miko2

Today's Song: Too Much Too Young by the Specials

2 Tone ska was mostly British, and linked both to original Jamaican ska and to the punk scene in Britain as well -- although it really didn't mix ska and punk the way the 1990's third-wave American ska bands did, it stayed closer to ska's roots. Like the Specials, many of the British 2 Tone ska bands consisted of both black and white members.

The Specials were very central to the whole movement. They gained prominence by opening for The Clash, and they then founded their own label -- named 2 Tone Records, in 1979, giving a name to the new ska movement. They signed other British ska bands with punk influences, such as Madness and The Beat, although their contracts allowed bands to leave after doing only one single -- something that both of those bands took advantage of. When the Specials broke up in 1985, the label ceased to exist as well.

I picked Too Much Too Young because it was one of their first hits from their debut cd (as was A Message To You Rudy). But honestly, I think I like Gangsters better (which was a hit single that came out before their first album). What sucks is that you can't get the original version of Gangsters from iTunes; they only have remixed versions that were done years later by one of the original members and his new backing band, or a live version. I was able to find a copy of the version I wanted using one of the Google search tricks