Best Of Ska

Calypso Music originates from Trinidad and Tabago in the mid Nineteenth Century yet its rhythms can be traced back to West African Kaiso and the arrival of French planters and their slaves from the French Antilles in the 18th century. As English replaced “patois” (Antillian Creole) as the dominant language, calypso migrated into English, and in so doing it attracted more attention from the government -it allowed the masses through music to challenge the doings of the unelected Governor and Legislative town Councils. Calypso has since gone on to inspire many other musical genres including: Ska, Reggae, Socca, Rocksteady, Soul and Funk. Here at Viper we have selected some of the finest exponents of the genre from the first half of the Twentieth Century – Listen to the great: ‘Lord Executor’ ‘Atilla The Hun’ or ‘The Roaring Lion’ tell us with great aplomb about the trials, folk tales and tribulations of Caribbean living!

Despite its very crappy album cover graphics, Ghosts Of The Police…Exorcized is a nice 3CD compilation by The Police. The first two discs consists of material from their albums while Disc 3 is a live CD featuring recordings from different sources. This was released by Analogkid in 2018.

Best of Mano Negra is a compilation album by Mano Negra, released in 1998. It included their greatest hits from 1988 to 1994. Mano Negra (complete Spanish name: La Mano Negra, sometimes nicknamed La Mano in France) was a music group active from 1987 to 1995 and fronted by Manu Chao. The group was founded in Paris by Chao, his brother (Antoine) and cousin (Santiago), all born of Spanish parents with partly Cuban roots. Their songs were mostly in Spanish, English and French, often switching from one language to the other in the same song or in the middle of a sentence or title (e.g. "Puta's Fever"). They also had a hit song in Arabic. They are considered pioneers of world fusion. Mano Negra incorporated an impressive array of musical styles: punk rock, flamenco, ska, salsa, French chanson, hip hop, raï, rockabilly, reggae and African rhythms.

The Maytals have long since been regarded as one of Jamaica's most talented and popular groups. Formed in the early sixties, the trio Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert, Nathaniel 'Gerry' McCarthy and Henry 'Raleigh' Gordon first found fame with a number of best-selling ska singles before signing with Leslie Kong's Beverley's Records late in 1967. The union with Kong proved irresistible and produced a succession of best selling singles, including '54 46 Was My Number', 'Pressure Drop', 'Sweet And Dandy' and their memorable 1969 UK chart entry, 'Monkey Man'.

Madness continue to cement their position as the UK’s favourite band, with their House Of Common and House Of Fun events becoming annual fixtures in every fan’s calendar. Madness are national treasures, with a huge following. Their shows consistently sell out and sales of their current album confirm that, after nearly 40 years, they are still as relevant as they ever were. The last Madness best-of, ‘Total Madness’, was released in 2012 and comprised 23 singles.

The Meaning Of Life: Best Of The Heptones 1966-1976 is a 2002 compilation for the legendary reggae group. Released through Trojan Records, who released it through the Sanctuary label, who released it through BMG, this album has 25 tracks of some of the best reggae ever made. No production or mastering credits, but with compilations like this, what you hear is what you get. Some of the earlier works sound as if they were mastered from the original singles, while the later material are obviously from the master tapes as the quality is excellent.

20 track collection from the Kingston, Jamaica legends . Compiled from the band's 1980s era including hits and deep cuts . Liner notes from reggae expert Dana Smart Formed by singer and guitarist Albert Griffiths in the mid-'60s, Gladiators soon became a force in the genres of ska and reggae. As reggae moved toward ragga (synthesized drums, sampling, etc.) Gladiators' recordings for the Nighthawk Records label in the '80s stayed true to their roots reggae sound.

Bangarang: The Best Of Stranger Cole 1962-1972 is a 2003 compilation album by reggae singer Stranger Cole. This was released by Trojan.