Skaboy JFK

Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Compilation album by Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Released	September 29, 2009
Recorded	1994-2008, March 2009 at Gung Ho Studios in Eugene, Oregon
Genre	Third wave ska, ska punk
Length	37:27
Label	Space Age Bachelor Pad Records Rock Ridge Music
Producer	Steve Perry
Cherry Poppin' Daddies chronology
Susquehanna (2008) Skaboy JFK (2009) White Teeth, Black Thoughts (2012)

Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (often shortened to Skaboy JFK) is a compilation album by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, released in September 2009 on Rock Ridge Music.

In a similar vein to the Daddies' 1997 swing compilation Zoot Suit Riot, Skaboy JFK is a showcase of only the ska elements of the band's music, collecting the straight ska and ska punk tracks from their first five studio albums along with four newly recorded bonus tracks.

Overview

Mirroring the genre eclecticism of the Daddies' studio albums, Skaboy JFK stylistically reflects all waves and varieties of ska music: traditional and reggae ("Soul Cadillac", "2:29"), 2 Tone ("Skaboy JFK", "Hammerblow"), third wave ("End of the Night", "Pool Shark") and ska punk ("Hi and Lo", "Sockable Face Club", "Don Quixote"), as well as featuring funk ("Slapstick") and punk hybrids ("Say It To My Face").

As the Daddies' former label, Jive Records, own the master recordings of the band's late 1990s work, three songs - "Soul Cadillac" and "End of the Night" from Soul Caddy and "2:29" from Vacationing in Palm Springs - were fully re-recorded for inclusion on this compilation.

Production history

Steve Perry first expressed plans for an all-ska compilation in a November 2008 interview detailing the band's European tour in support of Susquehanna, saying that fans had been suggesting the concept for years. He further noted that such a project could help show a different side of the Daddies than the swing material the band is mostly recognized for and hopefully reconnect them with the ska scene that they had first established themselves within at the start of their career.

On February 22, 2009, Perry confirmed the project on the band's MySpace account, announcing that recording would take place in March and the album - under the working title of simply "The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies" - would possibly include as many as 15 songs. He noted the cover art would revisit touches of the Zoot Suit Riot artwork, explaining "...if they look somewhat similar maybe people will put 2 + 2 together and understand that these were special records we did in order to showcase one style, as opposed to getting a wrong impression of what the band is about generally".

In mid-2009, the Daddies signed to Rock Ridge Music, home of former Mojo labelmates Reel Big Fish (who would also release a ska compilation of re-recorded tracks due to an identical conflict with Jive), for the national release and distribution of both Skaboy JFK and a re-issue of Susquehanna. Both records were simultaneously released on September 29, 2009.

Skaboy JFK was the last Daddies album to feature longtime lead guitarist Jason Moss, who departed the band in March 2010, as well as the first and only album to feature tenor saxophonist Jesse Cloninger, who also left the band in 2010.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Critical response to Skaboy JFK was generally positive. PopMatters called the album "excellent" and "packed with irresistible energy", singling out "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as particular highlights, while Blogcritics shared equal praise, citing it as "[proof] that swing and ska are far from dead". Goldmine described the music as "irresistible" and, along with Susquehanna, a re-establishment of the Daddies as "an ongoing (and worthwhile) entity". Metro Spirit summarized the record as "a very catchy, very fun and all around toe-tapping, finger-snapping, head-bobbing good time", and The Renegade Rip also complemented the music's energy, again giving particular praise to "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club", though claiming that eventually the ska rhythms "became predictable and the melodies ran together".

On the negative side of the critical spectrum, a separate reviewer on Blogcritics derided the album's content as "[sounding] like every other modern ska track I’ve ever heard", while Wonka Vision gave Skaboy JFK a score of 2/5, describing it as "run-of-the-mill" and a reminder that "ska isn't anything special"...though listing "Hi and Lo" and "Sockable Face Club" as among the more memorable tracks on the album.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Steve Perry. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Skaboy JFK"	2:27
2.	"Hi and Lo"	3:38
3.	"Soul Cadillac" (re-recording)	3:29
4.	"Sockable Face Club"	3:47
5.	"Slapstick"	4:34
6.	"End of the Night" (re-recording)	2:45
7.	"Pool Shark"	3:02
8.	"Cosa Nostra"	3:52
9.	"Don Quixote"	3:03
10.	"Hammerblow"	3:00
11.	"2:29" (re-recording)	2:49
12.	"Say It To My Face"	3:01
Total length:		37:27

Previous availability

Original album	Year	Track
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Ferociously Stoned	1990
Rapid City Muscle Car	1994				X
Kids on the Street	1996								X	X			X
Soul Caddy	2000			X			X
Susquehanna	2008		X								X
Previously unreleased	2009	X				X		X				X

• Previous recordings of "2:29" and "Hi and Lo" first appeared on the Daddies/Reel Big Fish split 7" Vacationing in Palm Springs (1997).

Credits

Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Band roster at the time of release of this compilation album:

• Steve Perry - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Dan Schmid - bass guitar
• Dana Heitman - trumpet, trombone
• Jason Moss - lead guitar
• Dustin Lanker - keyboards
• Joe Manis - alto saxophone
• Jesse Cloninger - tenor saxophone
• Kevin Congleton - drums

Musicians

Instrument	Musician	Track
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
vocals/guitar	Steve Perry	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
bass	Dan Schmid	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
trumpet/trombone	Dana Heitman	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
guitar	Jason Moss	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
keyboards	Dustin Lanker	X	X	X		X	X	X			X	X
	Chris Azorr				X				X	X			X
tenor saxophone	Jesse Cloninger	X		X		X	X	X				X
	Sean Flannery		X						X		X
	Adrian Baxter				X					X			X
alto/tenor saxophone	Joe Manis	X	X	X		X	X	X			X	X
	Rex Trimm								X	X			X
	Brooks Brown				X
drums	Jason Palmer	X		X		X	X	X				X	X
	Tim Donahue		X								X
	Adam Glogauer									X
	Sean Oldham								X
	Brian West				X

Production

• Mastered by Brad Blackwood at Euphonic Mastering, Memphis, Tennessee
• Recorded and Mixed by Bill Barnett at Gung Ho Studios, Eugene, Oregon

See also

• Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, an earlier compilation focusing on the Daddies' swing material.