Sanctuary Records Group - Trojan

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One Step Beyond – 45 Classic Ska Hits

Released on 8 September 2003.

Unashamedly looking at the popular side of Ska and it's (many) revivals. This album not strictly Trojan, because it has the power of Virgin behind it complete with ma major TV advertising campaign.

Classics all the way on CD1 – the original ska side. There is an emphasis on those covered and redone or given prominence by later (2Tone) revivals. On Cd2 we go into the revivalist period.

Classics are classics, some are timeless, some grate and some you can't get enough off. For me the covers pretty much 100% pale into insignificance as compared to the originals (though I've never been a great fan of Tony Tribe's Red Red Wine!)

The Ethiopians will also feature highly no matter how many times I hear it. The Pioneers racetrack anthem Long Shot Kick the Bucket is still fresh as a daisy. The Maytals 54-46 prison anthem is superb still. These three are far and away the best, though the set would not be complete with the groundbreaking Prince Buster, the skinhead instrumentals and Symarip, the popular chart material of Desmond Dekker and Millie, the Skatalite instrumentals and so on. Jamaican lifestyle (and therefore history) is implicit throughout with the likes of Shanty Town, Rudeboys, Spaghetti Westerns, Rastafari and Ganja but all this will be lost on the next generation.

No surprises really, some omissions maybe but play loud, singalong, in the mood for Ska and enjoy.

CD2, the 2 tone revivalists, were essentially copyists but they eventually got a groove and originality of it's own. It was something I never particularly felt because I was so close to, and knew mainly, the originals. UB40 are featured but I never really classed them the same as the rest but they are of the time and rightly featured.

The frantic Tears of Clown by the Beat was one of the best, and , for some reason, I had a bit of a weakness for the poppiness and fun of the Bodysnatchers, although now it sounds pretty poor. The Lambrettas were not really even strictly ska revivalists aligning themselves more to the mod (revival) movement. The Specials I suppose were the ones that stood out with their epic Ghost Town but Madness ended up being the biggest. Old Ska legends were brought back in like Laurel Aitken. And then UB just mellowed out the whole situation.

VTDCDX546 - Various Artists: One Step Beyond

Release Date: 28/07/03


ONE STEP BEYOND is the third TV-advertised album from the Trojan team. This time around, they've teamed up with Virgin/EMI to present the ultimate Ska album.

Across 45 tracks, we hear the best from the original, authentic Ska sound of the 1960s through to Ska's spectacular revival via the 2-Tone scene in 1979/80.

From Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker and Millie through to Madness, The Specials and The Beat, One Step Beyond does exactly what it says on the tin - 45 Classic Ska Hits.

Don't watch that... watch this!!!.


Check out the television advertisement

Please note: 'One Step Beyond' will not be available to purchase directly through the Trojan Records online shop. It is, however, available to pre-order from most online music retailers - including HMV.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, Virgin Megastores Online and MVC - and will be available to purchase from all good record stores from Monday 28th July 2003.

Click on each track to hear a 30 second sound clip

 

DISC 1:
1. One Step Beyond -
Prince Buster
2. Train To Skaville -
The Ethiopians
3. Guns Of Navarone -
The Skatalites
4. Monkey Man -
The Maytals
5. 0.0.7 (Shanty Town) -
Desmond Dekker & The Aces
6. Long Shot Kick De Bucket -
The Pioneers
7. Rudy, A Message To You -
Dandy Livingstone
8. Phoenix City -
Roland Alphonso
9. My Boy Lollipop -
Millie
10. Liquidator -
Harry J. All Stars
11. I'm In The Mood For Ska -
Lord Tanamo
12. It Mek -
Desmond Dekker & The Aces
13. Carry Go Bring Come -
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
14. Madness -
Prince Buster
15. Bonanza Ska -
Carlos Malcolm & Afro Jamaican Rhythms
16. King Of Kings -
Jimmy Cliff
17. Housewives' Choice -
Derrick & Patsy
18. Red Red Wine -
Tony Tribe
19. 54-46 Was My Number -
The Maytals
20. Israelites -
Desmond Dekker & The Aces
21. Return Of Django -
The Upsetters
22. Too Experienced -
Bob Andy
23. The Tide Is High -
The Paragons
24. Swan Lake -
The Cats
25. Skinhead Moonstomp -
Symarip

DISC 2:
1. Gangsters -
The Specials
2. The Prince -
Madness
3. Tears Of A Clown -
The Beat
4. On My Radio -
The Selecter
5. Let's Do Rocksteady -
The Bodysnatchers
6. Lip Up Fatty -
Bad Manners
7. Poison Ivy -
The Lambrettas
8. King -
UB40
9. Mirror In The Bathroom -
The Beat
10. My Girl -
Madness
11. Too Much Too Young (live) -
The Specials
12. Rudi Got Married -
Laurel Aitken & Unitone
13. Three Minute Hero -
The Selecter
14. Tom Hark -
The Piranhas
15. Hands Off She's Mine -
The Beat
16. Ne Ne Na Na Na Na Nu Nu -
Bad Manners
17. Missing Words -
The Selecter
18. Ghost Town (lp version) -
The Specials
19. My Way Of Thinking -
UB40
20. Nightboat To Cairo -
Madness

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