The Slits- "Typical Girls" Video (1979)

Dubby post-punk madness- one of my all-time favorite "girl groups"

Bob Marley & The Wailers- Soul Rebels (1970) MP3 & FLAC

"I'm a capturer, that's what they say, soul adventurer, night and day."

Soul Rebels, The Wailers' first long player, often gets lost in the shadow of all the iconic albums that followed it; however, if you haven't heard Bob Marley's early collaborative efforts with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, then you are in an awakening. Darker and more rough-hewn than later Wailers' albums, Soul Rebels catches band and producer at a formative juncture in the development of Reggae as a distinct genre because these were among the first recordings to carry this music beyond the shores of Jamaica. Massively underrated, but no less essential than the later albums.

The Specials- S/T (1979) MP3 & FLAC

"What you gonna do when the morons come for you? They won't go away; they want the whole world painted grey."

Unquestionably the defining statement of the late 70s British Ska revival, The Specials' debut album, with its satirically bitter tales of urban decay and racial violence, is no less relevant today than it was in 1979. While the album contains a number of impressive "reworkings" of songs originating from the "first wave" Jamaican Ska, it is to the band's credit that their original compositions stand toe-to-toe with (and occasionally best) these classics. While most Ska bands of the time engaged political issues on some level (although often very obliquely), The Specials were political through and through, explicitly dealing with topics such as class hatred, racism, and economic hopelessness; despite this, they never sound overly didactic and the music is never anything less than danceable. A great marriage of art and politics, and an absolute classic in every sense of the word.

Various Artists- Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics (2001) MP3 & FLAC

"Twenty-one years in captivity. Shoes too small to fit his feet. His body abused but his mind is still free."

Ska's "second wave," also called the "2-Tone" movement in honor of the record label that served as its main catalyst, was a radical hybrid, wedding the rhythm and style of 1960s Jamaican Ska and Rocksteady to the sonic aggression and socio-political lyrics associated with the then-burgeoning British Punk-Rock scene. As a result, second wave Ska had more on its mind than being merely danceable; many of the 2-Tone bands such as The Specials, The (English) Beat, and The Bodysnatchers (to name only a few) wrote lyrics touching on both the public and private disaffection of black and white working-class youths during the early years of Thatcherism. While the ironically titled Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics is far from comprehensive as a compilation of second wave Ska (for example, The Beat are entirely missing), unlike many of the other available 2-Tone collections, this one includes several obscure, yet important tracks otherwise unavailable on compact disc.

The Specials- "Too Much Too Young" Video (1979) Live, Old Grey Whistle Test

These guys are ridiculously underrated. As good as (or better than) any band of their era, Ska or otherwise:

Madness- "The Prince" Video (1979)

"Buster, he sold the heat with a rock-steady beat."

Junior Murvin- Police & Thieves (1977) MP3 & FLAC

"Police and thieves in the streets, oh yeah! Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition."

Many will already be familiar with the title track of Junior Murvin's debut "solo" album, as The Clash recorded "Police & Thieves" less than a year later for their eponymously titled debut. While The Clash's Punk-Reggae interpretation is memorable, Lee "Scratch" Perry's Dub-informed production and Murvin's unparalleled vocals make the original version truly definitive.  If your knowledge of Roots-Reggae begins and ends with Bob Marley, you are in for a revelation because Murvin brings an entirely different vocal style to these songs. While Marley's vocals add Rock and Folk influences to the Caribbean mix, Murvin seems to be channeling the ghosts of 1960s Motown and R&B, but these comparisons do neither artist any justice. If you want to understand why Police & Thieves is widely considered one of the essential Roots-Reggae albums, listen to Murvin's prophesying falsetto roaring through Perry's trademark heavily reverbed production, creating a dark and intense musical template for these tales of social unrest and spiritual reckoning.

The Specials- "Ghost Town" Video (1981)

Here's an ode to 2011 because I'm always a bit depressive on New Years (something about time slipping irrevocably by)- The Specials with their iconic Ska sing-along. More Ska greatness coming soon...