In the Studio [Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Import]

Specials | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B00005YU94
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,371 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bright Lights

2. The Lonely Crowd

3. What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend

4. Housebound

5. Nite On The Tiles

6. Nelson Mandela

7. War Crimes

8. Racist Friend

9. Alcohol

10. Break Down The Door

Editorial Reviews

UK 2002 remastered reissue of the British ska revivalist's 1984 album that's out-of-print in the US. Includes ECD section containing 2 promotional videos 'What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend' & 'Nelson Mandela'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really growing on me, September 11, 2004

By 

Sir David Gentleman III (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Studio (Audio CD)

I completely agree with P. Geyer's prognosis of this CD. At first, I was disappointed, maybe even a little resentful of having blown my hard earned cash on this CD. Rummaging through my collection late at night, I got the sudden urge to check it out one more time. Starting off with "(What I like...) Girlfriend", moving on to "Break Down the Door" and finally "The Lonely Crowd"; it dawned on me that I really had over looked this album.

No surprise to anyone, then, that if you're wanting a follow up, or even an evolution to, "More Specials", then you will be nothing more than disappointed. But if you approach it with an open mind and judge the album on its own merits then you'll get much enjoyment from it.

A real sleeper of a CD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if you liked "the specials" get this!, February 5, 2004

By 

Charlie McNamara (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Studio (Audio CD)

This is a truly wonderful gem by some of the former musicians from the seminal 80's SKA band "The Specials". I used to have it on vinyl, wore it out, and now I'm buying the CD. The highlights on the album have to be "Free Nelson Mandela", written while he was still jailed in SA - exhuberant, and although in a SKA guise, with the same emotional context as South African township music - protest music that that will move your feet and your heart and will run continually in your head when it's not on your headphones. The rest of the album is haunting. "Racist Friend" and "Alcohol" in particular are great songs. If "More Specials" the second Specials album made any impression on you, then this is worth sitting on your CD shelf alongside it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sound that grows on you, December 1, 2003

By 

P. Geyer "prgeyer" (Vienna, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Studio (Audio CD)

When I first heard a friend's copy of this album about 15 years ago, I was unimpressed. I wanted to hear something more like The Specials' first album. But this album has an insidious way of getting inside your head. Looked at on its own, this is a brilliant album. It is NOT ska. Rather, it's a fusion of all different world beats, off-beat rhythms, and intelligent musical hooks. The more you listen to this album, the better it gets. You certainly can't say that about most albums.