If anything it would be the countless times we did the nutty walk. The fun we Mods had.
I was in the UK when this record and the Specials debut were everywhere. Top of The Pops seemed to be full of these ska bands. The Mod bands weren't getting anywhere near the same exposure. It was all ska. One Step Beyond was like a giant party album. You put the record on the first track and then you were off. Skanking around the living room. And considering how small my flat in Fitzroy was you'd be knocking over lamps and tables.
We'd play Night Train and One Step Beyond at Kommotion and the crowd would go absolutely nutty. These songs couldn't help but bring a smile to your face just the way people reacted. My particular favourite was My Girl which I first heard on TOTP and was my introduction to Madness. Great tune and they had a few.
Back in Melbourne ska was starting to take off in 1980. At the Batcave they opened a new night called the Bluebeat Club. Bands like Strange Tennants and No Nonsense played. They got quite big really quick. And you could see why. The gigs were just fun. As Ripley Holden in the series Blackpool says to a friend suffering in hospital as he plays a ska song to cheer him up. "There's nothing ska can't fix!"
I sang with the Sets at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney a few years back at a celebration of the Eighties. (and in particular Mod) The Allnighters were on too. Ska has still got it. Couldn't stop smiling all through their set.
No comments:
Post a Comment