The Skamonics enjoy thinking up unexpected songs to cover. Kylie and OMD are just two to have enjoyed the Skamonics treatment.
Doing covers is nothing new in ska. The original ska band – the Skatalites – played any tune they fancied. The Guns of Navarone is perhaps thought of as a ska tune, but it started as the theme for the film of the same name. We cover the Skatalites version of Duke Ellington’s Caravan, inevitably renamed Skaravan – a cover of a cover. Quite often the pioneer Jamaican bands changed the name of the tunes, presumably in the hope of avoiding any license fees. Here’s a list of jazz tunes played by ska pioneers – it would be interesting to find out how Take Five became The Russians are Coming.
That tradition has continued. So it good to see this free download compiled by Marco on the Bass on the wonderful cover versions blog Versions Galore.
It’s a wonderfully diverse mix drawn from bands around the world.