
...were the imperial lions of reggae. Along with bandmate Bunny Wailer, they brought the music of Jamaica to a wider audience, establishing reggae as a genre of global reach and lasting import. Today you can hear their influence in the music of the hip-hop group the Fugees, the ska-rock band Sublime and even the Rolling Stones (Stones guitarist Keith Richards has a low-key Rastafarian drum-and-chant album out called Wingless Angels). Marley's career (he died in 1981) was rightly celebrated several years ago by the spectacular four-CD boxed set Songs of Freedom (Island...
...whole, the music of Tear I Up: The Ska Album features the beat characteristic of ska, but the majority of the songs lack the energy usually present in this style of music without compensating for that lack of energy with interesting instrumental themes. And none of the songs are redeemed by meaningful lyrics. Most simply make one statement and then repeat it, and those that elaborate do so in a superficial manner. Floyd Lloyd succeeds in offering a vision of soft ska, but he does not succeed in actualizing that vision. What is left is a CD that is mediocre...
Musically, the songs on So Long can basically be divided into two categories: brightly furious power chord attacks and funkier, brass-laden ska-themed tunes. Usually the band offers a more varied collection, such as with the two previous releases. Heavy Petting Zoo and Punk In Drublic, but not this time around. As for lyrics, traditional NOFX fare can be expected--pointless nuggets of comedy taken from lead singer Fat Mike's crazy world and critical mini-harangues that fit within the confines of the under-one-and-a-half-minute rock song. The topics have become expected and patterned...