British 2-Tone ska punk band THE TALKS formed in 2006 and had the distinct honor of opening for The Specials on their 30th anniversary tour way back in 2009. Their albums are a smorgasbord of catchy tunes, well crafted engaging songs that fit extraordinarily well within the confines of ska’s structural boundaries. We’be restocked their classic album from 2015 released on Grover Records in Germany, a must for fans of Buster Shuffle, classic 2-Tone. and modern American third wave ska. Inspired by bands like The Clash, The Specials, and Redskins, Germany’s T-KILLAS released their debut album in 2014 full of energetic 2-Tone ska mixed with a heavy dose of mod, garage, and punk. It’s fast, snotty and cheeky, with lots of guitar and organ as well as a dominant saxophone that brings to mind many of the European bands from the early 90’s ska explosion. Fans of Hellcat Records will also dig! In 2020, after a 6 year wait, the second album “Awareness” was dropped on Grover Records! British traditional ska band INTENSIFIED released “Yard Shaker” in 1997, and to this day it stands as one of the best 60’s inspired Jamaican ska albums of the decade, on par with HEPCAT, The Articles, Scofflaws, etc. Listen to the cut “FAT CAT” from this album and the comparisons to HEPCAT jump out at ya! This limited white vinyl re-press with fold around sleeve won’t be around for long!!!!
Tag: 2 tone
REPRESS! CHECK ONE-2: SPIRIT OF ’79 LP vinyl – now on clear blue wax!
REPRESS IS HERE! JUMP UP has been working with SPECIALIZED UK charity since 2012, releasing limited edition vinyl to compliment their incredible tribute CDs – with proceeds benefiting the Teenage Cancer Trust. Multi-CD tribute albums of THE SPECIALS, THE BEAT, MADNESS, THE CLASH, and BOB MARLEY have been released with JUMP UP issuing 10 limited edition 7″ singles from these collections. We even did a cassette tape edition of their DANCE CRAZE tribute! In 2017 the Specialized team released GIFTED, a four CD collection of bands covering mod revival legends THE JAM… we then compiled the best ska/reggae tunes on one full length colored vinyl LP. BOSS SOUNDS, a 4xCD tribute to the original Trojan era classics was released in 2018, from that we then released a limited 4 track 7” vinyl EP with Keith & Tex with Akasha, Arthur Kay, The Crombies, and Stranger Cole with Kingston All Stars. In 2019 the SPECIALIZED crew celebrated the 40th anniversary of 2-ONE with another incredible 4xCD collection: CHECK ONE-2: Spirit of ’79. Covers of THE SPECIALS, BAD MANNERS, THE SELECTER, THE BEAT, MADNESS, BODYSNATCHERS and more! This edition features mostly American bands from the collection – and if you couldn’t guess the majority of the bands are Jump Up Records acts! ***UK FANS – COPIES ARE ON THE WAY TO SPECIALIZED UK NOW – PLEASE PLACES YOUR ORDER WITH THEM!** Continue reading REPRESS! CHECK ONE-2: SPIRIT OF ’79 LP vinyl – now on clear blue wax!
REPRESSED! THE CROMBIES “Dance Crazee” LP vinyl (Random Color) / Cassette Tape
If you don’t dance to THE CROMBIES, you don’t dance! Chicago’s 2-TONE champs have finally gone and done it – recorded their debut album for JUMP UP RECORDS! Formed in 2010 by ex-members of DEAL’S GONE BAD and LORD MIKE’S DIRTY CALYPSONIANS with a very simple idea – start out as a 2-TONE cover band playing the hits of THE SPECIALS, BAD MANNERS, BEAT, MADNESS, etc – the later create 2-TONE versions of songs that have that ska potential! Original DGB singer “Lord” Mike Park once again was on the case and recruited a top notch troop that included ex-DGB keyboard player Karl Gustafson, DGB guitarist Dave Simon, Vee Sonnets on lead guitar, Jason Berry on bass, and Matt Meuzelaar on drums. The band’s first 2-TONE’d studio cut was NINEY THE OBSERVER’s “BLOOD & FIRE” released on a limited edition 7″ single, with a new version of the classic DGB song “MAD AT THE WORLD” on the flip. It was an instant hit, the single got dancefloors moving all across the world! Random color vinylremains. Continue reading REPRESSED! THE CROMBIES “Dance Crazee” LP vinyl (Random Color) / Cassette Tape
RSD Drop! THE UNTOUCHABLES “Hooked On A Feeling” Picture Disc 7 inch – beautiful art by Chema Skandal
We are SO excited about the first vinyl picture disc in 37 years for Los Angeles ska/mod 80s legends!!! One of the most collectable bands of all time, their STIFF RECORDS UK picture discs were highlights of the 1980s!! JUMP UP, in collaboration with THE SPECIALIZED PROJECT UK, are proud to deliver the band’s first new recording in decades, a wonderful laid back mid-tempo summer reggae dancer – a version of the B.J THOMAS / BLUE SWEDE oldies radio hit “HOOKED ON A FEELING” (penned by MARK JAMES) complete with a dub on the flip! This 7 inch picture disc vinyl gem is limited to 750 copies, distributed in the UK officially by SPECIALIZED. Don’t delay, this one time press is a must have purchase for both 40+ year fans and newcomers alike. An essential DJ 45 that sounds incredible (was very surprised too) – that’s why it’s a selection for our 7 inch subscription club! A tad pricier due to production costs, please keep in mind proceeds are going to the UK charity plus is supporting one of the world’s most legendary ska bands of ALL TIME!
RSD import: LAUREL AITKEN “Rudi Got Married” LP – incredible 80’s collection on one record!
We’re celebrating Record Store Day with another great import from Grover Germany, a repress on 180g heavyweight vinyl collecting the Godfather of Ska’s 80s recordings – from his first and only UK chart success ‘Rudi Got Married’ to his seminal Unicorn classics such as “Sally Brown” and “Sahara”. Incudes the first two singles on I-SPY records with backing band THE RUTS in disguise as UNITONE.
Side A: 1. Rudi Got Married 2. Honey Come Back To Me 3. Big Fat Man 4. It’s Too Late 5. Mad About You 6. Sahara 7. Hey Little Girl
Side B: 1. Sally Brown 2. Je T’aimerai Toujours 3. Eh Mon Amour 4. Don’t Turn Your Back 5. I Love You, Yes I Do 6. Peggy Sue 7. Rude Boy Dream
REPRESS: MEPHISKAPHELES “God Bless Satan” LP (red vinyl)
Red vinyl REPRESS has arrived limited to 250 copies! Debut 1994 album from New York City satanic ska punk band, produced by Bill Laswell. Thirteen upbeat skankers, flush with brass, drenched with irresistible melodies and infectious choruses. Originally self released, the album soon went global after being licensed by Moon Ska Records. Far beyond 2-Tone with a slight nod to Jamaica’s originators, Mephiskapheles birthed their own ska-based niche. Go SATAN! Go SKA! We also released the cassette tape for Cassette Store Day 2017, add one for the collection only 150 made! Their second album “Maximum Perversion” is also available on vinyl and tape from us!
Continue reading REPRESS: MEPHISKAPHELES “God Bless Satan” LP (red vinyl)
Black Friday 2021: STOP THE PRESSES “ORL VOL 1 & 2” TAPE / AMY WINEHOUSE “Ultimate Ska Collection” TAPE
Two more special CASSETTE TAPE releases for our Black Friday Celebration! The earliest demos of Brooklyn NY traditional ska warriors STOP THE PRESSES are now available on one cassette tape limited to 50 copies. And not to be outdone we have been able to get our hands on more Amy Winehouse tapes! It’s a classic clocking in at almost 90 minutes – and yes it’s all ska and reggae baby! Ask the internet for a track listing!
Last Copies RSD 2017: RUDE GUEST Lost Chicago Ska 1982-1993″ LP vinyl / CD / TAPE
Celebrate RECORD STORE DAY 2017 with JUMP UP, and pick up our limited vinyl edition of the RUDE GUEST anthology! Marble vinyl, limited to 150 copies, comes with a DL code and a button! Not familiar with their story? During the early 80’s a small handful of bands kept the 2-Tone ska flame alive – Chicago’s RUDE GUEST was one of them! They released 4 limited edition cassettes before the US third wave kicked into full gear, and this release compiles all 16 songs from these tapes. Songs songs range from happy-go-lucky uptempo 2-Tone ska with a strong sax lead (think Madness or Bad Manners) to progressive roots reggae with a rock guitar lead and brooding 80’s keyboard. We first issued these tracks for CASSETTE STORE DAY back in October, and received some amazing press from the Chicago Reader – who did a full feature on the release including an interview with founding member Paul Schroeder. Read all about that HERE. Continue reading Last Copies RSD 2017: RUDE GUEST Lost Chicago Ska 1982-1993″ LP vinyl / CD / TAPE
BOOMTOWN UNITED “Tuffer Than I” LP / CD / Tape – Modern 2-Tone from St Louis!
Boomtown United is St. Louis’s premier ska collective, a powerful 8 piece delivering horn driven harmony-laced 2-Tone style songs, their catalog is overflowing with an innovative sound that has captivated audiences worldwide. Comprised of veterans from the StL ska and reggae scene, Boomtown United bring an energy that is both refreshing and therapeutic on their debut full lengh “Tuffer Than I”. A must for fans of classic 2-Tone like The Specials, English Beat, and Madness; early American and European third wave ska like The Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, Let’s Go Bowling, Hotknives, Potato 5 and Mr Review. The wait is finally over, you heard them on the SKA BREWING collaboration DRINK THE SKA and on the 2_TONE tribute CHECK ONE-2 and finally the full length has arrived on Jump Up! Light blue vinyl press limited to 200 copies. Tape limited to 50 copies. A co-label release with Grover Records in Germany!
MARK FOGGO’S SKASTERS “Ska Pig Returns!” LP vinyl – RED WAX!
English-born Mark Foggo began his music career in Amsterdam in 1979, he had discovered ska music through the popularity of 2-Tone bands such as The Specials and The Beat, inspiring him to start his own punk/ska band, The Secret Meeting. After independently releasing a single entitled “New Shoes”, the band was promptly signed to Polydor Records in 1980 for the full length “Speeding My Life Away.” Foggo’s passion for ska eventually grew larger until he omitted the punk / new wave songs entirely, focusing exclusively on ska for his first solo album, 1983’s “A State of Mind”. He formed his most notable band, Mark Foggo’s Skasters, in 1987, and their 1989 debut, “Ska Pig”, was a huge international success, often cited as a classic of the ska genre. Foggo founded his own label Skanky’ Lil in 1990 to release his own music, which he describes as “modern, bizarre, non-influenced, up tempo ska”, and is characterized by his observational and darkly comic lyricism, as well as his manic and boisterous stage personality. In 2010, Foggo’s band signed to V2 Records to release the album “Mad”, but after nearly a decade Mark Foggo is back with “SKA PIG RETURNS!” on Jump Up Records. Initial batch of records is on heavyweight 180g vinyl! This new album is truly a return to form, ten tracks of uptempo 2-Tone influenced bouncy ska with clever and whimsical lyrics that made you think, laugh…but mostly SKANK! RED VINYL limited to 100 copies!
