The Toasters “Pool Shark” 1987. Unicorn Records. 80′s ska revival, The Toasters’ first full-length album, UK-only release. NYC-based The Toasters started up in ‘81 (and opened for punk bands like Bad Brains) and are considered one of the original second-wave American ska bands. They also helped reinforce the ska band stereotype of having, like, a zillion members (well, not quite: there are 13 credited on the LP and 9 pictured on the back cover; the number and personnel have fluctuated over the years with Robert “Bucket” Hingley being the only constant). Pool Shark is decent ska-revival, a bit repetitive as ska can be. My favorite track is “Talk is Cheap” (which credits Mick Conroy of Modern English as the assistant producer) and “Matt Davis” but that track mainly because we have a friend named Matt Davis (who is English, and since there is obviously a lot of cross-Atlantic pollination on this LP – who knows, maybe it is about him!) and because it takes the hook from the James Bond theme into the mix. “Weekend in L.A.” is kind of clever, too, catchy and sneakily ska’s up the Eagles “Hotel California” but not enough to have to credit the Eagles for the track.