''Better Late Than Never'' is the debut album by the ska/reggae band

the Slackers The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of Nort ...

. It was released in 1996 on

Moon Ska Records Moon Ska Records was one of the most influential ska record labels of the 1980s and 1990s. The label operated from 1983 until 2000, and during those seventeen years, only released ska and ska-influenced music. Originally named ''Moon Records'', a ...

. It was remastered and re-released with three additional tracks from the original recording sessions on March 19, 2002, through Special Potato Records. The album was a significant departure from the

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell * Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...

and garage rock influences of the band's early days, instead opting for a sound akin to the traditional

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

acts of 1960s Jamaica. The album was produced by the ska/reggae producer

Victor Rice Victor Rice (born April 17, 1967) is an American musician, record producer and mix engineer from New York City. Raised in Huntington, New York, Rice attended the Manhattan School of Music and began his professional career in the late 1980s duri ...

. Two of the songs on the album, "Work Song" and "Our Day Will Come", were both previously recorded by

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

on the 1966 album '' S.R.O.'', though neither of the songs were written by Alpert. The album was again reissued in 2009, by Asbestos Records, as a single disc that included a 7".

Critical reception

The Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'' wrote: "One of the first tracks on the album, 'Run Away', starts with a familiar ska rhythm, but adds horns playing in an almost be-bop jazz style. Other tracks have a more swing-jazz sound, and still others, like 'Our Day Will Come', sound like straight reggae."

CD tracks

All songs written by

Vic Ruggiero Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, (also known as Rugaroo, Bad Vic or Lord Sluggo) is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubb ...

, except where noted. # "Work Song" (

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

) – 5:11 # "Runaway" – 3:44 # "Pedophilia" – 4:19 # "Sooner or Later" – 3:48 # "Two Face" – 4:29 # "Cuban Cigar" – 3:33 # "You Don't Know I" – 5:00 # "Tonight" (

Dave Hillyard "Disco" Dave Hillyard is a Tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist originating from San Diego, California. He has performed in groups such as The Slackers, The Rocksteady Seven, The Donkey Show (band), The Donkey Show, Hepcat (band), Hepcat, Stubbor ...

, Ruggiero) – 3:28 # "Sarah" – 3:33 # "Treat Me Good" (Hillyard, Ruggiero) – 4:23 # "Prophet" (Hillyard) – 3:24 # "Our Day Will Come" (featuring

Doreen Shaffer Monica Johnson, better known by her stage name Doreen Shaffer (sometimes spelled Schaffer or Schaeffer), is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae singer. Known as the "Queen of Ska", she was a founding member in 1964 of the Skatalites.Campbell, ...

) (

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gentle ...

Mort Garson Morton Sanford Garson (20 July 1924 – 4 January 2008) was a Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pioneer of electronic music. He is best known for his albums in the 1960s and 1970s, such as '' Mother Earth's Plantasia'' (1976), He also ...

) – 3:55 # "Contemplation" – 5:50 # "7 and 7" (2002 re-release only) – 3:15 # "Certain Girl" ( Naomi Neville (aka Allen Toussaint)) (2002 re-release only) – 3:06 # "Crawl Me Crazy" (2002 re-release only) – 4:38

References

1996 albums The Slackers albums {{1990s-album-stub