Customer Reviews

Specials

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Specials are still the heavyweight champions of both waves of ska revivals (in the UK and later in the USA). I saw the Specials just before this album was released in 1979 at a Rock Against Racism concert in London's Hyde Park. I was warned by my two British hosts that the Specials would "blow my mind."... but nothing could have prepared me for the inspired anarchy of this young racially mixed Brits playing music that sounded like reggae on steroids. The two manic singers Terry Hall and Neville Staples bounced around the stage and banged their heads together in time to the music. The entire band had buzz cut hairdos and dressed like thrift shop refugees complete with Sinatra type fedoras, skinny ties and ill fitting suits. By the end of the show the entire stage was filled with frantically pogoing audience members and the Specials played on, as if the audience and the band were the same thing. Everything I learned about ska music started with that Specials concert in 1979.

The reason why the Specials were so...errr...special was that they were first rate musicians who not dilletantes when it came to knowledge of the early Jamaican ska and rocksteady music. Jerry Dammers was raised on the music of Prince Buster, the Skatalites, Desmond Dekker, Byron Lee and the stable of ska musicians that were part of Duke Reid's venerable British label, Trojan Records. In the UK, Trojan Records had a steady stream of bestselling ska records in the UK in the mid-Sixties. Even the godfather of punk, John Lydon, who was notorious for ridiculing any kind of popular music once professed that reggae and ska were the only music he cared about. Meanwhile, in the USA, our only knowledge of ska was 1965's infectious hit by Millie Small, "My Boy Lollipop." In the Sixties, there was little room on American radio playlists for obscure Jamaican musicians playing gimmicky West Indian pop. If anyone raised the profile of ska music in America, it was the Specials.

The songs of this album represent a fusion the anarchy of punk with the frenetic riddims of ska. It is a snapshot of a near-perfect moment in music. Elvis Costello's "ragged but right" production style resembled that of his own producer, Nick Lowe who earned the nickname "Basher" for his rough-hewn sound. "Doesn't Make It Alright" is the Special's anti-racism anthem that was a response to the National Front's campaign to bash forgien nationals from the West Indies and Pakistan who were new immigrants to London during that period. Terry Hall as the prosecuter and Neville Staples as "Judge Dread" engage in a hilarious satire of a kangaroo court in the song "Stupid Marriage." The ribald humor of "Stupid Marriage" was actually a Jamican ska reworking of Shorty Long's late Sixties R&B hit "Here Comes the Judge." "Blank Expression" was a cry against apathy and ignorance. The covers of ska classics like "A Message To Rudy" and Prince Buster's classic "Too Hot" showcase the muscular playing of the band. The cover of the Maytal's classic "Monkey Man" fires a hilarious shot from the hip at the Thatcher enthusiasts in the pompous chambers of the House of Lords, comparing the Britian's nobility to inbred baboons. The addition of trombonist Rico Rodriquez, who was a transplanted Jamaican with an involvment in the ska's early Sixties roots lent the Specials an authenticity that few of their peers could claim. Drummer John Bradbury and bassist Horace Gentleman punched up the ska sound with a heavy drum n' bass sound that appealed to the younger generation accustomed to the hard charging punk rock sound.

By the mid-Eighties the ska music revival had ebbed all too early in the UK. I always felt that the 2 Tone Records bands like the dubwise Beat (aka the English Beat), the hyper-manic Madness and the ultra-cool stylists, the Selector were among the best things about the post-punk movement. There was a second wave revival of ska music in the United States in the Nineties, but none of the stateside ska bands posessed the talent, imagination or authenticity of their UK counterparts. The Specials were the flagship of the ska revival and their magnificent but short lived career brought the joy of ska music to a lot of people who otherwise would have never heard it. I don't deejay much these days, but in the early Eighties no party or dance was complete until the floor was filled with estatic dancers slamming to the riddims of "Concrete Jungle." Those were the days, my friend.

This is clearly the best Ska record ever made. Their debut album (the BBC had just aired The Specials John Peel Sessions, but it was not yet for sale. Also, their true debut was a 45rpm single of Gangsters whose B-side was titled The Selector and credited to The Selector, but in reality, The Selector was Jerry Dammers, John Bradbury, both from The Specials, and two of their roommates. I think it is the best song The Selector ever did).

If you listen to earlier versions of these songs available elsewhere, you can see how much they honed everything. The Specials had toured the U.K. supporting The Clash, and as a result you can hear more Clash-like-Grit on this album, and you can also see The Specials influence on Clash songs like Pressure Drop, very Ska.

I like everything about this album, every song. I still remember my high school English tutor in the 9th grade (I was really bad in school) who was more interested in shaping my musical tastes, and my sister, English was third on his list. He made me a tape of this album with the This Are Two Tone compilation on the second side. I listened to that tape for years, before they had tape-players that would flip the tape for you. I remember one time I accidentally hit "Record", so to this day I am surprised there is no gap at the beginning of "Concrete Jungle".

Not too long ago, I was invited to several Specials shows. My friend had gone to school with Mark Addams (keyboards) in Coventry and whenever they'd come to San Francisco my friend rob would arrange to have us on the list. They have altered the band since 1980 (when this album came out), a few new members, but they still have Neville Staples(who looks even cooler today), Horace Panter, Roddy Radiation, and Lynval Golding. They preformed these songs in a dizzying frenzy. After each show we'd go backstage with them (once to the Green-Room of the legendary Fillmore Auditorium!) and one time on their tour bus somewhere in Santa Cruz. My friends wife was blind, so she had a seeing-eye-Doberman with her. We were on this crowded bus, with the band, this huge dog and scattered other people. They were playing some old sixties Ska on the bus stereo, and Lynval Golding (guitarist) danced with the seeing-eye-dog, and I cracked a corny joke, which I began to regret as I was saying it. I said to Mr. Golding, "Do The Dog!" (referring to their song by the same name) then my ears began to turn red. He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard and slapped his leg as he laughed. He put his rude-boy hat on my head, which was pathetically loose, and laughed his way to the ice-chest and he fetched two beers and brought one to me as his laughter died down. The joke seemed rather obvious to me. He took his hat back as he gave me the beer. It was all very weird.

Anyway, this is the album to have. I have many Specials albums, and would choose this one over all the rest, or any other Ska band, there is No Doubt about that. If you have never heard this album but are considering it, then trust the instincts that brought you this far and get it, if you remember this album from your youth but haven't gotten around to getting it on CD I suggest you drop everything and get it, and get Led Zeppelin IV another time. This album has aged very well.

By my own admission, I was late to the Two Tone party when I started collecting in 1986. I was fortunate enough to gather most of the original UK singles; for the albums, however, by and large I bought the US pressings. This was true for the Specials debut long player. When I received this new remaster as a gift, I was pleasantly taken aback to discover that EMI used the original UK sequence (a move that caught the label flak when they did the same with many of the Beatles reissues a few years ago). What does this mean for those of us who had the US version? One, you'll have to pick up a Specials or a Two Tone label greatest hits to get the tune "Gangsters." Conversely, it provides the sequence that was heard in the band's homeland, which, one would think, is how the band wanted you to hear it, before Chrysalis US meddled in it. Also of interest, which I think is exclusive to this CD (though it may have been on the original UK album), is the (unlisted) dubwise remix of "Too Much Too Young" following the original vocal cut. Otherwise, everything you need is here - the classic cover of the Dandy Livingstone's rudeboy admonition "A Message to You, Rudy," the kinetic version of The Maytals' "Monkey Man" (currently the soundtrack to a credit card TV commercial), the plaintive "You're Wondering Now," the hysterical "Nite Klub" and "Stupid Marriage," and the social warnings of "Too Much Too Young." An essential snapsnot of the union of deep roots reggae and punk that fused in troubled, late-'70s northern England.

This album was phenomenal. Definitely influenced many people not just musically, but in perspectives on races. Massive Attack, Tricky and many more all owe a debt of gratitude to these lads. I bought this in 1979 at Korvettes in Paramus, the same day I bought Pretenders 1st, and Wreckless Eric/Whole Wide World. A triple play, but out of the three (which I still play to this day 5.6.05) The Specials is closest to my heart. Blank Expression a perfect winter time twilight song, You're Wondering Now fantastic closer. I could go on. I wish Terry and Jerry and the lads would be friends again but then, time has passed and we must move on. But a landmark album nonetheless. Out of all the 2 Tone bands, The Specials rule ok.

When this album came out most punx I knew were totally into it. I know I was. There'd been that music scene of the B 52's, BLONDIE, ELVIS COSTELLO, JOE JACKSON and TALKING HEADS. Punk had exploded onto the scene as well, of course, The SEX PISTOLS, The CLASH, The DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, BAD BRAINS. Punk had always had some sorta connection to reggae, BAD BRAINS being the quintessinal creator of sublime punk as well as non-sleepy reggae songs.

A whole new form of music came smashing into existance, that nutty Two-Tone sound. MADNESS, The SELECTOR, The SPECIALS and The ENGLISH BEAT. There was no equivilent in the U.S. It was a pure UK import. In the UK there'd been musical movements in modern rock including Mods and other stuff that never fully translated to the U.S. But the SPECIALS' first album here sure did. It hit us smack in the face. This is one of those albums that's perfect. There's no weak song. You could listen to a MADNESS album and find maybe 2 great songs. i was never particularly fond of The SELECTOR. The ENGLISH BEAT's first album was also a pure delight. However, this SPECIALS' album was a stunner. It was so good that it immediately took its place as the premier Two-Tone release, as far as everybody I knew in the punk scene was concerned. We could tell this wasn't New Wave, it wasn't some big music business over produced musical Frankenstein meant to appeal to the masses. This was honest, high energy cousin of reggae and we knew it when we saw/heard it.

That two tone piece of having black guys and white guys in the band was just another delight. There were very few black or brown guys (I may have been one of 5 brown guys in the San Diego punk scene in the late 70's, early 80's till I stumbled across the Tijuana punk scene, plenty 'o brown punx there. A delightful scene). The good news was, I never picked up a hint of racism amongst the mainly white, mainly male punk scene in San Diego or L.A. Of course, that doesn't count the skin heads. And some of them were into the ska thing and not particularly racist.

What's the true test of a classic, a masterpiece? It's what does it sound like 10, 20, 30 years later. Give this slab 'o vinyl (er, cd) a listen. You can tell each song is a hit. Beautifully crafted fun, high energy, creative musical gems. Did you see them on their Saturday Night Live set? Musta been about 1980. Whew, I don't remember a single other band, before or since, on that show, that was as full on energetic and jumpin' around and firing on all pistons as the SPECIALS were.

As you may know, this was their peak. Everything they did after this, well, one album really and several singles and a great 12" (Ghost Town) were all they could muster before they broke up, transforming into SPECIALS AKA and splintering into other groups, never to recapture or continue to create songs as fully realized as the ones on this record although it's way worth getting that 12".

Aside from the first two ENGLISH BEAT albums, this album is, by far, the premier late 70's, early 80's two tone ska album. It takes no effort to buy this baby. No trust. Just get it if you don't have it. Heck, I might get it just to see those 2 videos on this enhanced cd. I am partial to vinyl records with one proviso, ok, two, pops and cracks inevitably show up and they aren't nearly as portable as cds. But their size is a great advantage for albums with good album covers. When a bunch of other reviewers reach concensus, listen to them. It's a winner. If there's any negative reviews here, then the person must not be into high quality ska. It's as simple as that. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Even the absence of "Gangsters" can't deflate my joy in listening to this cd. (I can't say the same for the missing "Tears of a Clown" and "Ranking Full Stop" on the English Beat cd.)

I'll never forget when The Specials appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1981. They performed a searing, blistering "Gangsters" as they slam danced with the air around them. When they were through, the usually savvy New York audience was stunned. Dead silence. And I don't think it was because they were impressed: they just didn't know what they had just heard. But this Brooklyn boy was on his feet at home, jumping, and scrambling for pen and paper to remember this band's name so I could buy the album, which I did the next day.

I was in for more than I'd expected. Half this album's tunes are pure energy, the other half were more subtle reggae tunes. I thought The Specials were a tight, no-holds-barred, musically frenzied band. But there's something else: their songs carry incredibly intelligent, socially aware lyrics. Some songs are of the utmost seriousness. "It Doesn't Make It Alright" is a powerful indictment of racism. On the other hand, "Too Much Too Young" is a more witty, sarcastic look at teen pregnancy. There are strong messages in several songs, and this is an added plus. It is ska that is unafraid to approach any topic. It's fun, it's serious, it's damned good music.

Have you bought this cd yet?

Just add 'Stereotype', 'The Boiler', 'Nelson Mandela' and 'Ghost Town' to this CD and there you have it - the best of the Specials. This record is socially aware and responsible, fun... sublime. And it hasn't lost any of the impact of its' anti-bigotry through the years. This record has aged very, very well.

When I originally purchased this album in 1981 I had no idea that many of the cuts were covers of much older songs. It wasn't until the "Third Wave" of the mid-nineties that I discovered the originals. To me the Specials ARE the definition of Ska. The suits, the pork-pie hats, the shades and the frenetic dancing to cuts like Gangsters, Monkey Man and Too Much Too Young defined the Rude Boy culture for me. If you're a third wave ska fan who hasn't heard this CD, get it. If you have heard some ska and are curious, this is the one ska CD you should have in your collection.

If your musical path is directed by bargains at the localKmart, you might be happier with something else. If you are amongthose disillusioned by the last several years' "alternative" music options & drawn to gems of the past that you missed the first go around (or that were before your time), add it to your cart.

I almost choked-OK! I *did* choke-when I read that 10Dec99 review. This is one of the 100 quintessential recordings that shaped the true Alternative music scene in the 80s. Still, after 15+ years in my collection, this CD is always among the CDs I choose to have fun to. It is brilliant party, beach, or roadtrip music. Simply stated, it's a catalyst for fun!

But hey... It's up to you, what you really want to do.

This is known as one of the greatest debut albums of all time, and I would not only agree with that statement, but would also say that It is one of the greatest recorded albums in music history period! It changed my life as a music connoisseur, and transformed me into a RUDE BOY. The music is full of frantic energy and solid rhythm played by an enthusiastic band. The fusing of Jamaican SKA, led by NEVILLE STAPLE on vocals as the "Toaster",and LYNVAL GOLDING on guitar,keeping the riffs tight and skankin',and the very edgy British PUNK ROCK,added by TERRY HALL on lead vocals, is incredible!The rest of the band is great as well,always keeping the beats and grooves in the pocket.Check out Rico Rodriguez's horns on "NITE KLUB".It's classic ska! My personal favorite tracks are:"A MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY","DO THE DOG","IT'S UP TO YOU","MONKEY MAN","NITE CLUB","BLANK EXPRESSION","(DAWNING OF A) NEW ERA","STUPID MARRIAGE" and "LITTLE BITCH". Thirty years later, these songs are still timeless classics and still turning kids into TWO TONE inspired RUDE BOYS and RUDE GIRLS. If you are inspired by creative youthful music with a hard edge then this for you!