Today’s song is “Only You (Yazoo Cover)” by Rude Boy George. The Ska/Reggae supergroup is comprised of members drawn from several popular and long-standing NYC area ska bands: Bigger Thomas (vocalist Roger Apollon and bassist/Marco on the Bass blogger Marc Wasserman), Across the Aisle (singer Megg Howe, guitarist Jesse Gosselin and saxophonist Jackie Chasen), and The Royal Swindle (keyboardist Pamela Buckley and drummer Dave Heise).
The current line up features Rob George and Jenny Whiskey (from Hub City Stompers), Lucas Leto on drums and Robert Julien on guitar (who both met at the Berklee College of Music).
The NYC based group reimagines 80’s New Wave classics in ska, reggae and rocksteady versions. They are motivated by a shared love and respect for ska (reflected in the reference to 1960s and 2 Tone rude boys) and the extraordinary amount of good music produced in the late 70s and early 80s New Wave/post-punk era (Boy George). And they want to have some fun doing it. That’s Rude Boy George’s agenda and mission statement–as simple as that.
This track is off their latest EP Love My Way released April 27, 2018. It is a 4-song EP and features tracks from Pretenders, Gary Numan, and the Psychedelic Furs. The tracks were recorded in a 2-Tone ska and reggae style. The EP title was named in honor of the Psychedelic Furs song of the same name but also to honor the artists on this record — Chrissie Hynde, Gary Numan, Alison Moyet, and Vince Clarke and Richard Butler — who were each responsible for helping to forge new wave and created iconic classics in the process.
“Only You” has always been one of my favorite 80’s songs and this ska rendition is pretty sweet.
Listen below and for more information check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.