Record Label: Invisible Mass Records
Genre:
Band Link: link
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Warsaw Poland Bros like to play that sound that we call ska. They seem to lean more towards the second wave sound that took over the UK in the early 80’s. They also don’t shy away from picking it up much like some of the third wave ska bands that took Orange County, CA by storm. “Music Fe Drink An Dance” is a compilation of the best of Warsaw spanning ten plus years.

After listening to the first track, I felt familiar with Warsaw…like I’ve heard of them somewhere. Yeah, the lead singer sounds like Prince Buster from the Bad Manners, but it wasn’t until I heard the song “Club Sex” that I had realized where I had heard them. They appeared on the first “Hey Brother…Can You Spare Some Ska?” compilation circa 1997. I liked that song but never took it any further than that. Listening to “Music Fe Dance An Drink”, I really wish that I had gotten into this band more. Warsaw’s influences lean way more towards the two-tone ska than anything else. You’ll find references to the Specials and Sonic Youth as well as a cover of the English Beat’s “Wine and Grind” with a little bit of “Rough Rider” mixed in. That’s instant awesome points right there. Even though Warsaw plays the two-tone ska very well, like I mentioned before, they don’t shy away from really fast ska and a little bit of punk. I’ll have to say, the horn players that Warsaw has had over the years were awesome. There are some really good horn lines in just about every song. Amazing stuff!

“Music Fe Dance An Drink” is full of high-energy ska songs as well as great reggae/rocksteady songs. In fact, there are three separate songs titled “Rocksteady 66, 68, & 69”. For a compilation album, this disc holds up very well on it’s own. It’s chock full of great ska goodness that will find you dancing, bobbing your head and then dancing again…sometimes in the same song. Dammit, I wish I had followed this band more closely. At least they still tour.

Bottom Line: Two-tone ska that will get you dancing.
Notable Tracks: Gangster Ska, S’Get Budded, Rude Girl, Club Sex, Tap Nasty, We Love Dem Ladies, Love Is Stronger
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