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Madness March 2025 - The Trojan War Round 2 (w/ The Marijuana Brass)
163 Plays15 days ago
The Trojan War continues into Round 2 for another week of classic Jamaican Ska! For the next 8 matchups, CPSC welcomes back return guest Javi aka El Homie of the Marijuana Brass! Javi catches Rob, Celine and Joey up on his life, musical projects and his first thoughts on the bracket. Then, the foursome dig in on the next 16 tracks advancing 8 more into Round 3 to get ever closer to determining the greatest Ska Standard of all time!
Spotify Playlist
Madness March predictions are closed! Follow the bracket here
Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey Engineer: Joey Editor: Cutman Theme Song by Keelan and Joey Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International Special Thanks: Mega Michi and Adam the Ska Mailman
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Checkered Pass Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
In the spring of 2025 came classic ska to Edmonton. Checkered Pass took the music from the genre and put it to the pod, and came up with this bracket and called it Hep Hep Hep hep hep The Trojan War!
00:00:15
Speaker
two, three, four!
00:00:53
Speaker
Smooth.
Meet the Hosts: Celine and Rob
00:00:54
Speaker
What up, Checkerheads? Welcome to Checker Pass, the Scottcast with Celine and Rob. The show where a return of King Django and a skinhead Moonstomp Records, CanCon, explore the history and impact of a different band each episode, hope to bring in new fans along the way.
00:01:07
Speaker
I'm Rob Marley, and this is my sister and co-host, Salem and Dodd. Hell yeah. Hell That was awesome. What the fuck? What did you say? Rob Marley. Who Rob Marley?
00:01:22
Speaker
just for sir rob mark Rob Marley's good. Robert Marley. I guess that's his name. That's his name anyway. I just took his name and then just made it my name, which is his name. know. I know. It's a good.
00:01:36
Speaker
that's that's the That's what I love about you third wave livers that y'all y'll love a good Scott pun. I wasn't there for that. So I see a Scott pun and I'm like, ugh. Somebody's talking here and he hasn't been introduced yet. Hold your thoughts.
Special Guest: Joey Cliff
00:01:53
Speaker
We'll also welcome our co-host with the most toast, Joey Cliff. Hey. Oh yeah, it was it was waffles, not toast this morning. yeah we What do you put on those bad boys?
00:02:06
Speaker
We ordered them. yep i put some I put some syrup on there. I put some whipped cream on there. I had some Canadian back bacon on there. I got whipped cream and strawberries and butter.
00:02:19
Speaker
and i work moan's bomb Double smoked bacon. yeah I'm picking a away at it still. Her bacon smoked joints. I gotta i gotta to take my time to eat my breakfast.
00:02:32
Speaker
Yeah, I need like an hour and a half and I just want to chill. Yeah, for sure. Chill. You're so European. like That's like a like eat dinner at 8 o'clock right up until 12 kind of a thing, right? Ideally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely. Ideally. That sounds good for this household.
00:02:49
Speaker
British people, am I right? You're not wrong. having We might as well introduce you.
Javi's Return and Personal Journey
00:02:55
Speaker
might as well oh yeah yeah might as well he's returning to the podcast band leader for the marijuana brass it's el homie javi's here hello javi how are you doing buddy hello hello gang hello gang hello gang i'm here what this counts as your third appearance i would say oh my god three times oh yeah that's true huh yeah yeah damn what when was the last time it was in uh the three-year anniversary
00:03:21
Speaker
And what what a year that happened? And I'm, it's been a fucking crazy few months for me. That would have been May. That would have been beginning May. Right. Last year. So 10 months ago. so yeah Fuck.
00:03:34
Speaker
According to my calculations. Yeah. There's 12 of those things, right? Yeah. Yeah. Cool. A lot has happened. It's been a long ass year. I'll tell you that much. Fuck. Preach. Yeah. Yeah.
00:03:45
Speaker
Yeah. goodness guys You guys psyched to be the 51st state of America? Jesus, come on. You mean Alberta? it doesn't work it it doesn't work as a country, you guys. It only works as a state. know Haven't you heard? It only works as a state. just the Just all of Canada just cool just like sucked up into Minnesota.
00:04:07
Speaker
Well, it's not a real and country, even though it's fucking way bigger than the state. Just an entire landmass that's like the same size as the entire U.S., just like absorbed as a single unit. Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense. The economy's not good enough. The economy's not good enough for... to be a...
00:04:23
Speaker
59 or however many states are in there. i don't know I don't know. I don't know shit about Canada's territories. How many provinces do we have? We got 10 provinces and 3 territories. or even though mexico How many states or provinces Mexico has? fucking They got a lot, don't yeah lot they? got like That's a lot.
00:04:42
Speaker
It's a lot. It's a lot. Somewhere between Canada and US, s I feel like. Over 13, under 51. Something like that. Something like that.
00:04:54
Speaker
So let's catch the listener up. you you You said it. 10 months since the last time you've been on.
Javi's Musical Pursuits and Band Challenges
00:05:00
Speaker
Talk to us about your musical journey in the last 10 months. What's new with the marijuana brass? What's new with Tavi? What you've been up to? Oh, God, dog. Where do i fucking begin?
00:05:08
Speaker
um The start. I moved back in with my parents um yeah because of school. um I'm going back to school, so I'm planning on finishing my BA in music breath studies at California State University, Northridge.
00:05:26
Speaker
Go Matadors. Go Matadors. Yeah. Marijuana Brass. We actually lost our lead singer ah in, I think, like September of this past year. So we've kind of been on a hiatus, but we just released a Snoopy.
00:05:46
Speaker
a little bit ago it's a it's a rough live recording along with some instrumental demos but it's up there um yeah it sounds good i listened to it a couple times hell yeah oh thank you thank you it's a it's a good little song uh yeah marijuana brass original um all of the dem all of the instrumentals on that except for mr walker that's a jazz standard um just a little s snoopy ep just a little demo ep see what we got and other than that um i just recorded something for hans gruber and the diehards i've spi fest i played with but like maybe one every four acts i think i don't know yeah yep 25 percent of acts
00:06:30
Speaker
That shit was so much fun. i was so fucked up for that. i was Everyone was like, I got to smoke out El Homie. I got to smoke out El Homie. Yeah, everything blurb. People kept giving me blunts, and I was like, I have never smoked this much nicotine. So like by the middle of SPI Fest, I had like really bad nicotine. poison i'm Not poisoning, but really bad nicotine sickness. So was super nauseous playing of the sets. Get get down with the niceness.
00:06:57
Speaker
Yeah, they had crazy edibles there. I don't smoke cigarettes. I don't actually. I'm also sober. I'm sober six months. um on the That's awesome. Oh, yeah. um Because the the way I was smoking was a little too tough. They're going to kill me. um Yeah, I was. yeah They were going to come after you. They're like, you can't smoke. The killer. You see those clips of Wendy Williams being like, oh, I'm afraid of, you know, the killer is going to come and get me. The killer.
00:07:24
Speaker
Yeah. I'll send it in the chat If you know, you know But Wendy Williams has this archive Of this so-called killer That she keeps alluding to As you all know, I don't like Halloween Because, you know, the killer The killer's gonna come get you The killer I do know what she's talking about It's the killer It's the killer It's gonna come get And they are out to get you
00:07:55
Speaker
Yeah.
Lifestyle Changes for Health
00:07:56
Speaker
So you got cut back on the weeds. Cut back on the weed or the killer's going to get you. It reminds me of that. Do you remember that cartoon from the like early 90s, late 80s? That was like it had like every cartoon property mixed together. And it was about the evils of drugs.
00:08:12
Speaker
And then it was there. Yeah. And the one kid turned green. Yeah. That that video, um i like it had like every IP, and all of those companies were like, yeah, we'll we'll just do that because like so smoking and drugs are bad.
00:08:30
Speaker
You know what I mean? And then they did it, and nothing like that will ever happen again. Oh, and they used to rent that for free at vh like at the video store. Yeah, yeah, it's free. I remember the only one of the only reasons I've seen it multiple times is because they would let you take it for free.
00:08:46
Speaker
And I was like, there's Ninja Turtles on this. And Muppet Babies. And i care about the Ninja Turtles. Have you guys seen that? And this is another reference to another video. There's a video of these two kids doing like a presentation at their school.
00:09:03
Speaker
And I love this video. I quoted i quote it all the time. It's like they're doing a cover of Animals by Maroon 5, but it's titled Don't Do Drugs. So there this one kid that's like, don't do drugs, don't do drugs, don't do drugs. And then the other kid's like, what are drugs? Let me tell you real fast. They come in the form of a pill you pop or a thing you smoke. If you think about doing drugs, just don't.
00:09:25
Speaker
That's just informative. It's totally just like some kid just being, like, imagine, like, you're addicted to crack and kids are like, dude, you think about doing drugs? Just don't. Just stop. Just don't, man. Just don't. Stop it. Addiction isn't disease a disease or genetic. You just have to just don't. just come You just gotta thug it out. You just gotta to thug it out.
00:09:47
Speaker
but
00:09:52
Speaker
I'll get out. just You got this. I want to circle back to your last appearance really quickly. oh and there was a There's some controversy because um your episode was number two last year for our top episodes.
00:10:10
Speaker
Because there was some shenanigans. We talked about the shenanigans. Oh, shenanigans, Bananigans. Yeah, Banana Man came and rallied up his banana folks to get to the number one spot.
00:10:21
Speaker
i I just want to know, do you have a message for Banana Man about his asterisk victory? Banana Man, I don't know who the fuck you are. Who you think you're playing with?
00:10:35
Speaker
You think you're spicy? Yeah. You think just whenever you you least expect it, the killer is going to come and get you. So you better watch out, Banana Man. Brandon Flowers?
00:10:47
Speaker
Who's Banana Man? Brandon Flowers is the guy from The Killers. guy Oh, lead singer from The Killers. He doesn't look a thing Jesus. But you left in the world.
00:11:04
Speaker
It is funny because like your episode was like so heartfelt. And then the episode that got number one was the dumbest thing we've ever done. the show which Which episode was it? My first appearance or my second?
00:11:18
Speaker
Your second one, the one with Kaylee. but That one, yeah, that was a fun episode. um Honestly, one of the reasons why I became sober is because of that whole clip where I was like, you're listening to this joint right now, hit a blinker. hey' And then people just kept saying that to me.
00:11:32
Speaker
And I was like, man i'm right I don't know how many people I've gotten like ah addicted to weed ever since then. So I had to reevaluate some things. you you You realized you're a bad influence. I was like, I'm being a bad influence. Yeah.
00:11:49
Speaker
I come back a lot. yeah like so much yeah yeah so lynn's doing like a little hoot before bed mostly these days yeah that's pretty much it and then i've gone down to likea i like for me i'm not like i'm not like oh we're doing it again but you know yeah yeah it's good to have a healthy boundary overlieving you know having boundaries exactly exactly better sleep hygiene it can mess up your sleep That's kind of how I am with drinking.
00:12:14
Speaker
I haven't really had any drinks. I've had a couple of beers this year. But I haven't been drunk drunk in forever. I'm just not grateful. The last time I was drunk drunk was at SPI Fest. Now I was fucked up.
00:12:29
Speaker
I mean, we were all fucked After finished Kaylee's set, I was like, God, that was such a terrible set that I just played. going get drunk. And then Matamoska went on to play and I was like, let's go. Home field advantage.
00:12:42
Speaker
from got Then Rob got a punch in the eye. i think you might have gotten an elbow by famously I think you might have gotten elbowed by me. I'm sorry. Yeah, I believe so. for We're all friends.
00:12:54
Speaker
Rob's got two eyes still. yeah That's what they call me They call me two eyes. Two eyed Rob. Two eyed Rob. There's just a Cyclops Rob running around that we have to differentiate you from. Just keep bringing up Trojan War stuff. Just Cyclops. Trojan um That's called a segue. On note.
00:13:14
Speaker
On that note. Okay. Let's talk about it. Trojan War is upon us. Javi, I'm sure you have thoughts. So before we get into the actual bracket, and we need to table set a little bit.
00:13:25
Speaker
So okay first, is there any song that you feel we should have included in the bracket that wasn't there? Yeah, I got a few fucking words for you. First of all, i um Uptown top ranking, that should have not.
00:13:42
Speaker
I think it was better than. We're jumping right into you guys fucked the bracket. Okay, let's start. You guys fucked up the bracket. like You weren't here. here yeah Sure. How did we fuck up the bracket? That's
Ska Music Discussions and Humor
00:13:52
Speaker
the new question.
00:13:53
Speaker
Okay, I don't, okay, I don't, I fill out the bracket a while ago and I don't remember how I filled it out, but Uptown Top Ranking at least made a pass. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. It's a good horn line. That's sick.
00:14:04
Speaker
It's a good horn line. I love it. It's an earworm, but I could listen to Uptown Top Ranking and fucking, I'm still in love with you, boy, every, like, every day of my life and I would die happy.
00:14:15
Speaker
i am baffled that that song is so popular with people. yeah People love Uptown Top Ranking. It could be Yeah. Yeah. Couldn't be me. I don't know. I remember what I voted. did say it. I don't know.
00:14:30
Speaker
Also, ah Django smoking the weed. I was like, man, this is giving me vibes of like that one German guy that was on Eidos. That was low key like, well, fuck cancel culture. Cancel culture is is ruining Ska. And because he was faking Jamaican like super hard.
00:14:48
Speaker
ringing i got ringing There's only one. Yeah. And I was like, this song's corny. Hi, yeah yeah you know, fucking. Hi, you head ass. Fucking annoying. Annoying. as song you Yeah, im I'm very biased towards Lauren Atkin because he's Rasa. Honestly, Ska in Mexico would not be where it is um without Laurel, if that's how you pronounce his name. Laurel Atkin. Rudy got married. Big favorite of mine. um I'll also say this. I'm a student of a New Tone. So this playlist that y'all curated was like some of the first times I was listening to a lot of these tracks.
00:15:27
Speaker
Oh, nice. Yeah. Um, you know, you guys got fucking, our dad is move in on I was like, Oh, that's a cover of this. I didn't know that.
00:15:39
Speaker
Um, a lot of songs that i was like, oh these are, these are the originals. Um, Let's see. i'm not i'm I'm pretty biased against the Motown influence. I'm like, I'm sick of Motown.
00:15:52
Speaker
Get it out of my ska. um I like what I see. I have a soft spot for Motown. But it's a fair opinion to have. yeah I'm like, get the Motown out of my ska. It makes for more interesting chord progressions and instrumental arrangements, but like if I hear strings in my ska, I'm like, come on.
00:16:09
Speaker
You're going to bring those string players live? Get the fuck out of here. You're going to fucking... string players, like bowed instrument players, like get out of here. I'm sick of hearing you. What the cool? What about Apocalyptica?
00:16:22
Speaker
Also harmonica. I'm super anti-harmonica in ska. I don't a fuck. Okay, that's fair. I don't like I think we can all agree there. We caught strays when we said that about the harmonica. There's a couple comments. Okay, the reason why is because the motherfucker that's... I'm anti-harmonica, pro-toasting.
00:16:39
Speaker
Toasting, if you gotta do toasting. pro-toasting. Yeah. um I'm pro-horn lines, but if the horn lines are annoying... um like And there are some horn lines that are pretty grating. um You know, but I can only be so cool. that's so yeah and that You can only take so much of that.
00:16:56
Speaker
You know, you you pick that over fucking uptown top ranking. I'm like, shaking my damn head. You can only handle so much of that.
00:17:07
Speaker
I can handle The reason why I'll give it a pass though, is that it sounds like it's really fun to play on horn. i right i havent tried to on like one thing that you gotta know about me if you don't know who i am is i'm a horn player that's my number one thing i'm a student of new tone but i'm also a student of trombone classical jazz uh salsa um cumbia rock steady reggae that's that's like my bread and butter but like i'm super ignorant on like a lot of history because there's so much fucking history to catch up on there's a lot yeah
00:17:43
Speaker
So that's that's three things. It needs a good and needs a good dance ability, good sing ability, and earworm, if it's an earworm.
00:17:54
Speaker
Those are his things. there's things You got your being got three already. ability I'm writing them down. Sing ability and i never going to remember what mine were danceability singability catchability Catch 22.
00:18:11
Speaker
good See, I know how to make puns. Come on, guys. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's got it. ah Joey, what are your things? What are you looking for fuck i don't and an
Critique of Ska Music Elements
00:18:21
Speaker
old school Scott song? I honestly do not even remember. Dancing?
00:18:25
Speaker
ah Maybe... ah No. maybe no Dancing? um You're just saying what Javi said. I yeah have no idea. I don't remember. Groove is in the heart. Piano. And hooks. Yes, hooks. Yeah, piano.
00:18:36
Speaker
really like the... yes yeah ah oh man yeah no yeah piano i really like the amount of piano on all these older songs.
00:18:46
Speaker
Like, I love organ on newer stuff, for sure. And I even more so love, like, more modern stuff that, like, mixes. Like, one part of the bubble will be on, like, a piano and the other part will be on the organ. I love when they do that, too.
00:18:59
Speaker
But these older ones, like, that piano in there is... what I love a piano playing chops. I can't lie. Yeah. oh yeah clean in cho I'm also, I'm super jazz. I i think I mentioned jazz influence. um If the shredding is good too, like how good are the solos? If people are soloing um sometimes you can tell like, okay, this was not the best take you could have given that guy. But as as a jazz listener, you're kind of just used to that. Like you listen to fucking, what's that song called that everyone knows? Yeah.
00:19:29
Speaker
Fucking... Exactly. You don't even fucking know. I don't fucking know. Nah, if you're a jazz head, you know what I'm talking about. I'm just blanking on the song. I'm on no sleep. I respect jazz, but I know zero about it. and Yeah, jazz. For me, jazz can feel like homework sometimes. It can feel like Yeah, it feels like work. It's like too... It's like...
00:19:49
Speaker
But sometimes you listen to a song. It's like, I'm smarter than you. And I'm like, that was not the best take you could have gotten out of that. You know? And for a lot of, especially like if you listen to Scottelite stuff, like it feels like that a lot where it's like, huh, you guys are kind of figuring the song out as you're going, huh?
00:20:06
Speaker
like this is likere like we We paid for one hour of studio time. We need to get this song done in one hour. i feel like it's similar to improv. Improv at a really high level can be really good. yeah but when it's like not on a high level, it's like secondhand embarrassment. Is that what it's like for a musician? Watching jazz? That clearly what does that makes sense.
00:20:29
Speaker
like if If I hear like a hornline a horn player play a sour note and he just never recovers from it, yeah um It's probably the same like thing as a joke. is on laughing Yeah, like a joke not landing. And then the guys, I don't know what that's like. So folkss these are the jokes.
00:20:44
Speaker
These are the notes. These are the jokes. These are the notes. Yep. That's how it feels sometimes. It's like you get secondhand embarrassment. You're like, oh, yeah. You don't get that a lot.
00:20:57
Speaker
um I think one of my things was like no white people. Yeah. I think the specifically not all white people. yeah Yeah. Not all. Well, that's weird. Yeah. um I wrote.
00:21:09
Speaker
Not all white people. Yeah. yeah like fuck you got i dread Fuck you, Adam Davis. Fuck you, Aaron Carnes. And fuck you, especially Judge Dredd.
00:21:22
Speaker
um I have no idea what my other things were. It was a little grit. advocate yeah And lady vocals sometimes.
00:21:32
Speaker
Because I admit that there's some songs that are still good without lady vocals. I can admit that. Yeah, yeah. That's fair. I said I prefer an instrumental with toasting.
00:21:44
Speaker
um I definitely will take Ska and Rock Steady over reggae. And i like the I like the one take. I like the shitty production. i like the one and done aspect of it. um yeah So I'm definitely going to pick the ones where it sounds like shit.
00:22:00
Speaker
That's part of what I like about it. Yeah, I love, I don't mind like a little dirt on my on my masters. as you If you've ever listened to the marijuana brasses shit that's up right now, there's a lot of mud. There's a lot a lot of mud.
00:22:12
Speaker
And me sometimes my musicians don't like that I am so okay with that. you know they're okay with that yeah I mean as so national um to yeah and as as someone who like is kind of came I guess more from the punk world like am I listening like I'm that's I love that shit you know i mean like I like a little more off the floor type of sound yeah but I mean i like I like a nice crisp production as well but like I appreciate like a more live sound totally that's one thing that I wish that um
00:22:46
Speaker
that's something I hope dies with new tone is that, uh, the crisp audio, um, you know, people, the super poppy punky, um, what's the word? What's the word? Um, production aesthetic is what we'll call it.
00:23:02
Speaker
The production aesthetic of something that's like, you know, super polished, but it's still punk rock. I'm like, well, why is it still punk rock at this point is pop music.
00:23:14
Speaker
you know We're not playing Scott Punk, we're playing Scott Pop now. You know what i mean? and True. true yeah that's my So that's my hot take. You know, i feel like that might have something a little bit to do with like ah like in the last, say, 10 years or so, home recording blew up, right? Like it was insane.
00:23:36
Speaker
And I think people were... pushing as hard as they could to like make that home recording sound like studio recordings and now we've surpassed that and we're like well now everybody's home recording can sound as polished as they want you know and it's like oh and then you kind of lose a little bit of it so it's and then nobody can and you don't dial it back a little you know you forget what your arrangements go like and all of a sudden you play you play those arrangements in your studio and you're like, okay, I have as many takes as I want. And then people are like, now we want to see you live. was going to say, reproduce it live, what's the point?
00:24:10
Speaker
ah Like you could just be a home recording person, but. Yeah.
Live Performances and Diverse Acts
00:24:15
Speaker
I don't know. like so much of ska is like, it's The beauty of it is the live aspect. So much of music is. And I'm just experiencing that now versus recording song and just starting play live shows. Shout Femme Voyage or however you pronounce it.
00:24:29
Speaker
Wait, Femme Voyou? Voyou? We just played two shows. Two shows in a row. Yeah. and It was so fun. And just to like start making like community and like last night was all women fronted bands and like ah drag performer. and like it was just very like diverse and it was just fucking awesome. There's just all these witches being witches.
00:24:48
Speaker
ah it was, yeah, building. I got a question for you. soli I got a question. yeah Now that you're a fucking now you're a rock star. what do you think of the new Lady Gaga album? obsessed but a little not what i expected because i thought it would go more goth i do still think disease is number one uh-huh garden of eden is a banger you're a little monster in the chat hit a blinker if you're little monster pause little monsters uh love drug really good there's some disco e tracks and then there's like that i like my language prince there's like a prince song
00:25:25
Speaker
Oh, that's cool. Well, like a Prince style song. Yeah. Yeah. Killer. With an A-H. Oh. Ah. That's scary. um do do What do you think, Javi?
00:25:36
Speaker
I only listened to it once in passing. It was a really good album to listen to in passing. And it reminded me a lot of her older stuff.
Discussion on Lady Gaga's New Album
00:25:44
Speaker
I feel like she's really like getting to like her nostalgic bag. Like it felt like it could have released in the twenty ten s You know what I mean?
00:25:52
Speaker
Her videos are just like, she's just being so fucking weird. Like in disease, she's being so fucking weird. i haven't seen any of the videos. Oh my God. haven't seen any of the videos yet. We're back to meet Dress Gaga.
00:26:03
Speaker
We get like what Abracadabra nuts. And she has all these like, again, very diverse, like queer, vogue like voguers in it. And like just incredible dancing, being a freak, being mother. She's mother's mothering.
00:26:16
Speaker
We're so lucky to have mother mothering right now. So true. Yeah. Yeah. Like literal mom. All right, let's do it. Time to get into it, y'all.
00:26:28
Speaker
Yeah. All right. This is Madness
Ska Song Bracket Challenge
00:26:31
Speaker
March. All month long, we are doing a March Madness style bracket to pit 32 classic Jamaican ska songs in head-to-head battle to determine once and for all the greatest ska standard of all time.
00:26:39
Speaker
Thanks for everyone who voted their predictions. If you want to follow along, the bracket is at challenge.com. long Slash the Trojan wo War. the matchups are based on the or or The matchups are based on nothing. they I just made it.
00:26:54
Speaker
Here's how it's going to work. Today is round two with our very special guest, Javi. If you haven't done so already, go back and check the pre-show in parts one and two of round one. In this episode, we're only listening to the first couple minutes of each song.
00:27:05
Speaker
We will have two more weeks with guests after this, eliminating half the tracks until an ultimate winner is crowned. In the event of a tie, we'll be going to Discord to break up the tie with our loyal checkerheads.
00:27:16
Speaker
What is Jamaican Sky, you ask? I can't believe it took us three years to talk about it It was formed in Jamaica in the late 1950s by combining the local sounds of Mento and Calypso with the R&B and Jump Blues imported by American soldiers in the aftermath of World War II.
00:27:30
Speaker
Thanks to DJs and sound system operators such as Prince Buster, Cox and Dodd, and Duke Reed, the style was brought to the forefront by hiring local musicians to create a style that was definitively Jamaican, which coincided with the liberation of the country from the English in the early 60s.
00:27:44
Speaker
This culminated in the release of Millie Small's My Boy Lollipop in 1964 that exploded internationally, becoming Jamaica's first commercially successful song. Studios on Orange Street, such as Studio One and Treasure, became hotspots for local bands to record.
00:27:58
Speaker
With slower soul music becoming more popular in the U.S., the ska sound slowed to create rock steady in the late 60s before slowing further to the more African-forward reggae by the 70s. Many Jamaicans began immigrating to the UK in the late 60s, including the legendary Duke Reed, who founded Trojan Records and imported numerous Jamaican releases that exploded in popularity, creating the crossover hits that we're talking about today.
00:28:20
Speaker
Hence why we're you're calling it the Trojan War. Let's do it. Here's the first matchup.
Highlighting Iconic Ska Songs
00:28:27
Speaker
Hell yeah. Return of Django, recorded in 1969. It's an instrumental track written by band leader Lee Scratch Perry in the band's signature pre-dubbed style.
00:28:35
Speaker
Its B-side was Dollar in the Teeth, and it peaked at number five on the UK singles chart. This is the Upsetters' Return of Django. Hell yeah, there it is. You can't hear it all day, never get sick of it.
00:28:48
Speaker
It's nasty. It's a nasty horn line.
00:28:53
Speaker
It's a slutty horn line. but If a horn's gonna be slutty. This is a slutty-ass horn. I picture, like, a little train, like, slowly just kind of chugging along the track. Chugging along. Yeah.
00:29:06
Speaker
That's a big... That's another thing that goes into danceability. It's strollability. Can you just go outside and just stroll to this song? This that was like this is rockin' music. Yeah. Like, the meters knew what was up.
00:29:18
Speaker
Half their songs had strut in the second half of the title, and this is a similar vibe, for sure. Can you walk down the street feeling cool listening to this? Hell yeah. This is good. Come on. i have no regrets. No, it's a great song. It's a great song.
00:29:32
Speaker
Ha ha ha ha.
00:29:36
Speaker
People loved Optown top ranking so much. Yeah, people were really upset about that one, but its sorry. Not it sorry. Sorry.
00:29:46
Speaker
Yeah. That's a stone cold classic. That is yeah a great song, y'all. That's a classic. I can't even fucking lie. That's classic. It's just so different. But the last bracket, the real Big Fish covers.
00:30:01
Speaker
yeah yeah yeah Yeah, it's just so different. It's so different listening to this versus that. The the Real Big Skirmish? Did you cover that song? No.
00:30:12
Speaker
No, I'm just It covered Monkey Man. bracket pe yeah Well, everyone fucking covered Monkey Man, so... Every September, we ruin Slim's life by doing the third waviest bands ever.
00:30:25
Speaker
that Can we start a petition to get Monkey Man in the like American Songbook? Can that happen? Well, I think. Well, it's not American, so no.
00:30:38
Speaker
That's the thing. Okay. i i'm like We need a rude boy real book. We need a rude boy real book. There go. That's 100% what we need. but It'll just be the 32 songs from this bracket.
00:30:49
Speaker
Exactly. Honestly, it's a good bracket. like This is a good-ass playlist. I put the playlist on just to like walk around and do my shit, you know. It's a good little play. yeah yeah are you Are you as upset that you're wondering now is not in there as some other people are?
00:31:04
Speaker
ah no I don't give a fuck.
00:31:08
Speaker
i also I also don't give a fuck. You're wondering now what to do. you know Just because Amy Winehouse did it. We get it, bro. We get it. There's a lot Amy Winehouse songs.
00:31:19
Speaker
Monkey Man's here. fucking looking men's here yeah that's what i'm saying dem brits dem brits they love it they love the shit dem brits it's true it's true it's going up against yeah everything i own recorded in 1974 it's a reggae rock steady cover of the bread song picked at number one on the uk singles chart this is ken booth with everything i own
00:31:46
Speaker
different vibe yeah this one's pretty chill
00:31:51
Speaker
I don't know about the twinkles. No? What makes the twinkles? A keyboard? I'll tell you what. Overproduction.
00:32:02
Speaker
No, it's a great... Vocally, it's a very, very fun song. Yeah, I remember saying that because vocals are nuts. The vocals carry this song.
00:32:12
Speaker
Yeah. Man, if I sing like that, I'd be like that annoying person who sings all the time. I like you have to put up with it because I sound so good.
00:32:26
Speaker
My voice this is too cohesive. For me, this is more Motown-y than Skala would get. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's fair. And it's also like closer to reggae. Oh yeah, i forgot how good this is.
00:32:38
Speaker
It's really beautiful. Yeah, the chorus is real good. Bassline's fun too. Something you could play at your wedding. Your mom would love. Imagine having that vibrato. Aaron Bear could never. she couldn't Maybe he could. lasts and You guys didn't even ask him if he could. Come on.
00:33:02
Speaker
Give us vibrato. Come on. That's enough, though. Imagine relaxing your vocal cords that much. Okay, so we got to pick between those two songs? Those two songs? yeah guys Is that what you're asking me? Yeah, i got an answer.
00:33:16
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I think I'm locked in. Yeah, I'm locked in. Flynn, how are you feeling? yeah Yeah, you know how I feel. Three, well we don't we're gonna find two, I don't even know. the second a Turn of Django. The second one.
00:33:31
Speaker
The second one? mean, I was outnumbered anyways, but... Yeah, that's fair. and music I don't always agree with Rob and Joey. Yeah, I obviously... That one was just a like...
00:33:45
Speaker
Like, I really like both of those songs, but one's just more ska than the other. so True, true, true. yeah yeah I can definitely see I'm more... what's what are your what's what what What determined your choice, Javi?
00:33:58
Speaker
um Singability. don't know. It's definitely a singable fucking, you know. sang that shit a lot already. Singability. Yeah, yeah but but versus everything that I own. You know, that's lyrical. That is beautiful. Lyrical, spiritual, you know I mean? Hell yeah.
00:34:18
Speaker
You know, it's a very sweet song. And the return of Django now. But, you know, also a lot of these are based off the title. Like the title alone, the return of Django, you're just like, God damn.
00:34:29
Speaker
That's honestly low-key, like almost what told me. I was like, but that just feels right. The Twinkles, honestly, if it wasn't for the Twinkles, I might have gone everything owned. Twinkles is what put you out? Yeah, I really don't like the Twinkles. I don't care for the Twinkles either.
00:34:47
Speaker
yeah i think the groove itself is just not to my liking. It's just it's all vocal. The vocal carries that entire song for me. Stunning vocals. yeah Yeah, fantastic.
00:34:58
Speaker
but over for kind of I do want to listen to that song again. You know what I mean? I do want to listen to that song again. yeah but not as much as i mean mean but Classics against classics. you know It's hard to fucking and put them against each other. We said it through both of the last episodes where it's like it's all of these songs fuck. but that but okay but Return to Django over Uptown top ranking? Come on.
00:35:21
Speaker
Okay, we gotta let it go. We all gotta to let it go. Nah, it's not coming back. Nah, nah, come on. It's not coming back. Some people had it win. The whole thing. That's crazy. Like a lot of people. Those people were mad.
00:35:35
Speaker
More than one. I kind of want to listen to it again. i'll you know what? I'm going to in. I'm just curious now. I'm like, well, I don't know. Was that when I was high or not high? There was one episode was high. No, that the not high. That was the not high.
00:35:53
Speaker
That's probably my authentic self. Also, a shout out to Chip, who got ah all of the wrong choices on the first episode, but then Selene smoked some weed and picked all of his choices the second episode. It was like, my bracket was fucked until Selene got high.
00:36:10
Speaker
Amazing. It was a different experience. It was very eye-opening. Honestly, one of the reasons I cut back, I was like, I'm a different person.
00:36:22
Speaker
that's It's true. when When you listen to this music stone, like it has a different effect on you. It does. right, we got the next matchup here. all right. Guns of Navarone, recorded in 1965. It's an instrumental cover of the theme song of the movie with the same name. Features toast from Roland Alfonso and Scratch Perry.
00:36:39
Speaker
Only peaked at number 34 on the UK singles chart and is still the only charting Scatolite song. This is the Scatolites with Guns of Navarone. Now these two, these two, this is a matchup. This is a hell a matchup.
00:36:52
Speaker
This is like, who's got the better toasting in my opinion? This bracket has made me a better toaster. have one thought that I'm a brave little toaster. I love toasting. I love toasting.
00:37:03
Speaker
I was like, oh, i need to step up my chicka-choo. God damn, this is good baseline.
00:37:13
Speaker
This is fucking cool.
00:37:16
Speaker
Do you do any Higgies? Do you do any of those? can't. No, you can't do a Higgie? Higgie! You know what I mean. I've added a Higgie.
00:37:27
Speaker
Like somewhere in between Fatboy V-Boxing and Toasting? That's my favorite when you're like about to pretend to V-Box and you're That's stupid.
00:37:44
Speaker
yeah so it's stupid and love it Not for nothing, that was a bit on the Brack Show in the musical episode. That's totally where I got it from. where Where dad comes in and does he just does that part of the beatbox. That's 100%. That's why it's a core i mean the big core memory. Hosting in general is just beatboxing and then sometimes you just say the name of the song or like you just you just spit shit out. You're just spitting shit.
00:38:11
Speaker
You're word vomiting. You're just doing whatever the fuck with your mouth. It's like a, what do they call Like stream of consciousness. just Exactly. It's like speaking in tongues. It's a spiritual experience. If you're not toasting, then what are you doing?
00:38:26
Speaker
i do You're just like reaching into like the song and pulling out sounds that shoot out of your face. When people toast, like the people in the audience start doing the like crazy religious whatever. Healing them? Yeah, healing them. and they're like You've never been to an LA star show.
00:38:46
Speaker
It happens. i'm not i'm not ah not the most I believe it. street billiards you that' That's what happens in the audience. That's what happens at Hans Gruber and Die Hard shows when they play.
00:38:57
Speaker
Al Capone's next. Come on, guys. Yeah, it's going up against the one and only Al Capone. Recorded in 1964. It's a straight-up ska song. Written and toasted by the one and only Prince Buster.
00:39:09
Speaker
Backed by the Baba Brooks Band for the Blue Beat label. Picked at number 18 in the UK a full three years after its release. This is Prince Buster with Al Capone.
00:39:32
Speaker
I love that intro. So good. Unreal.
00:39:38
Speaker
And literally every random thing he says is amazing. For real. That's some good tips. Yep. He's the originator. you want this is but This is what I'm modeling my chookas off of in the song. I've improved. We could not pick a better person to pull from. Yeah.
00:39:58
Speaker
How much better have my picket is done? Yeah, oh yeah, your toasting is... Come a long way. The piano in there? Fuck yeah.
00:40:09
Speaker
So good.
00:40:18
Speaker
I feel like if people think like third wave ska, like ska is lame and they write off all ska, like they should hear this. Yeah. You know what I mean? And then they're like, oh, that chicka is pretty cool.
00:40:29
Speaker
You know what i mean? And then he says, don't call me like... Also, you you have the bias of Gangsters by the Specials. That's ah that's a very clear bias on mine. I love that song.
00:40:46
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love Al Capone, essentially. Yeah. Borderline to cover. Yeah. An interpolation one would say. That's the word. Oh, early interpolation. Yeah. ah Ava Max could never.
00:41:01
Speaker
I think I know how I'm voting. I think. I know. Yeah, I'm locked in. yeah Okay. yeah Javi, are you in? Do you know what you got? ah Damn, this one's tough. Yeah, man. This one is tough.
00:41:14
Speaker
I would be happy with either of them winning, but I think I know what I'm going vote for. overthink it. Okay. In honor of Femme Voyeux. Trois, deux, un. Al Capone.
00:41:26
Speaker
What did you say? obviously Al Capone. Al Capone has it. These guns don't argue. I love Guns of Navarone so much is why I probably picked it. And actually my favorite version is the... It's a great-ass title. It's a great-ass title. Guns of Navarone. What the fuck is a Navarone? In the shootout, Al Capone won.
00:41:46
Speaker
Yeah. yeah As far as guns go? Yeah. yeah Al Capone's didn't argue. and or argued No, didn't argue? The guns don't argue. Guns don't argue. you speak You shoot first, ask questions last.
00:41:58
Speaker
Alright? Guns don't argue. I think that's a terrible motto. Why not? But not you not if you're Al Capone, though. Al Capone. My name is Capone. You gotta say it like that, too. Capone.
00:42:12
Speaker
I love the way he says it. I just love it. It's so good. It's way better than me, poor. was gonna say, is saying Al Capone weird like that, should fake him Jamaican? Does that count? don't think that counts.
00:42:25
Speaker
Not like that. No. ah the whole own i'm canceled. That's fine. All right. It was bound to happen. This is like the fifth time I've been canceled this year. You're like Trisha Paytas.
00:42:40
Speaker
You know what? I think this is actually a good time to take a break just looking at the time. And then when we come back, let's polish off this bracket. Hell yeah.
00:42:58
Speaker
Welcome back to Checkered Past.
Appreciation for Powerful Vocals and Messages
00:43:00
Speaker
We're here with Javi of the Marijuana Brass, and we're going through the Trojan War. Here's the next matchup. Young, Gifted in Black, recorded in 1970. It's a cover of the Nina Simone song with vocals by Bob Andy and Marsha Griffith, the latter of which, who would write the electric slide almost 20 years later.
00:43:17
Speaker
Peaked at number 11 on the UK singles chart. This is Bob and Marsha, with Young, Gifted in Black. This is another tough-ass fucking... Yeah, this is ah this is a tough matchup. Black V Black.
00:43:29
Speaker
Yeah, the last one was Own vs Own. True. Because it was Navarone vs Elk. Oh, I just that. This
00:43:44
Speaker
is a banger. Yeah, this song's great.
00:43:48
Speaker
Strings and everything. I still really like it. Bob and Marcia are great. True, true, true. I don't know if I like the strings. But the chord progression is so nice. And the vocal progression. Oh yeah, fucking the fucking harmonies.
00:44:04
Speaker
And it is a hook. This shit gets stuck in my head when I hear for sure.
00:44:12
Speaker
Yeah, if if it was Pied Piper, it's it's no contest, because i i I like that song a a little bit more, but like this song is still also just a jam.
00:44:23
Speaker
Man, that guitar player is just like the whole time. wild
00:44:33
Speaker
um Cool. Hell yeah. yeah it's Yeah, it is cool. i agree. It's cool. It's like a cool song, right? Guys, can't we just agree that all the songs are beautiful in their own way?
00:44:46
Speaker
Yeah. Somebody at the show last night on the side stage yelled like, so fun! and I was like, so spooky. Spooky. Spooky song. And it's like, i don't know why. So fun!
00:45:00
Speaker
So spooky. So spooky. And they're like, oh! That's a good to that's a good ah ah toast. ah she themselves So spooky! Very grudge ready.
00:45:12
Speaker
ready
00:45:17
Speaker
All right, it's going up against Black and White. Recorded in 1971 to cover of the Pete Seeger standard and became much more famous when it was later covered by Three Dog Night. 1971, two bands, Greyhound and the Maytones, both recorded a version of the same song at the same time.
00:45:32
Speaker
But the Greyhound one was the winner, peaking at number six on the UK singles chart. This is Greyhound with Black and White.
00:45:45
Speaker
What instrument? question is, what instrument is this? what Is this like an English horn? It sounds like an English horn. No, it's like a key. Is an actual horn? It's a key, I think, yeah. It's almost like a harpsichord, but not quite. Yeah. It's kind of weird. relax is' Or maybe it's like an organ setting. First thought, best thought the lyrics.
00:46:06
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. thought best thought on the lyrics yeah yeah yeah
00:46:14
Speaker
It almost sounds like a parody. You know what mean? It's not. But it's almost like... That's one thing I don't like about this song is that it sounds like a nursery rhyme. And when my Scotch wrote nursery rhyme... It's a Pete song, right? Pete Seeger was very... don't know. It was very folky. Americana. Americana is a good word for it.
00:46:40
Speaker
Also the strings. Get the strings out of here. Get the strings. So many strings. Both of these songs. And now it's almost gospel. Yeah.
00:46:52
Speaker
Very gospel. Yeah, this would go well in church.
00:46:59
Speaker
True. it it does It reads as like a song that you, like, if I was teaching ah a choir or directing a choir, i would definitely put this in like the repertoire. Yeah. Yeah, totally.
00:47:12
Speaker
Yeah. all right. I know how i'm voting. I would love to be a composer. I'm locked in. ah shouldt again You and it can be a composer. Oh, you mean a conductor. and and That's what I meant. Yeah, I was like, you can be a composer now. like a like he just I things. things you were you tried to i could i could have been a conductor. That was the joke. Edit all that out. Edit all that out. I could have been a conductor. Oh, oh, oh.
00:47:38
Speaker
and joke i make sure yeah but Oh, oh, whoa. Pizza. Because it's fun. I feel like conducting would be fun. Did you have to do a conducting course? Yeah, I've done a bunch of conducting courses. And? As in like three.
00:47:54
Speaker
so yeah, as I've actually, I've actually, um my first year out of high school, I conducted my high school band. That's cool. And we got a superior rating, the second one in the school district's history. Hell yeah. Nice.
00:48:07
Speaker
um That's fun. Do you feel powerful? I'm an experienced conductor. um It kind of feels like acting. its It's like you're you're acting, you're pantomiming to the kids. like You're like, okay, are we are we in tempo? Are we in tempo? If we're in tempo, then let's let's add more feeling.
00:48:22
Speaker
I feel like it's kind of witchy. It looks like you're casting a spell on them. Exactly. It's very I'm forcing them to play music. it can It can feel like that. I don't know how else to explain it to the to the audio listeners because I'm just waving my fucking hand like an idiot. Yeah, like and figure out I'm not going to lie. I was just thinking, i was like well, that's a cutout of a moment where he's doing a thing with his hand. I was in this song, it would be like... bunking got gain game that game bunking And then you point at the horn players when it's their turn.
00:48:52
Speaker
Alright, horn players. Alright, ready. three four you know and then you know i as someone who's never played in like a like a band like a like a lart you know like a band band like that um i feel like ah someone conducting me would be helpful yeah feel like i'm watching them keep time and like yeah i'm often the conductor for the marijuana brass like as we're playing like i'll i'll just waving try and bar a little a bit like Like, on we on and and and and and yeah, yeah. Kind of call in the changes and stuff. Yeah.
00:49:28
Speaker
Yeah. Or like, like we'll do a lot of abrupt changes. So like, you know, like go at the end of our our solo section and lady fingers, we do a dead stop.
00:49:39
Speaker
um Sometimes it's it comes off as a retardando where, you know, it's like, but bu bu bu but but be but you that's the tempo. da but be i du think that and and and and and and
00:49:56
Speaker
That's a very conductable line because it's technically the upbeat or the, um the, it's like a pickup. That's the word. It's a pickup. So you can dictate the tempo with that.
00:50:09
Speaker
And that's the downbeat. That's where you, the rest of the band comes in on the downbeat. Goddamn, I love that song so much. I just learned something today.
00:50:21
Speaker
Fuck yeah. Yeah, this is an educational podcast now. Damn it. I feel like there's one in my head. like there's one of the choices that's more in my head, but I don't even know if that's the better. I'm just going to go with it. Yeah, just okay go with your heart. Yeah.
00:50:37
Speaker
Yep. Three. Two. One. Young, gifted, and black. and black okay i don It's in my head. It's the
00:50:50
Speaker
an earworm. It's a really good earworm. We're going to learn how to read and write. yeah I'm the only one who said black and white. oh Which is fair. I didn't even know. But I had to go with my heart. Got to your heart.
00:51:05
Speaker
yeah Black and white, i i the lyrics are just so bad. i just can't. They're so bad. very nice that The big crescendo in the chorus is sweet. like I love that shit, obviously. It's a great musical moment. All of these songs have really good musical moments. The stuff that leans more towards like gospel and Motown.
00:51:24
Speaker
um great you know String arrangements can really add a lot. The way that they layer, it's really well good songwriting. It's great songwriting, but is it what I think about when I think of like Trojan, Reggae, Rocksteady, Ska?
00:51:39
Speaker
No, it's not. um Very fair. Very fair. oh Sorry, the next matchup. That's okay, I already know. Alright, let's save it. Okay, we got this song.
00:51:55
Speaker
Skinhead Moonstomp recorded in 1970 in the UK. It's a more overt skinhead reggae reworking of Derek Morgan's Moonhop and a celebration of early 70s skinhead culture.
Cultural Significance and Catchy Tunes
00:52:04
Speaker
Failed to chart but was reissued later after being covered by the specials and hit number 54 on the UK singles chart.
00:52:10
Speaker
This is Simirep with Skinhead Moonstomp. I want all you skinheads to get up on your feet. Put your braces together and your boots on your feet.
00:52:21
Speaker
And give me some of that old moonstomping. And skinheads just must love this so much. Drumroll. Yeah.
00:52:34
Speaker
That Pixgrape? Pixgrape. It's a great intro. It's an iconic intro. It's like a rockabilly song being like, get that flower in your hair and get in your hot rod.
00:52:50
Speaker
I want all you emo kids to put your shoes on and cover one of your eyes with your hair. put on here Put on your vans. Fuck you to your mom.
00:53:03
Speaker
i want all Go to the mall to visit Hot Topic. Yeah. And then when you're sick of Hot Topic, go to the other store. What's it called? Box lunch. Spencer's Gift. Yeah, Spencer's Gift.
00:53:22
Speaker
Damn it, this is tough. I don't even know anymore. Yeah, this is this is a tough lineup. Matchup. The bass line is just so fucking good. off The bass line is yeah life. Like I could listen to this. That's that's another thing.
00:53:35
Speaker
The chord progression loop ability. Like you could i could imagine like just horn players going for like 10, 20 minutes just over that chord progression. And then just coming back, we we cut the horns off by just singing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:53:50
Speaker
Like it's very much like a singer led song. there's ah There was a moment in time there when I was just like obsessed with like King Tubby and like just dumb like old school dub stuff. That was nickname in high school.
00:54:06
Speaker
so yeah um But it's like, that's kind of the the whole that's the whole thing with that era of dub was like they would take a song like that that just had a fucking banging bass line and just help dump everything but the bass line.
00:54:20
Speaker
you know what i mean it would just be kick drum and bass line for like eight minutes and then like weird echoes and stuff and it's so fucking good that and that in music we call like jam ability like how or vamp vamp ability can we vamp this chord progression or does it like for example young gifted in black and black and white very much feel like they're through composed as in The chord progressions move and they're meant to take you on like a journey in that aspect before it starts to repeat itself as opposed to skinhead moon stomp.
00:54:53
Speaker
And even my boy lollipop, it's very much like a, you know, very predictable chord progression. And sometimes that's all you need to dance. Sometimes you just need a groove. Hell yeah.
00:55:04
Speaker
Sometimes it's nice to know what's coming next for once in our lives. yeah For real. In these kind times we're in. You kicked it off. This is my boy Lollipop. Recorded in 1964. It's a full-blown ska vocal cover of the Barbie Gay Doo-Wop Classic.
00:55:18
Speaker
It is the first true breakout hit from Jamaican pop star internationally. and It peaked at number two in the UK and the US. s Only getting beaten out by i Get Around by the Beach Boys. This is Millie Small with My Boy Lollipop.
00:55:34
Speaker
Female vocals sometimes. Yep. Now this song swings. This is a... Yeah.
00:55:44
Speaker
This was a controversial pick from us. Some people were not happy that it progressed. I like people don't like it that much. I feel like people don't like it. love this song. It's a good song. It's definitely been in my rotation.
00:56:01
Speaker
People that don't like my song, thought probably haven't seen Spiceful that shows. What'd you say, Javi? Like when the chord changes, ah like the chords changed right here.
00:56:13
Speaker
Yeah. I'll never let you go away.
00:56:19
Speaker
good, it's a good ass song. What can I say? I don't like the harmonica in it though. It just sounds like, you know, but I don't like most harmonica, you know, it's too yeah it's such a sound font that I'm like so sick of.
00:56:33
Speaker
Yeah, it kind of almost, the way it's played also makes it sound like a juice harp a little bit, which is not my favorite instrument either. Yeah. yeah yeah this is ah This is hard.
00:56:45
Speaker
I feel like i almost want you guys to like vote me out, but I have i have to vote one. Nah, know which one to yeah after me too cause I want. Yeah, me I feel like there's a song that like should be here like on the chart.
00:56:58
Speaker
ah But also... so are we and it's like Do I pick the one that's more iconic? is that Yeah. Or do I pick the one that's like a song I would go back and listen to?
00:57:10
Speaker
I go back and listen to both of these songs pretty often, if I'm being honest. like these are These songs are in my ska, rock, steady, reggae playlist. Both of them. I don't want people to quit listening to the pod based on this decision.
00:57:24
Speaker
This can only take so many walks. okay i I just mentally justified my choice. I know i know what I'm picking. Yeah, okay. You don't give a fuck if Chris is walking.
00:57:38
Speaker
Chris can walk home for all I give a damn. What a burn. You can walk home for all I care. Never recover from that. Get out of the car. Alright, I think I'm ready.
00:57:53
Speaker
I'm ruining this for for for your next two guests. I already know. because like got my I got my horn player fucking banana monkey brain fucking logic to these. Yeah.
00:58:06
Speaker
You got it, Celine? Do want me to start counting? Do the countdown. Yeah, you just have to. 3, 2, 1. Moonstomp. feel like could almost win.
00:58:26
Speaker
but like i think you because what it had moonstomp could win i think it can go up very far and i like i mean john like like i still got yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah right i prefer that i prefer that over like too much weird or not weird um too much word wordy lyrics like i prefer like a nice chant and it's hard to write a good chant like have you ever tried writing a chant for the audience to get get into like it's yeah tough like that's ah that's songwriting right there my boy lollipop it's a song about nothing it's about fucking your your boyfriend that you want to
00:59:01
Speaker
perform fellatio on kind of i don't know that's the vibe i i like i guess i don't know what if she was just like licking his face like a lollipop yeah that's so that's even weirder so that's weirder yeah little on like madam um I love the noise. oh you know fuck Oh, I thought we were done. But she's got like a lot of heartburn. No, we got four more matches. Those are those songs.
00:59:28
Speaker
That's crazy. yeah Okay. I'm having fun. I'm having fun. we all Let's get to it. I'm having fun. I just thought we were done. uh i so my my choice for skinhead moon stomp was because like i said this on the last episode that uh when when there's reggae night at the black dog here in edmonton i always request skinhead moon stomp um it's just a song that i'm just like yeah yeah yeah I'll sleep well then knowing there's more songs So we got Man recorded in 1969 It's a track about a spurned love in Toots amalgamated style Hit number 47 on the UK charts was covered by everyone from the specials to Amy Winehouse to Real Big Fish This is Toots and the Maytalls with Monkey Man Now what can you say about this? It's a classic You can't fucking argue with the classics No
01:00:22
Speaker
Some classics you can argue with. Like Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall or something, you know? Yeah. Humpty Dumpty. That shit sucks. Yeah.
01:00:35
Speaker
Or like coming around the mountain when she comes. i don't like it. Grandma getting run over by a reindeer? don't want to hear about that. Grandma got run over by a monkey.
01:00:48
Speaker
don't suck getting run over by a monkey.
01:00:56
Speaker
I think the monkeys are getting guns. I actually should know what's going on at White Lotus this season. Fucking love White Lotus this season. It's so good.
01:01:07
Speaker
When I first heard... Walter Goggins. I remember when I first heard this song. When did you first hear this I first heard the Amy Winehouse version when I was a kid.
01:01:20
Speaker
Who's the monkey man? Who's the monkey man? Her ex. He's the bouncer. Right? That's who the monkey man is. In the special song, that he says it's the bouncers, yeah.
01:01:32
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I had this had this little plush toy when I was in like college that I hung on like my rearview mirror in my car, and his name was Changoman, which is just monkey man in fucking Spanish.
01:01:46
Speaker
That's cute. You didn't even know. it one of those little monkeys that had the Velcro? Yeah, yeah, the Velcro. Those are classic. I miss those. See, that's a classic that doesn't die.
01:01:57
Speaker
yeah yeah Yeah. We all love those. his name He i had a lanyard that Changoman. You had to say like Changoman. Changoman. Well, I can't say it with that accent. but I can. Changoman. You can. Changoman.
01:02:12
Speaker
It's going up against you. You were talking about this one. It's going up against Rudy Got Married. According to 1980, the latest song on the list by the godfather of ska, Laurel Aitken, released over 20 years after Aitken began making music.
01:02:24
Speaker
It is the only charting single he ever had, hitting the number 60 on the UK charts. This is Rudy Got Married by Laurel Aitken. Now, this song is just cute. What cute little song.
01:02:36
Speaker
and enough when I still-
01:02:46
Speaker
I still say it's linked to, uh, I feel like that's tied in somehow. are so It's a good call and response. Like, you can get the the audience in on that call and response, you know? Yeah. I'm going to sing this to the dog. Yeah.
01:03:04
Speaker
bet if you sang if you know if you say the first one to her, she might woo-woo back to you. She might do the return. The last time i had a client and she was like dressed up cute and I went woo-woo and then the dog literally went woo-woo. It was so cute because we were all shocked.
01:03:20
Speaker
It was crazy. Rudy. Rudy.
01:03:26
Speaker
Rudy.
01:03:29
Speaker
I love that bass. The bass vocals. They're clearly like pushing their voice like so far down. yeah yeah It's like the opposite of a false setup, whatever you call that. yeah orville Only Orville Peck could be so low.
01:03:47
Speaker
He should do some ska. He should do some traditional ska. I don't think so. There'd be vibrato. like i said Like I said earlier, I'm biased on this one. I love i love Rudy Got Married. It's such a cute little song.
01:03:59
Speaker
It is a cute little song. I'm also biased. ok Yeah, I know how I'm voting. Yeah. Yeah. yeah Alright, three, two, one.
01:04:11
Speaker
Rudy Got Married. Whoa.
01:04:15
Speaker
said chongo man oh I the You guys are cancelled. I'm cancelling you. I know. Monkey Man though, you can't deny. money man yes It's a classic. You can't argue with it. can't be mad. it's a fucking Monkey Man's a classic. What can I say i got it i'm going to say? I'm going to just quote Joey from the last episode that the biggest problem with Laurel Aiken and that Rudy Got Married song is that it's not Monkey Man.
01:04:42
Speaker
That's a problem. Oh, I thought you just don't like Cuban people, Rob. No. Probably. Probably. problem That was aggressive. That was aggressive.
01:04:56
Speaker
I assure that it's not like I don't like anything. It's that I do like... and You love Monkey Man so much. Yes. The other thing, too, is that I like Rudy Got Married a lot.
01:05:06
Speaker
It's a two-tone song, though. I don't know if I would call it a classic ska song. like it It sounds like the selector. yeah Yeah, that's fair. I think that just like it cuts against my criteria of it sounding like crap. Production aesthetic is definitely like feels newer than like the stuff that's been out on the rest of this list.
01:05:28
Speaker
Yeah. yeah So that's my justification for it. So I just had a thought. But i the thing is that I would listen to Rudy Got Married a lot. like that's That is a good song. but Yeah, i love Rudy. that That's a song that I was like, this is the first time I'm hearing it on this playlist. I'm like, oh, that's a cute song. i'm going put that on my playlist.
01:05:45
Speaker
you know Oh yeah. ah yeah The fact that we're ah showing that this show is showing anyone it's some of these classic songs that they never heard before is fucking awesome.
01:05:56
Speaker
Yeah, i I agree. I'm i'm into it. I concur. So we got Carrie, go bring come recorded in 1963 in one take and produced by Duke Reed predated simmer down by two months was a chart topper in Jamaica.
01:06:10
Speaker
Never hit it big in the UK until it was covered by the selector. This is Justin Hines and the dominoes. Carrie, go bring come. What happened to simmer down? Did we vote out with it on this? Skinhead Moonstomp voted out simmer down. Really?
01:06:25
Speaker
Simmerdown's a great. Y'all were like dead confident on that. You were just like, yeah. Skinhead Moonstomp's so much cooler.
01:06:32
Speaker
I stand by my choice. it just tell Yeah, I miss Simmer Down. Gang vocals on this are great. Yeah, yeah this is fucking good. It's awesome. Trombone playing the bass lines. I love a trombone playing the bass line. There should never be one person singing.
01:06:50
Speaker
There should never be only one person singing. Yeah, yeah needs yeah you can't not. If we're just going off recording alone, like great fucking gang vocals.
01:07:12
Speaker
This makes me want to dance. We are dance. Danceability. Danceability. The groove is great. It is funny because this song has like no chorus. No. It just... If you think about it, this song has no chord progression. It's just a bass line, really.
01:07:29
Speaker
That's the thing against it, I would say. is it's like on It's like a two chord song. yeah Yeah, that's what that's how funk is written with two chords, right? So yeah predates funk. i mean If you can't handle songs that are just two chords, then get the fuck out of here. You know what i mean? Whoa, whoa. Hey, bye.
01:07:51
Speaker
car sometimes songs can that's called a vamp. called a vamp. Come on. jazz i um um i have such a bang over from last night My neck hurts so much.
01:08:03
Speaker
The system of a down cover band was too good. It's hard when other people are like whipping their hair around because i love whipping my hair around in the metal show. Hair whips at metal shows is the best.
01:08:15
Speaker
It's the best. And I got all this hair and it's fun to whip around, but then I'm old and my neck hurts. go against Longshot Kickedie Bucket, recorded in 1969, and a sequel to the hit Longshot tells the tale of a horse dying on a racetrack.
01:08:29
Speaker
Marked a revival for the band who then emigrated to the UK where the song reached number 21 on the UK charts. This The Pioneers with Longshot Kickedie Bucket. The song title makes me laugh just knowing that what it's about.
01:08:43
Speaker
It's a great song title.
01:08:46
Speaker
You're never going to not remember it. like Also, the horn intro is like, oh, it's the fucking... The horse race thing, yeah. Yeah, bugle call. It's a bugle call. It just seems like horse racing seems unethical. It bums me out.
01:09:04
Speaker
Apparently they loved it in Jamaica. Yeah. Enough to make a bunch of songs about it. They probably loved it in Jamaica because it was probably brought over from the UK because the UK yeah fucking loves horse racing. Or back in the day.
01:09:19
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
01:09:22
Speaker
Longshot kicked the bucket. What happened to Longshot? Well, he kicked the bucket. Longshot? He kicked the bucket. favorite horse? Longshot, the one that never won.
01:09:37
Speaker
He died? I'm just hearing about this right now. they're the They're the original Horse Girls? Yeah. They were Horse Girls. Also great gang vocals.
01:09:49
Speaker
Yeah. Also a sick bass line. Yeah.
01:09:57
Speaker
ki mebook This is a really tough one because these songs are kind of similar. Yeah, they are. this is This is another one of those ones where it's like they're in the same vein.
01:10:09
Speaker
I think I know which one that I would rather listen to on a regular basis, though. I'm ready. Yeah, I'm good. Yeah, I think I'm okay. This is a tough one, but it's not i think i don't I don't love either of these songs. Whoa.
01:10:24
Speaker
oh i don't Those are words. I like one. like and I respect one. Yeah. But. Okay. All right. All right. ab we go You locked in.
01:10:36
Speaker
All right. Three, yeah two, one. Carry. on ringroom Bring come. Yeah. Yeah. What'd you say? i go brink I said, carry go bring come.
01:10:47
Speaker
Whoa. I got, i got knocked out. I got knocked sideways. the bucket. Yeah. yeah rob kick a buck it i know that was real tough for me i like i i think i like the bass line in long shot kick the bucket more but i like the horn work in carrie go bring come more so i think i think carrie go bring come is a catchier song to me it's more of a ah song too like it's a it's a ska song ska song you know what i mean like it's yeah it does it does the thing One thing that I don't like about Longshot Kick the Bucket is the guitar work. I think it's very monotonous.
01:11:23
Speaker
get Yeah, pred that's fair. A little repetitive. yeah I mean, yeah, but you know i like I said, you can have fucking two chords and that'll be it, but you know if I don't want to sing along or dance to it, then fucking what did you do?
01:11:38
Speaker
I just think Carrier would bring comedy. What did you do What did you do? But Longshot Kick the Bucket, like, come on. That's just a good-ass title. I would have been fine of that.
01:11:48
Speaker
that one All right. Here we
Impactful Ska Songs and Historical Context
01:11:50
Speaker
go. Girlstown Ska, released in 1965, produced by a Duke Reed for Treasure, became an ongoing hit for Baba Brooks, who quickly became the house producer for numerous Ska releases. It wasn't a charting song, but it was covered by Derek Morgan and re-released by Baba Brooks in the 2000s. This is Girlstown Ska by Baba Brooks and the Baba Brooks Band.
01:12:08
Speaker
Hey, Styx, we're going tonight. I'm going down by Dark Star. Dark Star, Ska! Girlstown Ska!
01:12:18
Speaker
toasting we haven't had toasting in a while yeah no like the baba brooks band is just like so underrated like the scott the scatolites are amazing but the baba brooks band is like in their own right incredible right like they did they did al capone man like come on yeah so good
01:12:47
Speaker
There's that woodblock. Now this sounds like a horse. They should have put this Longshot. There's Longshot. That was right before he died. They're they're taking Longshot to Girlstown.
01:12:59
Speaker
because they had tos get the girl out a woodri long shot They have The the coconut.
01:13:06
Speaker
He's wearing a boat up..........
01:13:17
Speaker
What a groove.
01:13:20
Speaker
Maybe not female vocals sometimes, but females. There's a great solo in there. If you haven't listened to that song, go listen to it. There's a great solo. If it makes it through, that's the middle section. And then that's what's going to be that's going to be in the next episode.
01:13:34
Speaker
It's going up against Liquidator. Released in 1969. It's a classic of the skinhead boss reggae subgenre with its distinct keyboard line. Peaked at number nine on the UK charts. Reissued in 1980 where it hit number 42. This is the Harry J All-Stars with Liquidator.
01:13:49
Speaker
Liquidator.
01:13:55
Speaker
but
01:14:00
Speaker
It's hard to deny that. And that's between guitar and bass too. That's hard to coordinate. Yeah. I will also say like, because it's not that fast, like I would have no
01:14:21
Speaker
Yeah. This is a keyboard heavy song. We don't got a lot of those on the list. No, we knocked out Double Barrel, so this is the lone representative of that style.
01:14:40
Speaker
Do we know why it was called Liquidator? Do I know why it's called Liquidator? Yeah. i I actually don't, no. I'm gonna guess the gangster thing. I was hoping he would know too.
01:14:54
Speaker
I'm gonna guess that it's like the guy that he said to go kill somebody. This is the song about the guy that comes and fucking liquidates your shit. It's a killer. It's a song about the killer. kill God, how could I be so blind? It was about the killer.
01:15:10
Speaker
It was about the killer the whole time. Man, that's tough. like i i Liquidator is kind of closer to like a boss reggae type of jam, which I love.
01:15:23
Speaker
But Hot Damn Girlstown Ska an upbeat ska, dancey... Yeah, I know. Yeah, I think I'm locked in. Yeah, I'm locked in too.
01:15:34
Speaker
Yeah, I think I'm locked into... Okay, we got this. Okay. Three, two, one. Girls Townsend. Girls Townsend. Whoa, unanimous. Unanimous. Unanimous. That's wild. And the thing is, is like I think Liquidator is way more of a true classic.
01:15:51
Speaker
But man, Girlstown's ska is good. Holy moly. Do you think that will upset people? That may be. i don't know. i have to change i after I would have been fine if Liquidator made Yeah. I'd be fine with most things making it through. like I've been wrong a couple of times. Ladies, you're all beautiful.
01:16:10
Speaker
That's not what the Discord said. all right. We've got one last matchup. Let's do it. Jamaica Ska, released in 1964. It's a song simply about Ska by one of its originators.
01:16:22
Speaker
Attempted to cross over to the U.S. but failed to make an impact despite having mild chart success in Canada. It became more famous when covered by Fishbone for the film Back to the Beach. This is Byron Lee and the Dragonairs with Jamaica Ska.
01:16:35
Speaker
I have a story about this song. there's a there's a bone There's a Banda version of this song where it's like regional Mexican music, just like brass band. It's like, ah my scar but it's like bo iss it like in a mambo.
01:16:49
Speaker
It's like, sky school let make and That was the first time I heard it. This is swinging. Yeah, this is is very swung. bob Very swung chops.
01:17:03
Speaker
Yeah. I do love an instructional dancing song. Me too. Yeah. Yeah.
01:17:20
Speaker
i do love a instructional dancing song me do um i
01:17:30
Speaker
It's like, how how come nobody knows how to do the ska anymore? They tell you in the fucking song. you Right? That's why I love the cha-cha slide. Because it tells you how?
01:17:42
Speaker
Time warp. There's Benny.
01:17:47
Speaker
Yeah, but I'm talking about the bangers.
01:17:52
Speaker
Hokey Pokey sucks. thats Fuck you, Hokey Pokey. Macarena wouldn't explain it. Doesn't explain it, though.
01:18:02
Speaker
No, doesn't explain it. Mambo number five. Is there a dance to Mambo number five? think it's the Mambo. It's the Mambo, but it's not even a fucking Mambo. Fuck you. Whoa, Lou Bega called out. Fuck you, Lou Bega.
01:18:18
Speaker
We're going to hear from his people. luber guy It's going up against Israelites released in 1968 as a ska rock steady monster hit about Decker's favorite topics. Rude Boys, not Rudy.
01:18:32
Speaker
It is the first Jamaican ska song to hit number one in the UK, spurring an interest in reggae and ska in the country and even hit number nine in the US. This is Desmond Decker and the Aces with Israelites.
01:18:45
Speaker
So I haven't heard the lyrics to this song. So like it's it's about it's like him it's a call out song.
01:18:52
Speaker
don't even know. It's, uh, in general, it's about, like... They not like us? They not like us? Man, this pretty cool.
01:19:03
Speaker
Yeah. The vocals are crazy. Desmond Decker is just the realest man. I love that little ascending doot doot doot doot. It's so good.
01:19:15
Speaker
doesn decker is just the real as man i love that i love that little ascending do do do do do do do do think do so good
01:19:29
Speaker
bass.
01:19:35
Speaker
Probably one of my favorite songs from the playlist that is primarily like one singer and then the gang vocal um call and response. Yeah. And this one's got like a little more of like a like a driving bass line almost more than some of the other songs do.
01:19:51
Speaker
I think it's because it's like straight Rocksteady, which is that's kind of typical of that. Right. It doesn't have that like chillness that reggae has. Rocksteady still has like a little bit of a punch to it. Right. so I ah thought I was going to go one way and then I listened to and I'm going a different way.
01:20:08
Speaker
Yeah, I'm locked in. This one's an easy one for me. versus Me too. I'm all in. Javi, what about you? Damn, this one's tough. Fuck. um I don't know why I'm like, this could this is a toss-up for me. This one's the biggest toss-up I've had.
01:20:25
Speaker
That's fair. Okay, I'm ready. Yeah, I'm ready. Alright, let's do it. Three, two, one. Meet Israelites. What did Javi say? yeah what did hobby say I said the Jamaican ska. Okay. on yeah yeah It is hard to vote like out of like a basically Jamaican ska bracket. Jamaica ska. Jamaica ska got knocked out of a Jamaican ska bracket.
01:20:53
Speaker
Israelites, though, is like is like just if I was going to pick, say, a top three songs from the whole playlist, it's definitely my top three. For sure. It's it's one of my favorite songs. Like traditional songs. like Jamaica Sky a little bit more because of the horn line and the the vocal harmonies. It's just so cheeky. It's a cheeky little song. And I love the that swings.
01:21:12
Speaker
I love so yeah like they really like one theory as to why how Sky even got made was that all the Jamaicans were musicians were seeing what they were doing in America.
01:21:22
Speaker
And they're like, I want to do that. But we got to do it over here. And it it replicates jazz of the most. it's a nice jazzy song. with a fucking fun jazz color to it.
01:21:34
Speaker
Horn line's nice and easy, fun to play. But Israelites, like, damn, that's a fucking, one of one of the better vocal performances on off of what, like, we have, what we've had in the second part, I would say.
01:21:48
Speaker
Yeah, I would agree. Like, the the vocals in Israelites are bananas good. Yeah. Hell yeah. Banana man good? Banana man good. Spicy like a banana? Chongo man good? Chongo man good.
01:22:01
Speaker
So this this is the round three matchup. So we got Jango versus Al Capone. Young Gifted in Black versus Skinhead Moonstomp. whoa Monkey Man versus Kerry Gobrinkum.
01:22:13
Speaker
And Girlstown Ska versus Israelites. I already know what I'm voting on all of those. this is katie's gonna be so mad when she sees this shit yeah katie i'm literally texting her right now uh so that so that she can prepare herself over the next hour she's gonna be like what the fuck it's good she has time to yeah uh so that's it that's the bracket we did it uh so before we wrap up javi uh what have you got to plug
01:22:46
Speaker
Huh? ah Fucking um ah follow me, i guess. I'm going by HomieCore Studios with a core spelled C-O-R-P-S. That's a horn line thing.
01:22:58
Speaker
Don't worry about it. Or you can follow me on El Homie. Check out the Marijuana Brass, the Third Rates, Major League Skankers, fucking Speakeasy, all my associated acts. um And if you're in l L.A., Southern California, oh the Marijuana Brass will be back very soon. But we're on a hiatus right now.
01:23:16
Speaker
ah Band members got jumped in December. and We're still kind of recovering from that and we lost our singer. um Everything's good though. It's still all good. We, the marijuana brass will return. um Other than that,
01:23:29
Speaker
Uh, yeah, guys, uh, that's the end of the video. Um, thank you so much for watching. Uh, and if you listen this far, leave a comment in the discord as to what your favorite part was.
01:23:39
Speaker
Thanks for listening
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
01:23:40
Speaker
to checkered past. Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, blue sky, YouTube, and Tik TOK at checkered past pod, or send us an email at checkered past pod at gmail.com to support the pod and get bonus content, including a full length and unedited video of this episode.
01:23:52
Speaker
Sign up for the checkerhead, Patreon at patreon.com slash checkered past. We also have merch available at checkeredpass.ca. This episode is edited by Cutman and engineered by Joey.
01:24:03
Speaker
Special thanks to Chris Reeves, Megamichi, and Adam the Ska Mailman for making this podcast happen. Thanks also to Keelan for all his work on the pod and for helping sure Joey record the Trojan War theme song.
01:24:14
Speaker
You can follow along the bracket at challenge.com slash thetrojanwar. Next week, it's round three of the bracket with return guest K-Moy. Until next time, I'm Rob. In the moral words of the pioneers, all the money has gone to hell, but this long shot has not kicked D-Bucket.
01:24:41
Speaker
No, Halloween's not my favorite thing, because I always feel as though that's a free pass for the killer. Don't let the killer get you. like Halloween. I think it's for ghouls and goblins and for the killer in disguise to choke you out. Regular scarves have the ends where the killer can come and just finish off. I don't want to play music in the shower because I want to hear if the killer is coming. Don't you keep a bat from Yankee Stadium in your night table drawer?
01:25:02
Speaker
They're so convenient. All you have to do clunk one time with the killer. I've been aware of the killer. Since birth. Now, I hear that you don't you think people are always going to come and get you. No, the killer. and Well, what was she doing in the stairwell? Because that's where the killer is. And now we live in North Jersey. Where?
01:25:19
Speaker
But you're in Hasbro. Well, the killer. You know, I believe in a lot of things, including the killer. You never know who you can meet online. the killer. He's the killer. He's the killer. The killer is everywhere. He sounds like he's the killer. The killer is on the loose.