MUSIC A to Z Challenge #S Sublime, The Specials and Skunk Anansie

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Here is my entry for @psos  A-Z music challenge, today i'm on bands or songs starting with the letter S.

Hi guys, so yesterday was a non #hive day for me as I was stuck in immigration sorting out my visa renewal, back now and time to get this party started. To get things going in this letter group i'm choosing Sublime, this ska, reggae, hip hop, rock, punk band were one of my favorites of the late 80's early 90's and still a band I listen to a lot. Hailing from Long beach California they formed in 1988 when school friends Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh who had been in a punk band met Bradl ey Nowell. Nowell introduced them to ska and reggae and the two styles were fused together, although they had reasonable local success record companies didn't see how to market their sound so they started their own record label.

This didn't help much and the band spent the next few years playing gigs at small clubs and venues in the long beach area. Releasing their first album in 1992 called 40oz to freedom they started to get picked up by a wider audience helped by radio stations playing their tunes. Off the back of this they signed a record deal with Gasoline alley a branch of MCA records with who they released album number two called "Robbin the hood" this was not a major success for the band and they went back to touring and playing as headliners for the Vans warped tour , after a few drunken brawls and Bradley's dog biting a couple of pro skaters they were asked to leave.

MCA took over the record deal and pushed them to knuckle down and produce a new album, this was fully recorded but before it's release Nowell died of a heroin overdose on May 26th 1996, the self titled album was a global success but without Nowell to head the band it was their last. After his death the record company released many "cash in" albums cobbled together from demos and live recordings. The remaining members didn't want to continue as Sublime so went on to form the Long beach dub allstars.

Sublime will always be in my record box, as a band that seamlessly fused many genres of my favorite music they were the sound of many good times with my friends from the skate and surf community, a sad loss as they should have had a long career. From their last album Sublime "what I got" and "wrong way".

Next are a band that influenced me massively as a young guy, through the UK ska movement they gave me my first sense of belonging to something. The Specials introduced me to a "new" to me style of music which became a life long love. Under the banner of the Two Tone label these guys became the sound of Briton for a short period along with many other artists. The Specials "Too much too young".


There are so many bands that could have got a mention here, Soundgarden, Smashing pumpkins, Sonic youth and The Sex pistols to name a few. I'm gonna add one extra, this band I got to see their UK television debut, a guy I had got to know through the club scene invited me along to the Astoria London for a recording of his ITV program "The beat". Gary Crowley's program showcased up and coming bands, knowing nothing about the bands playing I assumed that one of the bands were going to be some kind of dub reggae band, how wrong I was when "skin" walked out with a white cross on her face and blasted out this, I think I was scared and a little in love all in one shot. Skunk Anansie - "Selling Jesus"

That's me done for another day till next time stay safe folks!



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I used to love Skank Anansie! They were so cool on stage! 😎

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She is one hell of a performer and amazing vocalist.

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