Gosh It's

An underrated, but important part of the British Ska movement in the early 1980's.I first discovered BM at about nine or ten years old, they were a great band to dance to (for the boys) at various school discos, releasing a string of instantly catchy hit singles.After BM's hits dried up I lost touch with the band, & it wasn't until nearly 30 years later that I saw a "best of.." album, so I thought I would relive my youth a bit.Now what I got was 2 CDs, one a greatest hits package, but the other was full of album tracks & B-sides. What surprised be about this second disc, was the quality of the songs so I decided to investigate BM's back catalogue.My favourite of these was 1981's "Gosh It's..". This album contains a fascinating mixture of styles, from the quality writing & musicianship of songs such as "Walking in the Sunshine" & "Casablanca" to the experimental, slightly leftfield "Gherkin", to the great fun tracks like "Can Can" & "Ben E. Wriggle".What you get is an amazingly diverse record that should have sold by the bucket load.BS were always perceived as a singles band, although this was the bands most successful record, it only peaked at 18 in the UK album charts.So if a fan of ska, then this album is an integral part of that scene.

Well well well. What can you say?Suddenly, from being the silly party-crashers of the 2-tone scene, Bad Manners emerge with "Gosh It's..." to show themselves to be fine musicians, capable of making socio-political statements with a tight sound AND still manage to have a laugh at the same time.This album demonstrates fine musicianship, an ear for a cracking melody, syncopated beats and a broad range of musical styles. Compare it with the earlier "Loonee Tunes!" (which is nevertheless a fine collection of songs in itself) and you'll find yourself thinking that Buster and co had undergone some form of musical awakening in the space of a single year.It's as though all the previous success had finally paid off, allowing the gang to experiment and find themselves musically. Their unapologetically daft dominance of the British singles charts seemed to have given them the confidence to come out of their shells and produce what must be one of the best albums of the genre, by any band at any time. "Weeping and Wailing", "Casablanca", "Ben E Wriggle", "Runaway" and "Never Will Change" provide a spine to this CD of well-crafted, harder-edged music, while for those still longing for the bonkers, adrenaline-fuelled 'nutty sound' that had them competing with Madness in the first couple of years of their career there's enough to be well pleased about with tracks like "Dansetta", "Don't Be Angry", and the classic "Can Can", which took the charts and the public's imagination by storm but still, criminally, never quite made it to Number 1. Then, for good measure, we get given the EP headliner Buona Sera, plus excellent B-sides (my favourite being "Armchair Disco" from the "Can Can" 45) to keep us moving for just that little bit longer.This isn't what you might expect from Bad Manners. The group was never really known for laying down adult, clever, and even cosmopolitan rhythms - but it really works. They finally show how they were capable of producing a classic album that didn't just rely on partying and dancing till you sweat after all. And what a superb sound it is!Funky, sophisticated, danceable ska from the 'fun boy nine'. Loonee Tunes!

An underrated, but important part of the British Ska movement in the early 1980's.I first discovered BM at about nine or ten years old, they were a great band to dance to (for the boys) at various school discos, releasing a string of instantly catchy hit singles.After BM's hits dried up I lost touch with the band, & it wasn't until nearly 30 years later that I saw a "best of.." album, so I thought I would relive my youth a bit.Now what I got was 2 CDs, one a greatest hits package, but the other was full of album tracks & B-sides. What surprised be about this second disc, was the quality of the songs so I decided to investigate BM's back catalogue.My favourite of these was 1981's "Gosh It's..". This album contains a fascinating mixture of styles, from the quality writing & musicianship of songs such as "Walking in the Sunshine" & "Casablanca" to the experimental, slightly leftfield "Gherkin", to the great fun tracks like "Can Can" & "Ben E. Wriggle".What you get is an amazingly diverse record that should have sold by the bucket load.BS were always perceived as a singles band, although this was the bands most successful record, it only peaked at 18 in the UK album charts.So if a fan of ska, then this album is an integral part of that scene.

When I was a young 15-16 year old skinhead back in the early eighties I had the first two albums which are both excellent.This third offering I never had but had heard quite a lot from other mates a bit later on.It's as good as the first two easily.I've only just now 35 years on. Managed to buy the first 3 on CD. Wish I'd done it years ago.

Thankyou for this cd, i grew up listening to there music.

Ace

Got this for Christmas when it first come out.....! Brilliant album a classic......!

Great

Another classic! Outstanding!

love it

Got this had it years ago lost at a party love it ! The oldies are the best takes you back good memories

ho acquistato il cd per uno zio che cercava tutti i cd di questo artista ed è rimasto soddisfatto dell'acquisto sia di questo che degli altri che ha preso!

Album che per me va oltre il normale giudizio di un qualsiasi artista: fa parte da sempre della mia storia. A dieci anni già suonava in casa mia!

Great music from a great British ska band. The Can Can was a hit in the Netherlands in 1981Love this song.