12/27/2012 Rocket Ship Ska Trip

(12/27/12)

If you can, just skip past the first 1:48 after the “Rocket Ship” theme. While at home crafting the successful mix which follows, my first attempt was foreshortened when I noticed my levels were completely redding out on me… I just had to fade and start over! The mix itself is one you’ve heard here before: Tracey Dey into Ria Bartok into Don Drummond. What I didn’t know before this week is “Ska Doo-Dee-Yah” (original Tracey Dey version) actually went top-20 in Sydney, Australia, and was generally a fairly sizable hit down under! “Zu Schade” is, of course, Ria Bartok’s quite successful German cover of “Ska Doo” while Don Drummond rounds out the mix with “Smiling”, backed quite ferociously by a very enthusiastic Skatalites being driven hard by the late great Lloyd Knibb pounding out that Buru beat. Another Drummond classic, the unusual “Apanga”, is a ska without the identifying upbeat “ska” clip, and it rounds out this week’s “Ooh” as the Rocket Ship docks with the Voovie Doo Lounge orbiting Sherwood’s Planet. Speaking of Mr. Funn, he was pouring doubles all the way (except for singular Froggie bumpers on the breaks). A low-res “Obladi” by Italians I Ribelli was the GotchaSKAvered this week, and heads-up: in the new year we bring back Lollipops-of-the-Week… we’ve got a certifiable year’s worth of ‘em! The 5@5:05 was a Ska/Jazz set of instros, and cumbia outfit Ondotropica led us into the closing moments this week with “Ska Fuentes”_ one of many skas the good Dr. Strangedub (Echo Chamber) wil be feeding us in the coming weeks. Now, this “Tune In… and Stay Tuned” business I promised to explain “next week” some weeks back (sorry about the delay!)… it’s simple. "Tune In…" was the title of a Skalatones album, and “Stay Tuned” was the title of a Let’s Go Bowling album. I’ll play a personal fave from each release next week during the last half-hour of the Home Stretch. Tune in… and Stay Tuned.