E_MaN Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I've always loved ska but I don't play any really at all. So any recommendations on good songs and bass lines would be great, and maybe a few of your own favourites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Don't know if these count not being a major afficianado but I enjoy playing: A message to you Rudy (Specials) On my Radio (Selector) One step beyond (Madness) Mirror in the bathroom (The Beat) Kingston Town (UB40) Bit predictable.....................sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 [quote name='E_MaN' post='217131' date='Jun 11 2008, 07:35 PM']I've always loved ska but I don't play any really at all. So any recommendations on good songs and bass lines would be great, and maybe a few of your own favourites![/quote] I'm in a Ska/Punk band Some of my fave Ska basslines are Rancid - Old Friend (quite dirty ska) Less Than Jake - Johnny Quest thinks We're Sellouts The Plan - Something Better ( This is mine but its my favorite that i have written) Oh i forgot Propaghandi - Ska Sucks (simple but effective) I may upload it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 (edited) one ska influenced band i love are Sublime, Santeria, Badfish and Wrong way are tracks i love playing, nice baselines in a lot of their stuff. For early stuff and a good foundation Reggae bass by Ed Friedland ( published by Hal Leonard, ISBN 0-7935-7994-5) is well worth buying. Some Madness stuff is also fun to play. I will have a hunt for the guitar pro files if you need them. Edited June 11, 2008 by steve-norris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar South Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 [quote name='steve-norris' post='217150' date='Jun 11 2008, 07:57 PM']one ska influenced band i love are Sublime, Santeria, Badfish and Wrong way are tracks i love playing, nice baselines in a lot of their stuff. For early stuff and a good foundation Reggae bass by Ed Friedland ( published by Hal Leonard, ISBN 0-7935-7994-5) is well worth buying. Some Madness stuff is also fun to play. I will have a hunt for the guitar pro files if you need them.[/quote] My complaint about that book is he should have put the drum score in (like in 'Bass Grooves'), otherwise good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E_MaN Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 thanks for the suggestions guys!! Keep 'em coming!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Ghost Town- The specials Lip up Fatty- Bad Manners special Brew- Bad Manners Enjoy Yourself- Specials Cheers Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markytbass Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band, I was kaiser Bills Batman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Too Much, Too Young - The Specials Missing Words - The Selecter Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 (edited) These are all great fun to play. Couple of repeats here but worth repeating: Specials - Monkey Man (more reliant on the bass than Toots & The Maytals' original) Specials - Ghost Town Specials - Too Much, Too Young Specials - Nite Klub Madness - House of Fun Fishbone - Lying Ass Bitch Fishbone - Ma and Pa Fishbone - Unyielding Condition Sublime - Doin' Time (ska George Gershwin!) Operation Ivy - Bombshell Rancid - Time Bomb Edited June 11, 2008 by thisnameistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 You guys are way off. Desmond Dekker Poineers Pyramids (symarip) Dave and Ansell Collins Jimmy Cliff Harry J and the Allstars Maytals Thats Ska! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 (edited) Ska's not really my cuppa tea these days (although I was seen stage diving at a ska covers gig the other week) but when I was into it I really loved the bass line to Can't Get Used To Losing You by The Beat. It's all roots and thirds type stuff but it hits the spot. Edited June 12, 2008 by Ou7shined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='217321' date='Jun 12 2008, 12:51 AM']You guys are way off. Desmond Dekker Poineers Pyramids (symarip) Dave and Ansell Collins Jimmy Cliff Harry J and the Allstars Maytals Thats Ska![/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 "Operation Ivy - Bombshell Rancid - Time Bomb" Good call Matt Freeman is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='217321' date='Jun 12 2008, 12:51 AM']You guys are way off. Desmond Dekker Poineers Pyramids (symarip) Dave and Ansell Collins Jimmy Cliff Harry J and the Allstars Maytals Thats Ska![/quote] Actually those people are mostly well known for their reggae rather than ska. Ska generally has a walking bass line (on a doghouse in the early days) Reggae has a lot more space in the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tait Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 sorry, i probably sound like a noob, but what [i]is[/i] ska? the only one of these bands i listen to is rancid... and i'd class them more as a punk band? im guessing ska's similar to punk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Ska is a pretty broad term. Ska, technially, is Jamacan folk music. Reggae is derived from Ska. Through the years there have been different "waves" of ska, each with a different sound. A lot of people now deride it because they associate ska with the baggy trousered, whacky 3rd wave which sort of encapsulated bands like Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish etc. Rancid I would term a punk band that encorporate ska elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 My word, my spelling and grammer have gone right down the pan today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 A lot of older music that is mistaken for ska is actually rocksteady. Ska is faster with the bass usually walking 4 notes per bar, rocksteady is somewhat slower with the bass playing syncopated 8th note based patterns, reggae much slower. Jackie Jackson was the bassist first noted for 'doubling up' (playing 8ths, not 1/4s and thus forcing the music to be slowed down). Wikipedia is quite accurate on all this kind of stuff: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska[/url] Your average man on the street would identify ska as uptempo music with the guitar on the offbeat and thus we in my band claim we're BritSkunk (Anglo Ska Funk) because of this key feature, even if little else is authentic. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 First wave big UK hit Ska tune was "My Boy Lolipop" by Millie [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqcpt-BKZBM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqcpt-BKZBM[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) Don't think anyone's mentioned 'Gangsters' by the Specials which is a great bassline to play. Ditto 'Too Much Too Young'. We gig both and people love them. Didn't play any ska until got into my present band - now I love playing it. It always gets blokes dancing. Edited June 23, 2008 by stingrayfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcflie Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 For ska punk, you can't beat Streetlight Manifesto. Some of the bass work is very tidy, check out [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyhIjhIsh0I"]Here's to life[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.