Universal (Bim Skala Bim, 1997)

Ska is back with a vengeance this week, something to be embraced while reveling in the randomness. I was sort of on the fence about putting Bim Skala Bim in my "lost bands" category, but, although they enjoyed a much more sustained career than most of this category, I ended up bestowing the tag because their recording patterns in the 21st century were very much in line with the others in this category.

Among the third-wave ska bands, BSB isn't exactly obscure, but the further you get from Boston, the less likely you are to find their fans. I remember being a freshman in college and wondering why people were wetting themselves over the fact they were going to play a show at Colby (NB: Colby is about 1/3 Massachusetts-resident students). So sue this poor California boy who only had a faint notion of ska in the California style. Needless to say, I did enough time in college radio that BSB was unavoidable. In 1998 I devoted a fair amount of airplay to their B-sides collection The One That Got Away, which endeared me to their promoters who placed Universal in my hot little hands. What I didn't know then was that BSB was a nearly-spent force with only one more album left in them. Along with most of the third-wave ska groups they were effectively moribund in the 21st century. It has come to my attention though that a reunion album came out last year (no real surprise to a long-time classic rock fan that reunion albums are virtually inevitable).

Before I leave BSB (for good...or until I pick up another album anyway), I must posit my theory about the origins of the 3rd Wave. I think in the 1980's a huge glut of horn players came out of the schools, cast in the glory of mandatory school bands. Aspiring punk bands were looking to differentiate themselves and adopted these horn sections, just waiting around for a band, and transformed into ska and swing bands. Of course, the school band programs died in droves in the 1990's and by 2000 or so there was no fresh blood in the scene and it withered as the older bands aged away. This is my theory. Take it or leave it.