Prince Buster Shakedown

During the 2-Tone wave that hit the UK in the late 1970s, covering Prince Buster tracks – as The Specials and The Beat did – or even naming your group after a Prince Buster track – like Madness did – made sense for two good reasons. For one thing, Buster, the undisputed king of ska, didn’t have the international recognition he deserved. For another, Buster had embarked on several unsuccessful business ventures, so his royalties from 2-Tone were very much appreciated. Neither of these reasons is applicable today. To perform as a live tribute act is fine – it’s great to see a young, energetic bunch of lads like The Dualers enjoying Buster’s music. But 2012 has little space for an eight-track Buster tribute with no original material. None of the covers on Prince Buster Shakedown live up to the originals in terms of attitude – Buster was, after all, a former boxer – or rough-edged charm. The Dualers add nothing new to Buster classics like ‘Chinaman Ska’, ‘Take It Easy’ or ‘Sister Big Stuff’.

Selecting from Prince Buster’s vast back catalogue is skill in itself, which Dualers lead singer Tyber Craunston has done in a discriminating and non-obvious fashion. This is not a bad album musically. But, as the king of ska would surely agree, it simply lacks any real purpose.