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A live soundtrack to the film of the same name, Dance Craze is a love poem to a bygone era that proved more durable and lasting than anyone would have predicted. The Specials, Madness and the (English) Beat went on to become genre defining musical icons, and second-tier label mates the Selecter, Bad Manners and the Bodysnatchers prove that they had just as much muscle behind their punk-fueled reggae grooves.
The vicious attack of “Three Minute Hero” is an especially tasty treat. With the British ska being an exclusive boys club, Pauline Black tears into her vocals with just as much cocksure braggadocio as any of the boys in Madness or the Specials. Her vocal style and delivery was an obvious inspiration to third-generation female ska vocalists like Monique Powell and Gwen Stefani. The same thing goes for the all-female band the Bodysnatchers. Rhoda Dakar’s vocal style can be heard in Gwen Stefani, but their live performance just doesn’t carry the same weight as the Selecter’s, or any of the other bands. It’s not bad, not by any means, but they’ve been out muscled.
But for sheer mighty influence look no further than the polished mutant reggae grooves of the (English) Beat and the politically-minded angry party boys of the Specials. “Mirror in the Bathroom” occupies a space in both the ska and New Wave classic’s songbook. Their best live take is “Big Shot,” with the band firing away on all cylinders and giving their normally polished sound just the slightest bit of edge and fury. Every track by the Specials is a highlight. This was a band that was known for its raucous live shows back in the day. Their first two albums together contained a great deal of manic energy, but, as the legend goes, still paled in comparison to their live shows. This might just prove that storyline correct. “Concrete Jungle” is the kind of song that the dance craze, the skank, was created for. And the take of “Nite Klub” starts slow and jazzy before building up and exploding into a ska-crazed frontal assault. But Madness’ the-amp-goes-to-eleven take on “One Step Beyond” has the audience cheering their name afterwards. Maybe you will too.
Dance Craze is the kind of album that makes me wish I was a teenager in the late 70s/early 80s. At the American shows I would have been one of those people chanting out the names of the bands. I would have worn the Pork pie hat, I would have done the skank, and I would have dressed ruder than you. This is an absolute essential documentation of the Two-Tone ska era. An era whose influence is still being felt in the alternative music of today through the modern influence of bands like Sublime, No Doubt and Rancid. DOWNLOAD: The Specials’ “Nite Klub,” Madness’ “One Step Beyond,” The Selecter’s “Three Minute Hero”
