Ska A Go Go Vol 3 – Various (Do The Dog)

For more than 30 years, the Do The Dog fanzine has been the ‘go to’ source for all things ska from around the world. Developing out of a band fanzine and becoming a record label that published recordings by some of the best cult bands on the scene over the years, it has become the authoritative voice on news from that little music world. In doing so, it has garnered the respect of many bands from around the globe as they have gained priceless publicity via its pages.

Time has come to pay some of that back, with dozens of bands offering tracks to a series of compilations to support the ongoing work that it does. This, the third in the series, is arguably the best one yet. Although the 2-Tone influence is probably the most obvious one here, there are bands who owe much to the roots of the sound, and those that are more forward looking, with every point in between covered. Cult bands such as The JB Conspiracy and The Simmertones rub shoulders with better known acts Zen Baseballbat (whose reworking of their classic Brown Cows Of Elocution is a real highlight of the album), The Planet Smashers and Maroon Town. New bands (to me, at any rate!) populate the album alongside some whose existence I had forgotten, but all give up tracks worthy of supporting the work that the fanzine does. At a stunning 50 or so tracks, this is a worthy investment for any collection.

Only available on download from Do The Dog’s Bandcamp page (dothedogmusic. bandcamp.com) and to stream on the usual suspects.