BIM SKALA BIM “40th Anniversary” 7 inch EP – Three great covers!

BIM SKALA BIM is celebrating 40 years! Needless to say they are one of our all time favorite bands, American ska pioneers that helped fuel our ska obsession in the 80s when we were in high school! Back at the tail end of the 80’s a handful of US bands kept the flame alive with college radio airplay and small club gigs, it was at one of these first Chicago shows that we picked up their debut 7 inch “Fathead” with iconic design by Sluggo! To celebrate the band’s historic birthday we wanted to recrate that early DIY 7 inch single vibe, complete with “late night Kinkos xeroxed sleeves” designed once again by Sluggo! Three must have covers in BIM stylee, two on vinyl for the very first time. Stranger Cole’s “Run Joe” and Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me” were both recorded in 1999, while The Beatles’ “Rain”  first appeared on the vinyl only “Boston Does The Beatles” LP  collection  in 1987. Black vinyl with big hole for real heads, one time press of 500 copies.

Hot Ska Punk! AMY GABBA & THE ALMOST FAMOUS “Screaming At The Top Of My Lungs” LP vinyl / CD

This album is SO great! A must for fans of that anthemic pop-punk ska sound of the 90s! Amy Gabba hails from Toronto, Canada – crafting her sound for many years leading up to her 2020 debut EP “The Heart Is Stupid”.  This EP included the brilliant ska-pop-punk sing-a-long “The Distance”, which was soon included on the vinyl only Ska Punk Daily / Pay Attention collection “Too Hectic: Ska Punk Goes International” and on Jump Up’s “ON THE BEACH” summer label sampler CD, which has been distributed to 3000+ fans worldwide. The response to “The Distance” was instant and soon Jump Up was 100% on board with whatever Amy wanted to release in the future! We were so impressed by her DIY drive, honestly, and passion for music – we knew immediately this was something we’d love to champion. Much to our surprise Amy was cooking up something HUGE for her next release, recording in Los Angeles at POT OF GOLD studios featuring members of modern day California ska-pop champs HALF PAST TWO and members of REEL BIG FISH!! That’s right AARON BARRETT and SCOTT KLOPFENSTEIN guest on this record, and TARA from HALF PAST TWO sings a killer duet with AMY as well on “He’s All Yours”!

Let’s back up a bit, we understand this all sounds too amazing to be true! No lies – “SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS” is simply THAT good. We are so incredibly honored to be part of this release it blows our mind daily. AMY has poured her heart out into this album, every song is a catchy earworm seamlessly luring you into the next song.  Put aside the time, you will be unable to hit pause. You will leap out of your seat to flip the vinyl as fast as possible. Front to back this album cooks –  be it blistering modern sing-a-long punky ska (“One Of My Mistakes”, “How Dare You”, “Makes Me Want You More”), anthemic guitar driven pop-punk (“Punching Underwater”, “Ashes”), 90’s radio friendly alt-rock / grunge  (“Heavy”, “Asking For It” , “The Way We Changed”),  second wave 2-Tone with an edge (“Merry Go Round”, “Hey Little Rich Girl” ) or the reggae-rock closer “Uber-Over”.  We watched Amy create this masterpiece over the past year in sheer awe – when you get a copy make sure you tell her how incredible it is! We’re casting an early vote for pop-ska album of the year. INCLUDED IN OUR VINYL SUBSCRIPTION CLUB, we’ll begin shipping everyone out next week! Hot pink and radiant yellow vinyl, both limited to 250 copies each with a lyric & photo insert. Compact Disc too to play in your car!

Repressed! THE UPPERTONES “Easy Snapping” LP vinyl (random color) – a hot set of covers in Jamaican Rhythm & Blues style! Christmas 45 still available too!

Repress on random color vinyl! Italy’s The Uppertones is a powerful trio of trombone, vocals, piano, & drums who play pre-ska Jamaican rhythm & blues – fronted by Mr.T-Bone on lead vocals. Their style is rooted in 1950’s Jamaica when rural mento & calypso / folk music began to mix with boogie, swing , boogaloo, and American rock n’ roll – the seeds of ska. This trio aims to please crowds with a stompin’ swing mixed with the Jamaican edge and style. Mr.T-Bone is a well known singer, composer, and trombone player in the international ska scene who has released 10 solo albums in the last 15 years and has toured Europe, USA, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. Drummer Ferdinando Count Ferdi Masi is an Italian ska pioneer who founded Casino Royale and The Bluebeaters. Pianist Phil Cuomo is a very talented young musician, pianist and singer from Genoa, his hands run like a Louisiana train on the keys. The Uppertones first album “Closer To The Bone” was released in December 2015 to worldwide acclaim, then in 2017 returned with “Up Up UP!” featuring guest vocalist Jesse Wagner from The Aggrolites. In 2019 Jump Up dropped a Christmas 7 inch covering Luis Prima’s “Shake Hands With Santa Claus” setting the stage for their new album “Easy Snappin” – 10 toe-tappers including re-works of “Mojo Workin”, “L.O.V.E.”, “That’s Amore”, “Down In Mexico” and the title track. It’s a must for fans of original ska like The Skatalites, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, Blues Buesters as well as jump blues crooners Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra and Louis Jordan. The Uppertones forte is without a doubt their live set – the trio has been touring non-stop playing close to 100 shows a year in 12 different European countries – hopping from club to club in addition to the summer festival circuit. Catch The Uppertones if you can! Continue reading Repressed! THE UPPERTONES “Easy Snapping” LP vinyl (random color) – a hot set of covers in Jamaican Rhythm & Blues style! Christmas 45 still available too!

Repressed! MR KINGPIN “Introducing….” LP vinyl / CD – scorching vintage Jamaican sounds produced by Esteban Flores!

“Introducing… Mr. Kingpin”, the debut full-length album finally drops on vinyl on Jump Up! This 11-track LP includes scorching Jamaican ska tunes, soulful rocksteady ballads, and hard-hitting boss reggae riddims meant to be heard in the dancehalls.  Jon E Bravo, aka Mr. Kingpin, has been writing, recording, and performing ska music for 16 years with Dallas based 2Tone band Rude King , as well as collaborating with different artists around the world. RUDE KING was recently featured on the Specialized UK tribute album Check One-2 doing a killer version of MADNESS’ “My Girl” – exposing the BRAVO sound worldwide! ‘Mr. Kingpin’ is his new collaboration with in-demand keyboardist / producer Esteban Flores (Matamoska, The Bandulus, We Are The Union, Steady 45s, The Interrupters, Catbite) to release authentically inspired Jamaican sounds of the 60’s.  “Introducing… Mr. Kingpin” was recorded in California, Texas, and New York during the surreal year 2020 with a group of musicians who span decades writing and recording vintage inspired ska and reggae music. Two debut singles released in 2019 produced by Esteban Flores and mixed by Jayson Nugent (The Slackers). A true feel good Jamaican album from start to finish! Limited edition repress of 200 on white vinyl.

Restocked: JAMESTOWN SHEIKS “Lennon & McCartney Reggae Style” LP reissue – The Beatles go Jamaican!

Black Butcher Germany has just reissued the 1970 stone cold party classic on vinyl for the first time – original UK copies have become rare in recent years and are fetching high prices. Most original copies are also worn out from constant play! Twelve BEATLES classics in an uptempo early/skinhead reggae style, vocals are reminiscent of Desmond Dekker too! The origin of this band is still a mystery! A must for fans of THE AGGROLITES, and SYMARIP ! Don’t delay a minute, this limited edition one time pressing will go fast!

Tracklisting:  Let It Be / Ticket To Ride / I Want To Hold Your Hand / Michelle / Can’t Buy Me Love / The Fool On The Hill / Get Back / Yesterday / Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da / Eleanor Rigby / All My Loving / Hey Jude

 

Repressed! THE PRIZEFIGHTERS “Firewalk” LP vinyl / Tape still available

The Prizefighters perform ska and rocksteady from Jamaica’s golden era, their brilliant sophomore studio album “Firewalk” was their first since 2010’s “Follow My Sound”. Since that release the band has perfected their craft working side by side with the stars that created the music back in the 60’s. That resume is now quite impressive, it includes backing the “King of Ska” Derrick Morgan at Reggae Fest Chicago, twice with Stranger Cole including a duet show with Patsy, plus Chicago and Montreal showcases with the dazzling Roy & Yvonne. Their relationship with legendary harmonica player and vocalist Charley Organaire might be the most special, as he joined The Prizefighters in the recording studio for a session that lead to the 2014 mini-album Charley Organaire Meets The Prizefighters which lead to their first European tour. In the band’s words “it’s not just about playing the songs well; it’s about playing them correctly and authentically” – and the several years worth of authentic 60s Jamaican music conservatory experience between the first record and “Firewalk” really shows. Working hard on tunes with a mantra of “will this be good enough for Derrick Morgan? Or for Stranger & Patsy?” has conditioned the band to push themselves to ever higher standards. We are so proud to present this stunning new album in 2019 from one of our favorite bands. Let’s face it, without The Prizefighters we wouldn’t have been able to bring so many Jamaican legends to Chicago and keep the spirit of 60’s Jamaica alive.

Restocked: THE HOTKNIVES early LP vinyl must haves! UK 2-TONE revival SKA!

It’s so exciting to see these late 80’s / early 90’s European revival albums originally released on UNICORN and SKANK RECORDS back on wax from our friends at MAD BUTCHER in Germany. To put it simply, labels like UNICORN, SKANK, SKA, and PORK PIE bridged the gap between the end of 2-TONE and the beginning of what became known as the “third wave”.  Super melodic with catchy vocals and gentle horns, THE HOTKNIVES “THE WAY THINGS ARE” was truly a modern British ska classic. To this day, this album is still my stone cold favorite from the Unicorn catalog. Songs like “DAVE & MARY”, “OLD MAN AND HIS DOG” and “DON’T GO AWAY” are so perfectly English, strong lyrics that stay in your head forever. Exact replica from the 1990 issue – we can not recommend this enough for people who like 2-TONE ska!!

Prior to THE HOTKNIVES debut studio album – SKANK records releases an amazing LIVE double LP capturing the band at it’s prime!! A two LP set full of tunes that would become popular worldwide, including covers of “LIQUIDATOR”, “DOUBLE BARRELL”, and “AL CAPONE”. Tracklisting: A1 Cryin’ A2 Alcoholic Nightmare A3 Don’t Go Away A4 Dick Barton A5 Turkey Stomp A6 Doing Alright B1 Skin Up Harry B2 Believe It B3 Driving Me Mad B4 She’s A Lady B5 Liquidator B6 Holsten Boys C1 Rio C2 W. L. N. C3 Jack The Ripper D1 Dust Of Death D2 Double Barrel D3 Al Capone

Restocked! LAUREL AITKEN vs THE SKATALITES “Ska Titans” LP vinyl – 1999 Moon NYC classic on wax for the first time

First time on vinyl for this classic Moon Ska NYC title released in 1999 – “Ska Titans” is a wonderful collaboration between the “Godfather of Ska” Laurel Aitken and the legendary Skatalites recorded in the studio during 1996’s European Ska Splash tour – it was the first time the titans met up on record since 1964!  The album features original Skatalites Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, Lloyd Brevett, and Lloyd Knibb alongside longtime members Devon James, Will Clark, and Nathan Breedlove backing Aitken’s amazing vocals on a set of classics, including several Aitken originals. As an added bonus three live tracks are included, taken from the Ska Splash’s stop in Amsterdam. Continue reading Restocked! LAUREL AITKEN vs THE SKATALITES “Ska Titans” LP vinyl – 1999 Moon NYC classic on wax for the first time

Aggrobeat Imports: BOSS CAPONE & PATSY “Kings & Queen” LP / FREEDOM SOUNDS 3xCD Box Set

Boss Capone is the alter ego of Boudewijn Van Trigt, core member, songwriter and producer of the Dutch early reggae band The Upsessions. With The Upsessions he released five full lengths including an album with reggae legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. Since 2005 The Upsessions toured all over Europe and South-America. After two solo albums under his moniker Boss Capone (2013 and 2015), it was time for a new project, this time together with Patsy. Patsy is the alter ego of Renske De Boer, who is the singer with ska group Mr Wallace and the only Dutch northern soul band The Originators. During the lockdown, the pair quietly worked on this album and the result is truly BOSS! A delicious blend of early reggae and rocksteady with a hint of foundation ska. The eleven tracks are a tribute to legendary Jamaican producers like Clancy Eccles, Derrick Harriott and Carl Johnson, specifically the years 1968-1971, an era when record labels like Pama and Trojan Records were king. But this record is so much more than a trip down memory lane. Through his extensive production work, Boss Capone knows how to make a record sound vintage yet modern, and Patsy’s powerful and dynamic voice pushes the record to greater heights. On this album the pair is musically accompanied by the skilled musicians from The Upsessions and saxophonist Tommy Tornado. Limited edition 180g black vinyl for real reggae heads, imported from Aggrobeat in the Netherlands.

Not to be outdone we’ve stocked this incredible 66 track 3xCD BOX set that celebrates 10 years of the FREEDOM SOUNDS festival in Germany. Loaded with so many exclusives it will make your head spin, check it out: Continue reading Aggrobeat Imports: BOSS CAPONE & PATSY “Kings & Queen” LP / FREEDOM SOUNDS 3xCD Box Set

Limited Repress! TOO HECTIC – CALIFORNIA SKA PUNK Compilation LP vinyl – 17 bands from the Golden State!

PAY ATTENTION RECORDS was a joint venture between SKA PUNK DAILY and JUMP UP, our debut compilation release TOO HECTIC sold out quickly in the fall of 2021 – since then flippers have been greasing fans upwards of $75 on eBay & Discogs. NOT COOL!! Bands asked for more, and fans wanted another shot at getting it – THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!  We’re filling the last sleeves with a random color repress! This 17 track compilation features unreleased and first time on vinyl selections from our favorite current Californian Ska bands – bringing you upbeat, catchy Ska Punk tracks – all personally selected by SKA PUNK DAILY’s fearless leader PHILLP! Let’s hope he relaunches the page once again, we all know he’s got mighty fine taste. Artwork created by Sam Grinberg who works for this little show you may have heard about called The Simpsons.

GET THE SKA PUNK BUNDLE! Add BOTH the debut vinyl release from Chicago’s BUMSY & THE MOOCHERS and the latest from Spain’s RED SOUL COMMUNITY for only $25 more!!! Two incredible ska punk bands lead by powerful women singers – discovering NEW MUSIC doesn’t have to break the bank! Continue reading Limited Repress! TOO HECTIC – CALIFORNIA SKA PUNK Compilation LP vinyl – 17 bands from the Golden State!