What is ska?
 

Okay, okay I admit it. I'm musically ignorant. What is ska? What sort of popular bands are considered ska? Any recommendations on a good ska band?

Ska has much longer history than most genres that are popular today. It began as a precurser to Reggae in the Jamaican popular music during the 1950s. This time in Ska's history is where the phrase "rude boy", referring to a Ska fan, comes from, as "rude" was the equivelent to "cool" in the slang of that period. The most well known band of this period, known as First Wave Ska, were the Skatalites. In the sixties, Reggae split off from Ska as its own distinct genre, and Ska fell into obsucrity. Then in the 1980s, the Ska Revival began, and Second Wave Ska gained great popularity in England and to a lesser degree in the United States. This era is where the black and white checkered pattern gained its association with Ska, because the embracing of music originally by black kids from Jamaica by white kids in England was seen as a step toward greater cultural unity. Thus the white and black checkers represented the coming together of the two cultures. The Toasters and Madness are bands of the Second Wave. Finally, we come to the present. Today, the distinctive Ska beat has been mixed with Punk Rock to create Third Wave Ska. Some modern, Third Wave Ska bands are Catch 22, Big D and the Kid's Table and Choking Victim.

I would define ska as sounding kinda like punk, but slower, and with trumpets, trombones, and other horns and stuff.

Reel Big Fish is a great ska band, and Sublime is a good (older) ska band.

ABAKUBUB how could you fail to mention the Specials?? They would be One of the best ska bands for any generation.
As you called it the second wave in England went under the name 2tone (hence the name i am a bit of a fan!)
other bands to look for;

the Selecter
the Beat (or in the USA th English Beat)
Bad Manners
Laurel Aitken

Dah! You're absolutely right. The Specials' 'Message to Rudy' is one of most well known Ska tunes of that era (Propaghandi even made fun of it in their 'Ska Sucks').

Don;t listen to this guy :p

Ska is a kind of music that originated in Jamaica before reggae came around. Good (real) ska bands include The Specials, The Toasters, the Skatalites, etc etc etc

Third wave is generally a crappy genre with a few decent bands, Big D and the Kids Table being the first one that come to mind.

I like you already!!!


Ska is the best and most danceable sound around! If ska is to be likened to anything it's more like reggae, (everyone seems to know reggae but not ska or rocksteady!??). The Beat were/are my faves, add to the list: Toots & The Maytals, you all must've heard of them??
3rd wave is mostly a pile of ****e, original ska and 2-Tone had alot of political and social awareness behind it - the great majority of this new this lot have got no soul.

I didn't say that it came from punk, I was just trying to describe what it sounds like to me, in really simple terms.

Here's a few more to check out if anyone wants some serious (original) ska!

The Heptones
Byron Lee
Derrick Morgan
Laurel Aitken
Desmond Dekker
Baba Brooks
Alton Ellis
The Paragons
The Ethiopians
Owen Gray
The Uniques

Harry.J.Allstars-Liquidator cool track!!