Record Label: Do The Dog Music
Genre: Ska/Reggae/Dub
Band Link: The Bakesys on Facebook
Buy On Bandcamp

To celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, the Bakesys have released a collection simply titled “The Complete Bakesys”. Containing 82 tracks, this release covers every single studio, live and demo track that the band has ever released.

While 82 songs doesn’t sound like a lot for a band celebrating thirty years together but that stems from the band only releasing material sporadically while working on other side projects like the Do the Dog Skazine and keeping track of the history of the genre. With that said, the Bakesys have still managed to put out some kick ass material in those years. Songs such as “Life So Tuff”, “Days Gone By”, “Open All Hours” and “Grass Is Greener” are long-running classics and have maintained popularity among the ska community since their release.

“The Complete Bakesys” may not be the type of album that you put on for an extended listening session but it is definitely an album that you can make a playlist from or pick and choose which version of a particular song is your favorite since there are upwards of a half dozen versions of certain songs. The songs also don’t seem to be in any particular order that I can discern with live tracks following demos and studio tracks from different eras.

If you’re looking for the easy way to hear the Bakesys, “The Complete Bakesys” is absolutely the best way to go without the need for an inflated box set. I still prefer to hear their albums as they were meant to be heard but that’s not what this release is about. If you’re a fan of two-tone and third wave ska, you need to introduce yourself to the Bakesys if you haven’t met them already.

Bottom Line: This is the entire musical catalog of the Bakesys in one complete collection.
Notable Tracks: Life So Tuff, Days Gone By, Looking For Version, Animated Violence, Have You Seen the KGB? Live, Grass Is Greener, Life So Dub, Rainy Day Dub
Overall Rating:

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