Ska was so much the music of the moment–the moment being Jamaica and England in the early-to mid-Sixties – that its current revival seems more like an academic exercise than anything else. What made ska of special interest historically were the social and political undertones beneath its good-timey surface, since these undercurrents of unrest soon became central to reggae. But the ska bands of today turn the genre back into straight good-time music–with even the politics treated as nostalgia–in a way that only adds to the revivalists' determined innocuousness.

Which isn't to deny that the music is enjoyable, or that the Selecter is clearly the most formally accomplished of the ska-revival groups. This racially and sexually integrated seven member band refines the loopy shuffle of the original ska sound into tight, bright, pop-song terms. Too Much Pressure boasts fourteen tracks of cheery bounce and friendly exhortation, anchored by Desmond Brown's perky organ and group-leader Neol Davies' spare, jangly guitar. On its own terms, the album is practically flawless. It's clean and sprightly, with more than enough wit and snap in the rhythms and in the intricate call-and-response vocals to save the songs from monotony.

But partly because the Selecter doesn't have the idiosyncratic personality of the Specials or Madness, this band reveals, more than either of the others, just how limited the form is. The original compositions (mostly by Davies) that make up about half the LP are nearly indistinguishable from the cover versions, which isn't necessarily a compliment. Surely, these musicians ought to have something of their own to add to the music besides sprucing up the sound.

Instead, most of the material is brought down to the same level of harmless fun: e.g., a number like "Murder," as done here, doesn't pack any more emotional punch than such charming fluff as Davies' "On My Radio." Even the good times feel slightly secondhand. While it's true that ska music can't help but sound quaint now, what really makes all the ska-revival groups ultimately unsatisfying is that they seem to uphold quaintness as a virtue. (RS 318)

TOM CARSON