An Examination of "Two-Tone" Ska Music...

Most all of you know what ska is; a style of music inidigenous to Jamaica. You've heard it if you've ever listened to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Peter Tosh.

But have you ever heard of two-tone ska?

To quote Wikipedia directly, two-tone ska is "named after the label 2 Tone Records, founded by Jerry Dammers, keyboardist of The Specials. The Two Tone sound combined Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock's uncompromising lyrics and aggressive guitar chords. Two Tone recordings are characterized by faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and a harder edge than original 50's and 60’s ska."

There are many examples of just this kind of music out there, especially in the late'70s - early'80s, all of whom have had varing degrees of success. But there is one rock group that personified two tone ska and was also very successful and greatly entertaining in its own right.

Maybe you've heard of them...?



That was a long way to go just to otherwise say I wanted to post a video by Madness, but hey - you just learned something today, so shut up and enjoy the song, willya??

Dope out.

-TGWD