Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Doing Fine by The Inciters (Elmo):

I think out of all of the Inciters’ work I’ve heard, some of the best of it is on here.  My opinion of this band is summed up in three words, “Hit or Miss”.  Some songs are absolutely fantastic on this album, others seem like they’re just singing what they’re randomly thinking, like in a bad musical.  However, my personal favorites are “Gonna watch my step” as well as “Lay this Burden Down” which are VERY catchy.  I’m not too hot on the male singer, he seems to try way too hard.  If you’re going to buy any of The Inciters’ stuff, go for this one.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album My Best Girl Wears My Crown by The Paragons (Trojan):

I lucked out on this album and found it for a buck.  Most definitely worth it!  A compilation of supposedly The Paragons‘ greatest hits of the rocksteady era.  I can’t argue though, they do have some of their best songs on here!  I wish they put a few extras though…They do have their best known hits like “Wear you to the Ball” (one of my favorites of theirs), “Island in the Sun”, “Riding on a high and windy day” (another favorite of mine), and “My Best Girl”.  It is pretty much all their hit songs, but if you’re not familiar with the Paragons, it’s a good starter album to form an opinion of them.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Better Late Than Never by The Slackers (Moon Ska NYC, Special Potato Records):

First release by the NYC legends, later repressed by their own label, Special Potato with unreleased tracks.  For some reason, this and Wasted Days are probably my favorite Slackers albums.   I think I love this album so much because it definitely is a portrait of the ska scene in NYC and along the east coast in the 1990′s.  Jazzy, well-written, young, and definitely shows that The Slackers have always “had it”.  Songs that get stuck in your head for days on end, but you don’t mind, cause they’re that good.  I think the best track is definitely their cover of “Our Day Will Come” featuring Doreen Shaffer.  I have heard from many people that they don’t like this album, and I can see where they can say that, but, I love it.  A must for any Slackers fan.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Time Marches On by Derrick Morgan (Heartbeat Records):

An all-around look at Mr. Morgan’s carreer.  This album has 6 songs in his ska years, 8 in his rocksteady years, and 7 in his reggae years.  I was quite surprised that “forward march” isn’t on this compilation of his hits, but it does have songs like “Fatman” and “Tears on my Pillow” which I think are probably some of the most well-known Derrick Morgan songs.  I like this album cause you can just put it on for someone who’s never heard of the man and they can get a good feel of how talented he is and how he can sing to just about any genre of music.

Welcome to another edition of Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Evening Time by Jackie Mittoo (Studio One):

Let me just get this out of the way, and say I absolutely adore the cover of this album! Apparently, Jackie Mittoo has sexy organ parties on the beach with attractive ladies! I wonder where his organ is plugged into? Alright, that’s out of the way…This album is absolutely killer. I’m a huge fan of the organ, and even a bigger fan of Jackie Mittoo. This whole album is just fantastic, not a single downside to any song at all. You need more Jackie in your life.

Welcome to a brand new feature here on MNSKA.com that we are calling Miss Upsetter’s Retro Vinyl Review!  Miss Upsetter is originally from Arizona where she was very involved with the ska scene and used to run the now-defunct ska site Get Up Edina! Being the vinyl junkie that she is, she posted many quick-hit reviews of some classic ska and reggae albums on that site.  We have unearthed these reviews and will share as many as we can for a somewhat daily review segment.

Today’s review is of the album Fat Footin’ by Skavoovie and the Epitones (Moon):

One of the best releases from moon ska ever! This is one of those albums I bought when it first came out and couldn’t stop listening to. These guys were just kids when this was recorded, but by listening, you would never know! These guys are so talented, this is my favorite album by this enormous band. This is a great mix of swing and ska, with occasional bluesy solos. Great dance album, I would always throw this on when I would DJ and just leave it and people would go nuts for it and would always ask me who it was. This album is like musical prozac. You can’t NOT move while listening to this.

MNSka band 2 Tone Runts had their debut full-length On The Front Line reviewed by Adriana Rodriguez on the blog What’s Bluesdaddy Listening To? Here’s what she had to say about the Minneapolis ska band:

On this debut album, the Minneapolis based sextet explain America’s weak points and their hatred of war, which is reminiscent of  Anti-Flag’s anti-capitalist view points. From acoustic numbers like “The Internationalist” to up-beat  ska love songs like “Cute Girls In Combat Boots,” they prove that revolution is just around the corner. Songs are complete with interesting  trumpet solos and this incorporates the need for solidarity and peace in this world.

Despite not knowing the difference between a trumpet and a trombone (an honest mistake), Rodriguez gives the guys a decent review.

Friend of MNSka and creator of the DThrog Ska Review, Dave Throgmartin, has recently reviewed the MNSKA Mixtape Volume One compilation on his website.  The album consists of 20 tracks from MNSka bands and can be streamed and downloaded right here on THIS WEBSITE.

Dave has this to say about the comp:

Want to listen to some ska from a local US scene? No… not from New York. No… not Los Angeles either, I’m talking about ska from the midwest!

MNSKA has released “MN Ska Mix Tape: Volume One” featuring 20 songs from ska bands across the state of Minnesota. The styles are diverse from reggae, two-tone inspired ska, 3rd wave ska, and ska-core…

I’d recommend this Mix Tape. It’s an opportunity to listen to bands you might not find otherwise and is well done. I hope to see good things come to the bands as they find a new audience for their music and pick some fans up along the way.

You can read the entire album review HERE.

I’d recommend checking out the DThrog Ska Review blog.  Dave does a swell job of reviewing ska shows and albums.  It’s always good to have a ska ally in the Midwest!

Hey there, fellow ska-lovers!  If you may have noticed, there are quite a few bands releasing new albums lately.  MNSka bands like 2 Tone Runts and Rocksteady Breakfast and national bands like Westbound Train have just dropped full-lengths.  We here at MNSka would love to read what you have to say about them and post your review on the site!  Just click the SUBMIT NEWS link at the top of the page to email us your review.  Any ska album, old or new, is fair game.  Make it as long or short as you like but try to rate it on a scale of 1-5.  We look forward to reading your reviews…it’s a great way to support the ska scene!

Cover of LMLC's "Sunrays To Starlight"

MNSka reviewer, Bari Sax, has posted his take on the Sunrays to Starlight, the new album by Last Martyrs of a Lost Cause.  You can read his review after the jump.

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