features in: Album Chart of 1980 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1980s |

The second-wave of Ska which exploded in the UK in the late 70s was good for this 4-year-old group of Northern London schoolmates. Their debut 45, “Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu” (Dicky Doo and The Don'ts, 1958) was issued in February, 1980 and gave them a Top 30 hit single. They had better tunes up their sleeve though, and these were unveiled on their debut long-player just two months later. The never-get-rich nonet were: Doug Trendle (vocals), Alan Sayagg (harmonica), Louis Cook (guitar), Andrew Marson (saxophone), Gus Herman (trumpet), Chris Kane (saxophone), David Farren (bass), Brian Tuitt (drums) and Martin Stewart (keyboards). The album featured 6 covers in total; as well as the aforementioned opener there was “Fatty Fatty” (The Heptones, 1967), “Monster Mash” (Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers, 1962), “Caledonia” (Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, 1945), “Magnificent 7” (Elmer Bernstein, 1960) and “Wooly Bully” (Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, 1964). Whilst these have a certain degree of charm, some moments are a little too cartoonish for their own good though, and I find their originals to be much more rewarding. The excellent “Here Comes The Major” is the first of them, has got it all going on, brilliantly mixing up Ska rhythms and featuring all the strengths of the group from harmonica to horns to keyboards to Buster's vocals. Over on side two is the classic one-two single double-whammy of May and September, “Lip Up Fatty” (#15) and “Special Brew” (#3) which established them as a household name up and down the land. “Inner London Violence” hints at an altogether different direction - they could have played it straight and political like their 2-Tone compadres had they so wished. Of course, they immediately sabotage this fantasy with the Bonzo-Dog-like novelty number “Scruffy, The Huffy Chuffy Tugboat”. Sigh, what am I going to do with them? Haha, a fun-packed good-quality debut whichever way you look at it.
The Jukebox Rebel
20–Oct–2016
Tracklist |
A1 | [02:35] ![]() |
A2 | [02:54] ![]() |
A3 | [02:25] ![]() |
A4 | [04:22] ![]() |
A5 | [03:01] ![]() |
A6 | [02:58] ![]() |
B1 | [02:31] ![]() |
B2 | [03:09] ![]() |
B3 | [02:48] ![]() |
B4 | [03:37] ![]() |
B5 | [03:56] ![]() |
B6 | [01:39] ![]() |