Galang, Prince Buster
Galang, Prince Buster.

For the deep heads of ska, yesterday was sad indeed. They lost Prince Buster, a key figure in the founding (Jamaican) wave of a genre that seems to be revived for every generation in one form or another. The 1960s were Buster's moment, the period he released several classic ska tunes, including "Al Capone," "Madness," and my fav "One Step Beyond." To listen to Buster's tunes is not only to experience a structure of feeling that's Jamaican but also British. Rude boy music and culture is connected with and shaped a number of working-class UK movements of those times, such as skinhead culture. Buster's music is true skinhead music, and also the music that led to the powerful and anti-colonial roots reggae tunes of the 1970s. Galang, Prince Buster, galang gwwaan yaw sah.