The enigmatic firecracker of ska and 2Tone Rhoda Dakar celebrates 10 years of her fine example of how to teach Ska to the kids with this great album never released on vinyl that features Specials legends Horace Panter and Lynval Golding. Wayne AF Carey reviews…
Anyone into the Ska scene from the late Seventies / early Eighties will surely know the name Rhoda Dakar. Anyone who doesn’t I suggest you read Daniel Rachel’s groundbreaking book of these times which lays out everything you need to know reviewed here. Rhoda was a regular on the scene back then being drifted in by Jerry Dammers to sing with The Specials on numerous occasions and her group The Bodysnatchers, although only releasing a couple of singles at the time, made a big impact on said scene. Rhoda had shit loads of run ins with Dammers in these times yet held her own with her boisterous no nonsense stance.
Following her hugely acclaimed, 2023 Sunday Best-released Version Girl album, lovingly reviewed by our own Ged Babey here, on 27 September the label will release Rhoda Dakar’s outstanding tribute to her former group, The Bodysnatchers.
It has been 45 years since the world was first introduced to all-female 2Tone trailblazers The Bodysnatchers. Despite only releasing two official 7″ singles, their influence on UK culture and music continues to inspire to this day.
In 2014, founding Bodysnatchers’ member Rhoda Dakar revisited some of the group’s glorious tracks and recorded them with a band including Specials mates Horace Panter and Lynval Golding, festival favourites Intensified, plus members of Pama International and the Sidewalk Doctors.
Originally crowdfunded, it was picked up in 2015 by Cherry Red who released it on CD. Rhoda did a separate deal at the time to produce a very limited run of vinyl in Germany and for touring. In 2019, a 40th anniversary edition, remastered at Abbey Road, was released as she was touring America and Europe with The Selecter. There has been no re-press until now, where Rhoda has remastered the whole album, including three additional tracks, that Sunday Best will be releasing on vinyl and digitally in September. The packaging has been completely redesigned including new album artwork, sleeve notes and vinyl colours.
The three extra tracks, include a re-record of ‘Let’s Do Rocksteady’ featuring the US’s latest Ska-punk heroes The Interrupters’ very own Aimee Interrupter. Rhoda has championed the band since first seeing them live in London back in 2015, as one of about a 100 people. Now they regularly play to thousands!
“Firstly, it’s brilliant to see this album get a proper, all-format release!” says Rhoda. “And secondly, to feature one of the genre’s star vocalists of today feels like the torch is well and truly passed!”
It’s a cracking blast from the past that doesn’t need a full review as we’ve all heard how easy it flows with the sound of ska skanking throughout including the jolly as fuck Easy Life which sets the whole tone with some great low bass and funky fairground vibes that have a top notch fade out. The Ghost Of The Vox Continental had early vibes of Dammers genius hit Ghost Town yet with a funkier vibe rather than the sinister sounds we all know and love.
There’s the standards on here from our youth like 007 and Private Eye which all breeze through on the Ska train, then we get the tune we all know Rhoda for Let’s Do Rocksteady which is of it’s time and still sounds epic and happy. The Loser is a proper pick me up and Rhoda’s vocals sound on top form and you can feel the ghost of Amy Winehouse all over it which she’d deny if still alive. Mixed Feeling is just pure mellow spliffed out Reggae and still sounds top as fuck today, whereas Hiawatha is future Inspiral Carpets on speed. The last three tracks are just a step back in time with the excellent Ruder Than You, Rocksteady and a beautiful closing acoustic version of What’s This? with Rhoda having a right ska laugh to close the proceedings.
A great celebration of Ska from one of our finest singers who stands the test of time.
Week of release – instore tour:
Fri 4 October – Brudenell, Leeds
Sat 5 October – Bodega, Nottingham
Sun 6 October – Thekla, Bristol
Thu 10 October – Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Fri 11 October – Globe, Cardiff
Thu 17 October – The Grove, Newcastle
Fri 18 October – Bungalow, Paisley
Fri 25 October – Boileroom, Guildford
