Define Roots. Define Dub. Define Dancehall. Define Ska. etc etc

[James]

So-called Second Wave or Two-tone Ska also falls into the '70 through '85 timeframe.

Similar to the way UK bands like Steel Pulse brought Reggae to a bigger audience outside JA, bands such as Selecter, The Specials, and The Beat took the original Ska sounds, added a little punk speed-up, and spread the sound internationally.

The thing with second wave (and '90s third wave Ska too) is that in addition to the rhythm, the role of the horn section points right back to the original Ska. I'd go so far as to question whether it's possible to have Ska without a great horn section. Maybe that's going a little too far, but it's true for all the great Ska tunes that I can think of off the top of my head.

[James]

Almost forgot!

Peace,

James

[leggo rocker]

keep it going idren!

Some very useful resource you are giving me here!

[James]

Have to amend my statement about Ska earlier in this thread. Shanty Town by Desmond Dekker just came on Leggo Rockers radio, there's not a horn to be heard, yet this tune is the best short definition of Ska I know of.

So I guess a good horn section isn't always required.

[pf]

Hi, I wouldn't say that 'Shanty Town' is a typical ska, is quite slow and maybe is closer to bluebeat or rocksteady than to ska...and anyway it has horns, no solos or melodies but you can hear horns doing the ska hops,or 'croches' as Litelet called them, but it would be almost the same without them. Anyway I agree with you that you can have a ska without horns, the drum-bass pattern is the thing, and the hops.

[toucan]

Re ska's demise in popularity due to temperature.
I read / heard an interview with a producer/ who stated that things were getting impossible in studios with large horn sections turning up wasted or pissed, more so as they started to earn more. Therefore there was a movement away from horns to a new genre

[leggo rocker]

Thanks Toucan. That is exactly the sort of anecdotal stuff I am looking for. Real human stories!

Thanks also for the rest of the posts here. Please keep feeding me your knowledge, judgement, views, opions, stories and encouragement.

[6anbatte]

What Toucan says is backed up by the liner notes of Ken Boothe's "A Man And His Hits (Studio 1)" - Heartbeat version - http://www.roots-archives.com/release/956.
Off the top of my head it's the notes referring to "You're No Good (Aka Crying Over You)". I might be wrong, of course, so will check tonight.

I think, in this case, they were on strike for more pay. The "show" went on without them presumably with the arrangement morphing into something that didn't need horns.

[leggo rocker]

Can you scan me those notes and e-mail them to me 6anbatte?

[6anbatte]

Hi Leggo Rocker

Of course, not a problem. I'll try and bring them into work to scan them tomorrow.
Presumably it's just the bit referring to that anecdote that you want.