Too Much Two Tone: Ska Classics

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-05-01 rating:
Two Tones to Every Story
`Too Much Two Tone' is a supermarket compilation and yet where other supermarket compilations miss whole swathes of essential tracks this one ticks all the boxes with the all important Special number ones `Too Much Too Young' and `Ghost Town' (the extended 12" dub, no less) as well as a sprinkling of the rarities such as Rico's `Sea Cruise' and the later bands such as The Higsons and The Friday club which are generally air brushed out of the labels history to make for a monochrome Ska label which is readily identified.

That's not to say the Ska is underplayed, as well as the four Specials track, the Madness 45 `The Prince' is here, two Bodysnatchers tracks (neither of which are available on CD elsewhere) and three singles released on Two Tone by The Selector plus their classic version of the James Bond Theme.

The only glaring omission is neither side of The Beat single being licensed for the compilation however as a history of the label it is more representative than either of the Two Tone released compilations `This Are Two Tone' (released before the Special AKA album) and `The Two Tone Story' (which labours the Ska heritage). This really are Two Tone.

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review by: date: 2006-04-10 rating:
Too much of poor Ska!
Knowing little about Ska but hearing artists like Erykah Badu & Steve Marley I thought I would purchase this album hoping for Ska heaven! But in turned out to be an anti-climax with little imagination! Although there are few tracks I would recommend...Too Much Too Young is good and Ghost Town but apart from that everything else is slightly experimental in the first movement of ska.

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review by: Toypom date: 2003-02-10 rating:
Too Little Two Tone
Two Tone was the UK's most exciting new musical movement at the start of the 80s. Groups like Madness, The Selecter, The (English) Beat and The Special AKA, all on the Two Tone label, revived the Jamaican ska beat and created a new urgent sound that took youth culture by storm. This is a valuable introduction to the Two Tone beat, but unfortunately anything but complete. In the first place, the Beat is completely absent. The compilers could at least have included their classic version of Tears Of A Clown. In the second place, too many classic tracks have been omitted. Where's "A Message To You Rudy" by The Specials, "Madness" by Madness, The Selecter's eponymous "Selecter" and their well-known "Too Much Pressure?" I also think that Madness is hopelessly underrepresented as they're the band that ultimately achieved the greatest success. At least some of the earliest Two Tone hits are here, like Too Much Too Young, The Prince, On My Radio and Let's Do Rocksteady, plus later classics like The Specials' Nelson Mandela and Ghost Town. It is with some reluctance that I award this album a fourth star. Although it's a very listenable compilation, its title ought more appropriately to have been been "Too Little Two Tone."


review by: date: 2001-10-21 rating:
A collection of ska greats
It's classic two tone action all the way on this 18-track ska-fest of an album. If you like the Specials, then this is for you. 1/3 of all the tunes are done by them, either under their 'specials' monicker, or thier earlier name, 'the special a.k.a.'. A Selector cover of the James Bond theme tune is skank-tastic, while madness's 'the prince' is great too. get your black suit on and skank the night away with 'too much two tone: ska classics'.

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