Search - Equals :: First Among Equals

Reggae/Ska "Spinners" Lite

KC | Northern CA | 03/27/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The British sure seem to love their ska - as an American while there are a handful of mildly amusing songs in the ska subgenre, we can pretty much take it or leave it.



So, if you love ska - you'll probably enjoy this CD as it combines ska with light funk (and emphasis on light).



There are a some CRACKING tracks like Baby Come Back, Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys & Butterfly Red White & Blue that wouldn't be out of place on a Philly or Memphis sound collection of the 1960's or early 1970's but the rest of the CD is pretty much ska-light funk which to American ears just sound like weak non-descript funk. Perhaps the best description is they sound like The Spinners minus the funk, soul and catchy songs ... if that sounds like faint praise ... it is.



So, the three songs listed above are worth hearing - perhaps on a single disc collection but the rest really depends on how much you like ska & light funk. At 40 tracks, there's way too much American filler."

1960s soul and ska w/Eddy Grant

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 05/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This UK combo is best remembered by older U.S. radio listeners for their 1968 light-ska top-40 hit "Baby Come Back." Others may have only learned of the Equals in hindsight when their vocalist and primary songwriter, Eddy Grant, returned to the American charts with his 1983 hit "Electric Avenue." But from the mid-60s into the early-70s, The Equals turned out pop, ska, and soul, and dipped into the psychedelic-enhanced rock and funk territory that Norman Whitfield pioneered on Motown. Their songs ventured into social politics with the proud declaration of the band's racial integration, "Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys," and the persecution themed "Police on My Back," the latter of which was famously covered by The Clash. More successful at home than in the U.S., their catalog includes the Memphis soul "Butterfly Red White & Blue," the bubblegum "Viva Bobby Joe," and the guitar garage groove "My Life Ain't Easy." At 40 tracks - all original compositions! - this set's career overview may be deeper than casual fans will seek, but if you liked the hit single, you'll find the group's catalog similar in tone and quality. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"