MUSIC
Prince Buster
Monthly Recommendation: Prince Buster
By Liam Fuckall
Long before Bob Marley invaded the suburbs giving pseudo-rastas any reason to roll a spliff there were already legends among the ska, rock steady and reggae crowd pumping through the “sound systems” of Jamaica then emigrating on to European and U.K radios. If you had ears, a radio and lived in a working/middle class area most chances are you heard Motown from the U.S and reggae from Jamaica so if Marvin Gaye was king of r-b /soul at the time that brings us to Prince Buster on the ska/reggae, yes I roped you in real nice with that one. He took his nickname when he was a amateur boxer working his way into music as a bouncer grabbing the microphone at dance halls as a “toaster” which we now refer to as the MC or the earliest forms of real hip hop.In 1960 he starting producing records for a small record label with huge success Buster started writing and recording for himself, from 1960 ’til just about the end of the decade there was hundreds of songs written and produced by him through the Blue Beat record label so there is no escaping his influence on the sound that would we know as it is today.
Bands like Madness( taken from the title of one of his songs), The English Beat, The Specials, The Clash, Toots and the Maytals- there’s too many to even name really even Bob Marley himself mentioned the how Prince Buster’s sound influencing him. Even if your not a boot boy, not dread locked or even just dislike ska or reggae music there is no way within this vast collection of music that some of these songs can’t get you to crack a smile, with a few drinks convince you that you might have some rhythm or just have a good time.. its too charismatic and infectious for even that tough guy we think we are. We all can’t afford to go out and search through record bins maybe somebody can steal some of mine back from my ex in Manchester so we can have a listen but for the moment I suggest going through Prince Busters catalog online so when your faced with a hipster who hasn’t the slightest clue you can flex some rude boy skill and send them with that shit packing. Being the scooter riding audiophile I am, I did the homework and have a few of the bigger test answers here, so give a listen, a moonstomp or just shake your ass in your chair here is some classics.
Cheers
Liam
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So, I decided that there should be a monthly recommended artist and this month it’s The Pogues! This is written by Liam Fuckall, who’s just this awesome guy, we are Myspace friends actually and I found that we have a lot in common-like our awesome musical taste. He is also just quite a poet, as you will see from his wrting. So, here you go.
Walk into any good hole in the wall bar and you will find something in common with all the rest,in the jukebox right next to the Stones, The Beatles, Zepplin; you will find The Pogues. Whether you grew up in a house like myself where traditional Irish music was religion or not i can guarantee you’ve heard hints of them all over the place from Oi bands to country or the occasional soundtrack. With roots as far back as the Sex Pistols these guys found a way to put the balls of punk, heavy Irish overtones throw it in the blender with poetic lyrics and great music sensibility pour in out in a huge pint glass …you have The Pogues. The name coming loosely from “pogue mahon”( Ma forgive me for not putting the pronunciation lines) with is Gaelic for kiss my ass also when the lead singer Shane quit the band Joe Strummer did the rest of the shows as front man but enough for the history lesson. Every album from 1984-1995 have the must listens on them from fired up jigs, gorgeous instrumental melodies even including one of the biggest worldwide selling Xmas singles. Every album is great by all means but with a huge body of work, odd releases and singles I will try not to bore you but just ease it in a bit, get your feet wet with some of the better known albums. Next time your at the jukebox these won’t steer you wrong in anyway unless your with a bunch assholes.
So grab a pint and give a listen.
Cheers,
Liam
Reds Roses for Me:
Steams of Whiskey-Absolute classic, raucous as hell one of their first songs written ..yes you will be singing along and swear your last name is O’Conner
The Boys from County Hell-You don’t want to run into these bastards but the tune will dance in your head
The Auld Triangle-Yes there are still IRA members still imprisoned this very day,told from their eyes a very solemn song
it was covered by a band from Boston that i won’t mention at the moment
Rum, Sodomy and the Lash:
The Sickbed of Cuchulainn-The genious lyrics start to shine through invoking Irish folklore as well as their storytelling
Old Maid Drag-A slow one about a punk on the street at the first wave in London
A Pair of Brown Eyes-Again a slow song but haunting as hell
I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Everyday-Traditional ballad, in the right mood can bring the biggest pair of boots to tears
Sally Maclennane-Everyone favorite little boozer, catchy as hell with great lyrics to match
Dirty Old Town-If The Man in Black was from Tipperrary this is what he would sound like
Billy’s Bones-See if you can get the lyrics to this one without falling down,covered again by the same Boston band
If I Should Fall From the Face of God:
If i Should Fall From the Face of God-One of my personal favorites, if this doesn’t get you out of your chair maybe check your pulse
Turkish Song of The Damned-Great example of their talent turning a pirate sea dirge into great storytelling,find one of the live bootleg Strummer versions they are brilliant
The Fairytale of New York-Can you imagine the second best ever Xmas song behind White Christmas has a heroin reference in it and wasn’t meant to be a holiday song?
This can reduce to me mush everytime i hear it anytime of year,great duet with the late Kirsty Macoll
Hell’s Ditch:
The Sunnyside of the Street-Another great sing along anthem, the intro alone is worth a listen
Lorcas Novena-Ode to the murder of poet Garcia Lorca with a bassline thats hits like a sucker punch
In the Wake of Medusa-Showing again what they are capable of very close to a drunken cattle stampede
