Following the 2023 Sunday Best-released “Version Girl”, on 27th September the label will release ska star Rhoda Dakar’s tribute to her former group, The Bodysnatchers – 45 years since the world was first introduced to the all-female 2Tone trailblazers.
Despite only releasing two official 7″ singles, their influence on UK culture and music continues to inspire to this day.
In 2014, founding Bodysnatchers’ member Rhoda Dakar revisited some of the group’s tracks and recorded them with a band which included Specials mates Horace Panter and Lynval Golding. Plus festival favourites Intensified, members of Pama International and the Sidewalk Doctors.
Originally crowdfunded, it was picked up in 2015 by Cherry Red for a CD release and Rhoda did a separate deal at the time to produce a limited run of vinyl in Germany, and for touring.
In 2019, a 40th anniversary edition, remastered at Abbey Road, was released as she was touring America and Europe with The Selecter.
There has been no re-press until now, where Rhoda has remastered the whole album, including three additional tracks, for the Sunday Best release on vinyl and digitally. The packaging has been completely redesigned including new album artwork, sleeve notes and vinyl colours.
“Rhoda Dakar Sings The Bodysnatchers 45 Year Edition” will be available on 3 Tone Vinyl and Strawberry Swirl vinyl, as well as CD and digital download.
The three extra tracks include a re-record of “Let’s Do Rocksteady”, featuring the US’s latest Ska-punk heroes The Interrupters’ Aimee Interrupter. Rhoda has championed the band since first seeing them live in London back in 2015., as one of about a 100 people.
“Firstly, it’s brilliant to see this album get a proper, all-format release!” says Rhoda. “And secondly, to feature one of the genre’s star vocalists of today feels like the torch is well and truly passed!”
Tracklist:
Side 1
Easy Life
The Ghost Of The Vox Continental
Happy Time Tune
007
Private Eye
Too Experienced
Side 2
Let’s Do Rocksteady
The Loser
Mixed Feelings
Hiawatha
Ruder Than You*
Let’s Do Rocksteady ft. Aimee Interrupter*
What’s This? (Acoustic)*
*Previously unreleased
In 1980 The Bodysnatchers released two classic songs of the 2Tone era, “Let’s Do Rocksteady” and “Easy Life”. After a year together the band split and Rhoda went on to guest with The Specials in Europe and the USA, having featured on their second album, “More Specials”, for which she won the first of her seven gold records.
After their demise, and before joining Jerry Dammers’ new project The Special AKA, she recorded The Bodysnatchers’ first original song, “The Boiler”, a harrowing tale of date rape, which was banned.
The Special AKA spent the next two years recording “In The Studio”, spawning a top 10 hit with “Free Nelson Mandela”. In recent years, Rhoda has worked with musicians including Madness, Dub Pistols and US Ska Punk heroes The Interrupters.
Rhoda hits the road for an extensive UK tour throughout October, performing tracks from “Sings The Bodysnatchers”, as well as songs from her top 10 album “Version Girl”.
Rhoda Dakar sings The Bodysnatchers 45 Year Edition [13 tracks] will be available on 3 Tone Vinyl and Strawberry Swirl vinyl as well as CD and digital download.
- Rhoda’s headline tour dates:
Fri 4 October – Brudenell, Leeds
Sat 5 October – Bodega, Nottingham
Sun 6 October – Thekla, Bristol
Thu 10 October – Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Fri 11 October – Globe, Cardiff
Thu 17 October – The Grove, Newcastle
Fri 18 October – Bungalow, Paisley
Fri 25 October – Boileroom, Guildford
Sun 3 November – The 100 Club, London
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