Customer Reviews

In the Studio

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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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.

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.

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.

Honestly, I'm a bigger fan of Stan Campbells (the lead singer on this album) than Special AKA. As STan only came out later with one phenomenal solo album, this early material with Special AKA is must have material if you want to hear his amazing voice, one that resonates within you, forcing you to take notice of whatever he is saying. His voice is hauntingly beautiful and lended itself well to the compelling song Free Nelson Mandela as well as Dammers robust productions of other songs like Lonely Crowd, Racist Friend, and Bright Lights.

No its not the original Specials lineup or sound but its still great, if you like the specials, fun boy 3 then get this.

I heard/saw the track "Nelson Mandela" on MTV almost twenty years ago. I never heard the song again, but the tune was so infectious and joyous, it stuck in my head after all these years. Thanks to Amazon's search engine, I was able to find out who made this track and listen to it. This song is so beautiful in both it's message and melody it made break out in dance. And, in retrospect, after this song's plea for his release, to know that he not only was freed but triumphantly lead his nation out of darkness and evil, it gives you hope for the rest of this world. Get this album, dance, experience something different, and enjoy.