This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe that’s because old dogs already know all the tricks they need.
Take Jamaican musical pioneers The Skatalites — they haven’t changed a bit after more than three decades together. The proof? These two recent ska releases. Destiny captures the group’s early sound as studio rats backing a teenage Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer on some rare sides from the mid-’60s. Although The Wailers’ talents barely hint at the greatness yet to come — Marley sounds more like Frankie Lymon and most of the songs are disposable love ditties — The Skatalites already have their jaunty blue-beat groove down cold. And they’re still going strong today, as the recent Laurel Aitken collaboration Ska Titans indicates. Whether on an Aitken original like It’s Too Late or a classic like the Motown great Same Old Song, the band’s exuberant, gimmick-free style is still the musical equivalent of pure joy. Today’s young pups could learn a thing or two from these old dogs.
