Ska Sucks
(Liberation)
by Scott Hefflon
Following the seminal comp Punk Sucks, Liberation decided to try their hand at exploiting, ahem, releasing ska. Thus Ska Sucks, 75 minutes of ska in its many forms. While many purists will complain that there’s too much skapunk and just plain bad punk that has little to do with ska aside from, perhaps, having lame horns, fuck them. In order to fully appreciate Hepcat, The Pietasters, Let’s Go Bowling, Mustard Plug, and Mephiskapheles, you have to hear ska-gone-elsewhere (whether it’s rock, pop, punk) or merely second-rate (or up-and-coming, to be fair) ska. Even if that means listening to another song by Against All Authority. But perhaps that’s mean (not my saying it, their making me listen to it). Complete band and label info is included. The rundown: Dance Hall Crashers (ska or not, me like), Ocean 11 (too laidback for me), Less Than Jake (covering Grease‘s “We Go Together” more accurately than the Nobodys, but it’s just not as fun as when they hit mosta the notes), Choking Victim (glass-shard-gargling punk), Unsteady (super horns mixed with otherwise dull songwriting), The Usuals (if you resent DHC’s direction, check out this lovely ’50s-bubblegum ska styling), Link 80 (poorly-produced punk and ska blend which ain’t great at either, but is fun nevertheless), The Hippos (great ska mixed with huge guitar chords the way MM Bosstones useta do it, and gravely vocals to boot), Limp (ska/punk, but OK), Chickenpox (goofy ska, me like), Millencolin (ska/punk, but OK), Home Grown (punk, but too catchy to hold it against ’em), MU330 (ska with hard punk and sensitive vocals), Jeffries Fan Club and Slapstick (manic punk with some horns, but fun enough to enjoy anyway), Attaboy Skip (spy ska, I guess), The Impossibles (dopey ska, punk, whatever – that low self-esteem dork rock I can’t deal with), Cousin Oliver (snarling punk with horns in the breaks), oh hell, by now, Rx Bandits, Johnny Socko, The Chinkees, Liberator, Homeless Wonder, and Potshot all kinda blend together in varying degrees of noisy punk, hints of ska horns, and lots of singers that should keep taking lessons. 75 minutes is a long freakin’ time – just pick yer faves and program the CD player to play only those; then wow!, Ska Sucks rocks!
(PO Box 17746 Anaheim, CA 92817)
