The Toasters' clever take on the title of Prince Buster's ska classic "Hard Man for Dead," says it all; this is a band who have soldiered on through thick and thin, determined to complete their mission of spreading ska to the masses. And to that end, the group open a window to the past, although the Buster cover apart, the band don't so much revisit ska's past as the '60s in general. The Toasters even return to their early days, revisiting "Talk Is Cheap," a track from their 1987 Skaboom! album. The group pull past and present together on their musical homage to "Chuck Berry," as Bucket lyrically traces ska's path from American R&B to the shores of Jamaica, sailing off to the U.K., and washing back up on U.S. shores with Two Tone. And the "2-Tone Army" marches on, with its "'90s beats and '50s roots," on this rousing affirmation of the third wave, whose irrepressible riddim would eventually metamorphose into the theme song for the Nickelodeon cartoon Kablam!, bringing everything full circle. With its phenomenal mix of styles old and new, a guest cast of legendary veterans and younger heroes -- King Django, New York Ska Jazz Ensemble keyboardist Cary Brown, and Ventures guitarist Jerry McGee, Hard Band epitomizes the power and glory of the third wave, while continuing to pay tribute to all those who came before.Tracklist:
1. 2-Tone Army
2. Talk Is Cheap
3. Friends
4. Secret Agent Man
5. Chuck Berry
6. Mouse
7. Hard Man Fe Dead
8. Don't Come Running
9. Properly
10. Maxwell Smart
11. I Wasn't Going To Call You Anyway
12. Speak Your Mind
13. Skaternity
14. Dave Goes Crazy
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