Bad Manners – Return of the Ugly
welcome back to the Skaject folks! we’re checking out the last record we’ll cover from the 80s with Bad Manner’s 1989 record Return of the Ugly.
Skaville UK is a song i go back and forth on. i really love the energy, and i really want to love this song a lot, but something about the way Bloodvessel’s vocals here are mixed really really put a hamper on some parts of this song. i think ultimately i do like it but like i said, i go back and forth. Sally Brown is a song i mentioned a few weeks ago – i definitely like the Laurel Aitken cover a lot here. Since You’ve Gone Away is a quieter song, a bit more intimate. this is another one where i think the way Buster Bloodvessel’s vocals were processed really don’t help build the vibe they want for this song. Rosemary, however, is a cute little song. got a fun vibe on this track. Bonanza Ska is a cover of the theme song for the show Bonanza, but ska. it’s aight. i think they do a few interesting things here but not enough to really make me interested in it. the title track, Return of the Ugly, is quite good. its a very very strange track but they really make it work, haha. Hey Little Girl doesn’t really work for me. Buffalo Ska delivers a bit more authentically on the “western ska” vibes that it feels like Bonanza Ska was trying to do, and the result is a much stronger song. This Is Ska is trying to do a whole bunch but the complete package just doesn’t quite work for me. i think the last time i heard it i was a bit more open to it but i’m just not really a fan now. Rocksteady Breakfast is just okay. i feel like it would have been a much stronger song if it had been kept instrumental, but it’s fine as is. Baby Elephant Walk pretty solid too – a tad underwhelming as a closer, but it does feel like they took my notes and were like “okay fine have an instrumental track if that’s what you want so bad”.
faves – Skaville UK, Sally Brown, Rosemary, Return of the Ugly, Buffalo Ska
dislikes –
i feel kinda conflicted on this record as a whole. this is one of the records i reviewed as part of the old version of the Skaject, and at this point i wasn’t a huge fan of Bad Manners, so a lot of my gut reactions to this album aren’t phenomenal, but it does have quite a few good tracks. i think, with some time away and a bit more context of the music around them, that this was a p solid entry, but i think it’s being carried by a couple strong outliers rather than being a completely successful package.
Return of the Ugly – 6/10
next up, we’re listening to the debut record from Japanese ska band Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra!
previous: Tuba City | next: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
previous Bad Manners: Mental Notes | next: Fat Sound
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