Point me towards some great ska music.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

Youtube links would be cool so I will know exactly what I'm in for.

I'm on a bit of a kick lately.

[onehandle]

1. On Fridays between 2 and 4 pm eastern, stream Album 88 from Georgia State University.

'One Step Beyond' is one of the best Ska shows in the world.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. Thanks for the recommendations everyone.

Most of these names were new to me so I'll have some fun checking these out!

[shenmue]

2. The Toasters

[zonkers]

3. the old classics are a good place to start.

[cemaphonic]

4. Pietasters - great DC band

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

5. Supposedly one of the earliest and most successful ska tunes of all time

recorded in 1964 by Jamaican beauty Millie Small (here she lip syncs it again in 1973). It reached #2 in the UK and the US.

[panader0]

6. Reel Big Fish, Rancid and Mustard Plug are bands my kids listened to.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

7. My favorite ska band is Ska-P

They're a band from Madrid, Spain. I saw them in concert some ten years ago and had a great time.

A warning though: they are intensely political and very. very left wing, so they may not be everyone's cup of tea. But they are all that in a very catchy and bouncy sort of way.

There's songs about worker's right:

About consumerism:

Or about just not being let into a bar:

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Get thee hence to The Specials. . .

http://www.youtube.com/results?q=the+specials

[DinahMoeHum]

9. English Beat is another great 2-tone ska band. . .

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+english+beat+

[nomorenomore08]

19. Speaking of which, I've always loved their take on "Tears of A Clown":

(Note: Low volume, so turn it up!)

[Old Nick]

10. I would

Except for the fact I have no damn clue what ska is!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

12. Here's an example - a SKA version of the 80's hit "Take On Me":

If you listen to this and some of the other links you will get an idea. Typically played at a very fast tempo, horn section figures prominently. A lot of the 80s ska bands were multiracial and songs with themes of racial harmony and against racism figured prominently too although not an integral or necessary part of the genre.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

16. I would also add a very distinctive feature of ska - emphasis on the upbeat and not the downbeat

Often it's the guitar pulling up across the strings on the upbeat. Most rock and roll emphasizes the downbeat. You can really hear it by comparing the Rolling Stones and their hit Satisfaction with a ska cover of the same tune.

[IcyPeas]

13. The Selector - On My Radio

I second the English Beat and The Specials.

[Initech]

14. Slightly Stoopid

[Brother Buzz]

15. Here's some white bread and peanut butter Ska

[Tom Kitten]

17. The Skatalites

Been around in one form or another since 1963 although most original members have passed on. I saw them live in early 90's, they were just great!..Link is for whole concert.

[nomorenomore08]

18. Delroy Wilson - "I Love the Way You Walk"

Maybe this is technically rocksteady or early reggae, rather than ska, but Wilson is one of the all-time Jamaican greats, criminally underrated if you ask me.