The beat that got a generation dancing and brought ska back into the public eye. Produced by Elvis Costello, then still a boy wonder himself, the album built on the sound of the Specials' first two singles, and gave the world its first extended look at Two Tone. Inspired writing and arranging (much of it down to founder Jerry Dammers) with Terry Hall as the laconic front man made for a perfect combination, the riddim of ska and the speed of punk. As a testament to its power, two decades haven't lessened its impact. --Chris Nickson

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital and contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.

Essential Listening, 15 Apr 2008
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label and managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles and tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials and In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles and footage of live performances. If, like me, you are an avid fan then this is only worth buying for the (as far as I am aware) otherwise unavailable DVD as I have all the other tracks on the digitally remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials and want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point and it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in all a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work and a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with all the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital and contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.

Essential Listening, 15 Apr 2008
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label and managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles and tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials and In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles and footage of live performances. If, like me, you are an avid fan then this is only worth buying for the (as far as I am aware) otherwise unavailable DVD as I have all the other tracks on the digitally remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials and want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point and it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in all a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work and a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with all the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!

The Specials overcome `difficult second album syndrome', 16 Nov 2008
With 1980's adventurous More Specials the Coventry band overcame the 'difficult second album syndrome', a fate which has befallen many an artist over the years. They did this by broadening their musical palette; where their classic debut (effectively) embraces the ska and reggae of Prince Buster, The Skatalites and Toots and The Maytals, this album sees them venturing into a wider variety of genres, including northern soul (`Sock It To `Em J.B.'), spaghetti westerns soundtracks (`Stereotypes') and easy listening (`Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)'). That is not to say they jettisoned all that made The Specials so exciting and different: lead singer Terry Hall still delivers his vocals with a flat, deadpan delivery and the lyrics and subject matter remain rooted in the prosaic. In place of the girls in footless tights in night clubs and concrete jungles of their first album, More Specials has a wealthy, naive young women from the provinces who is bedazzled by the bright lights of London (`Hey, Little Rich Girl') and refers to a budget clothing retailer well-known on British high streets (`Man At C&A').

This is not necessarily an album for those who came to The Specials as lovers of the home-grown 2-Tone Ska movement that included Madness, The Selecter and The Beat (`Not so much Channel 1 [the recording studio in Jamaica], as Radio 2' as style magazine The Face correctly pointed out at the time). It is, however, a bold experiment which generally pays off.


Missing Songs, 29 May 2008
Great Album But Where's Rude Boys Outta(Version) Jail And Braggin' And Trying Not To Lie? Two Great Songs Missing From One Great Album, Worth Looking Elsewhere With Whole Album Intact In My Opinion.

Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 01 May 2008
The difficulty of producing a perfect debut album is how can you follow it. The Specials debut album and live sound with its up-date of Ska had not only been a huge success in it's own right but had started a movement with bands such as Madness, The Beat and Bad Manners becoming over night successes but kick started the careers, long over, of the stars of sixties Ska. Conscious not to repeat them selves unofficial group leader, Jerry Dammers, and soundman, the late Dave Jordan set about the impossible.

Opener is the standard `Enjoy Yourself' and although Ska legend Prince Buster played this song The Specials go for a orthodox rock-pop arrangement to open the album in urgent party style. `Man at C & A' is the Terry Hall's perfect state on the Nation address in a punk ska hybrid which flows perfectly into Roddy Radiation's rockabilly masterpiece `Hey, Little Rich Girl'. Ska pleasers `Do Nothing' (later to be the albums hit single) and the perfect `Pearl's Cafe' take us back to the classic Specials sound before the Northern Soul anthem `Sock it to `em JB' ends side one leaving us in wonder that a Ska band could play Northern Soul this well.

Side two opens with the taster single, cocktail jazz dub reggae `Stereotypes' with its two piece constructions gives us a Neville Staples toast which is perhaps a little too long. Calypso instrumental `Holiday Fortnight' is a lot better than it has any right to be and acts as the perfect bridge to Hall and ex-Bodysnatchers Rhoda Dakar's duet anti-love song `I Can't Stand it'. Parody of `Going to Barbados' `International Jet Set' is the perfect embodiment of the new Specials sound with it's muzzack influence coming to the fore. This is etherised with the perfect closer a Bontemps organ driven reprise of `Enjoy Yourself' which always leaves me wanting to play the whole thing over again.

And so now we know how to follow a perfect debut album, you make a perfect follow up album.


Sounds even better now than when I was 15!, 02 Sep 2006
I was a bit of a rude boy, back in 1980. I have fond memories of strutting around North London in my Harrington jacket, Fred Perry shirt, white socks, braces and tassled loafers. I wasn't a skinhead then but I am now! When CDs came out, I stupidly gave away all my vinyl to charity shops, including More Specials.

Making a welcome return to my music collection, More Specials is such an overlooked gem. I notice it did make it into "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" but you are unlikely to find it in a top 50 or 100 list.

It's difficult to put into words why this album is such a treat. It's somehow timeless, borrowing from the '60s and '70s, rooted in the '80s but not out of place in the '90s and '00s. In fact, it doesn't sound at all dated. I recommend playing along side the likes of Massive Attack, Gorillaz and Lilly Allen, all clearly inspired and influenced by The Specials.

Finally, a word to the wise. Check the small print on the back of the CD and buy the enhanced CD which includes original videos of Ghost Town and Rat Race - two very special singles.

The most influential album of the last 25 years?? , 28 Jun 2004
OK, maybe that was a bit strong but this really is a CLASSIC!!! Like the previous reviewer said you really can trace a line from this group (and especially this album) to groups as diverse as Happy Mondays/Black Grape, Tricky, Massive Attack, The Streets, Plan B & Lily Allen.

The Specials were one of the biggest groups in the country when they released this and it was always seen as a bit of a letdown by the hardcode skinhead/rude boy fanbase compared to their debut. But, to those that love groups that mess with the formula it has become seen as a work of near genius.

Can you imagine the careerists of today like the Kooks or Razorlight doing an album of Bulgarian Folk Music or ambient house? Of course you can't, they are too worried about shifting units and marketing to risk real experimentation with the music. The Specials made an album featuring muzak, the sort of stuff you hear in hotel lifts and supermarkets and mixed it with lyrics about alienation, the futility of the saturday night beer boy life & paranoia about impending nuclear war and you could still dance to it!

If you haven't got this album - get it now! I bought it in 1981 aged 9 and I still love it to this day. The only slight grumble is that there are no extras. It must surely be worth the deluxe treatment including 'Bragging not trying to lie' & 'Rude boys outta Jail (version)' - the free seven inch that came with copies of the album back in the dim & distant. There is also some great B sides from that time and amazing live tracks (the Specials were the greatest live band ever - fact!!).

So, buy this and Enjoy yourself (it's later than you think).

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital and contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.

Essential Listening, 15 Apr 2008
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label and managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles and tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials and In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles and footage of live performances. If, like me, you are an avid fan then this is only worth buying for the (as far as I am aware) otherwise unavailable DVD as I have all the other tracks on the digitally remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials and want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point and it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in all a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work and a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with all the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!

The Specials overcome `difficult second album syndrome', 16 Nov 2008
With 1980's adventurous More Specials the Coventry band overcame the 'difficult second album syndrome', a fate which has befallen many an artist over the years. They did this by broadening their musical palette; where their classic debut (effectively) embraces the ska and reggae of Prince Buster, The Skatalites and Toots and The Maytals, this album sees them venturing into a wider variety of genres, including northern soul (`Sock It To `Em J.B.'), spaghetti westerns soundtracks (`Stereotypes') and easy listening (`Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)'). That is not to say they jettisoned all that made The Specials so exciting and different: lead singer Terry Hall still delivers his vocals with a flat, deadpan delivery and the lyrics and subject matter remain rooted in the prosaic. In place of the girls in footless tights in night clubs and concrete jungles of their first album, More Specials has a wealthy, naive young women from the provinces who is bedazzled by the bright lights of London (`Hey, Little Rich Girl') and refers to a budget clothing retailer well-known on British high streets (`Man At C&A').

This is not necessarily an album for those who came to The Specials as lovers of the home-grown 2-Tone Ska movement that included Madness, The Selecter and The Beat (`Not so much Channel 1 [the recording studio in Jamaica], as Radio 2' as style magazine The Face correctly pointed out at the time). It is, however, a bold experiment which generally pays off.


Missing Songs, 29 May 2008
Great Album But Where's Rude Boys Outta(Version) Jail And Braggin' And Trying Not To Lie? Two Great Songs Missing From One Great Album, Worth Looking Elsewhere With Whole Album Intact In My Opinion.

Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 01 May 2008
The difficulty of producing a perfect debut album is how can you follow it. The Specials debut album and live sound with its up-date of Ska had not only been a huge success in it's own right but had started a movement with bands such as Madness, The Beat and Bad Manners becoming over night successes but kick started the careers, long over, of the stars of sixties Ska. Conscious not to repeat them selves unofficial group leader, Jerry Dammers, and soundman, the late Dave Jordan set about the impossible.

Opener is the standard `Enjoy Yourself' and although Ska legend Prince Buster played this song The Specials go for a orthodox rock-pop arrangement to open the album in urgent party style. `Man at C & A' is the Terry Hall's perfect state on the Nation address in a punk ska hybrid which flows perfectly into Roddy Radiation's rockabilly masterpiece `Hey, Little Rich Girl'. Ska pleasers `Do Nothing' (later to be the albums hit single) and the perfect `Pearl's Cafe' take us back to the classic Specials sound before the Northern Soul anthem `Sock it to `em JB' ends side one leaving us in wonder that a Ska band could play Northern Soul this well.

Side two opens with the taster single, cocktail jazz dub reggae `Stereotypes' with its two piece constructions gives us a Neville Staples toast which is perhaps a little too long. Calypso instrumental `Holiday Fortnight' is a lot better than it has any right to be and acts as the perfect bridge to Hall and ex-Bodysnatchers Rhoda Dakar's duet anti-love song `I Can't Stand it'. Parody of `Going to Barbados' `International Jet Set' is the perfect embodiment of the new Specials sound with it's muzzack influence coming to the fore. This is etherised with the perfect closer a Bontemps organ driven reprise of `Enjoy Yourself' which always leaves me wanting to play the whole thing over again.

And so now we know how to follow a perfect debut album, you make a perfect follow up album.


Sounds even better now than when I was 15!, 02 Sep 2006
I was a bit of a rude boy, back in 1980. I have fond memories of strutting around North London in my Harrington jacket, Fred Perry shirt, white socks, braces and tassled loafers. I wasn't a skinhead then but I am now! When CDs came out, I stupidly gave away all my vinyl to charity shops, including More Specials.

Making a welcome return to my music collection, More Specials is such an overlooked gem. I notice it did make it into "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" but you are unlikely to find it in a top 50 or 100 list.

It's difficult to put into words why this album is such a treat. It's somehow timeless, borrowing from the '60s and '70s, rooted in the '80s but not out of place in the '90s and '00s. In fact, it doesn't sound at all dated. I recommend playing along side the likes of Massive Attack, Gorillaz and Lilly Allen, all clearly inspired and influenced by The Specials.

Finally, a word to the wise. Check the small print on the back of the CD and buy the enhanced CD which includes original videos of Ghost Town and Rat Race - two very special singles.

The most influential album of the last 25 years?? , 28 Jun 2004
OK, maybe that was a bit strong but this really is a CLASSIC!!! Like the previous reviewer said you really can trace a line from this group (and especially this album) to groups as diverse as Happy Mondays/Black Grape, Tricky, Massive Attack, The Streets, Plan B & Lily Allen.

The Specials were one of the biggest groups in the country when they released this and it was always seen as a bit of a letdown by the hardcode skinhead/rude boy fanbase compared to their debut. But, to those that love groups that mess with the formula it has become seen as a work of near genius.

Can you imagine the careerists of today like the Kooks or Razorlight doing an album of Bulgarian Folk Music or ambient house? Of course you can't, they are too worried about shifting units and marketing to risk real experimentation with the music. The Specials made an album featuring muzak, the sort of stuff you hear in hotel lifts and supermarkets and mixed it with lyrics about alienation, the futility of the saturday night beer boy life & paranoia about impending nuclear war and you could still dance to it!

If you haven't got this album - get it now! I bought it in 1981 aged 9 and I still love it to this day. The only slight grumble is that there are no extras. It must surely be worth the deluxe treatment including 'Bragging not trying to lie' & 'Rude boys outta Jail (version)' - the free seven inch that came with copies of the album back in the dim & distant. There is also some great B sides from that time and amazing live tracks (the Specials were the greatest live band ever - fact!!).

So, buy this and Enjoy yourself (it's later than you think).



buy it, 02 Jun 2008
I made a beeline to see Duke at Guilfest 2007 having seen him on Jools Holland. They were fantastic live, and Chip on percussion with Duke was a great show. I still cannot believe they have not broken through to a bigger audience. This album is superb. If I was to compare to another I would suggest hints of early Billy Joel, but with an Ulster twang...

Buy it and enjoy

Do yourself a favour...discover this!, 10 Mar 2008
It has been a long time since I heard an album full of such TALENT and ...UNIQUNESS...if there can be such a word.Inspirational lyrics, spiked to a delicious piquancy by an undisguised Belfast accent...tunes that get into your head and sometimes much, much more....moments of utter brilliance.I had no idea what to expect when I was given this album by my (surprisingly) perceptive son...it became apparant it was PERFECT within minutes of listening.
Do yourself a favour...discover Duke Special.

Wonderful., 19 Jan 2008
Joining a few other reviewers here, I first discovered the wonderful Duke Special supporting Crowded House recently, and the music instantly captivated me. The wonderful melodies, his beautful clear voice and lyrics of absolute genius. I bought this album straight away and like others I have barely listened to anything else since.
With exceptions I haven't heard this level of songwriting for some time.
The 2nd Disc really shows off just how beautifully an orchestra works with Duke's songs. Roll on the next album. I know alot of us cannot wait!
You will not be disappointed with this album. I doubt I could choose a personal highlight, there are too many.


Outstanding Talent, 09 Jan 2008
Like others, bought this after seeing them support Crowded House. The songs are very inventive and the hooks really get into your head.
The best album that I heard in 2007.
Can't wait for the follow up

Just stunning, 14 Dec 2007
I accidentally had the pleasure of seeing Duke Special supporting Crowded House in Birmingham. His live performance and his band blew me away. I ordered the album the very next day and can say I haven't stopped listening to it. If you're going to buy a version of the album get this one as it contains a live set on disc 2 which is purely mesmerising.

In a world of pop idols and X-factors it's so utterly reassuring to see such a talent slowly bubble up to the top.

I would recomend this album to anyone who likes good music. It never lets you down, it always makes you sing, smile, think, and occasionally shed a tear, just sublime, thank you Duke for writing this and letting me have the privelege of hearing it.

I hope there's more to come!

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital and contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.

Essential Listening, 15 Apr 2008
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label and managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles and tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials and In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles and footage of live performances. If, like me, you are an avid fan then this is only worth buying for the (as far as I am aware) otherwise unavailable DVD as I have all the other tracks on the digitally remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials and want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point and it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in all a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work and a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with all the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!

The Specials overcome `difficult second album syndrome', 16 Nov 2008
With 1980's adventurous More Specials the Coventry band overcame the 'difficult second album syndrome', a fate which has befallen many an artist over the years. They did this by broadening their musical palette; where their classic debut (effectively) embraces the ska and reggae of Prince Buster, The Skatalites and Toots and The Maytals, this album sees them venturing into a wider variety of genres, including northern soul (`Sock It To `Em J.B.'), spaghetti westerns soundtracks (`Stereotypes') and easy listening (`Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)'). That is not to say they jettisoned all that made The Specials so exciting and different: lead singer Terry Hall still delivers his vocals with a flat, deadpan delivery and the lyrics and subject matter remain rooted in the prosaic. In place of the girls in footless tights in night clubs and concrete jungles of their first album, More Specials has a wealthy, naive young women from the provinces who is bedazzled by the bright lights of London (`Hey, Little Rich Girl') and refers to a budget clothing retailer well-known on British high streets (`Man At C&A').

This is not necessarily an album for those who came to The Specials as lovers of the home-grown 2-Tone Ska movement that included Madness, The Selecter and The Beat (`Not so much Channel 1 [the recording studio in Jamaica], as Radio 2' as style magazine The Face correctly pointed out at the time). It is, however, a bold experiment which generally pays off.


Missing Songs, 29 May 2008
Great Album But Where's Rude Boys Outta(Version) Jail And Braggin' And Trying Not To Lie? Two Great Songs Missing From One Great Album, Worth Looking Elsewhere With Whole Album Intact In My Opinion.

Exactly What it Says on the Tin, 01 May 2008
The difficulty of producing a perfect debut album is how can you follow it. The Specials debut album and live sound with its up-date of Ska had not only been a huge success in it's own right but had started a movement with bands such as Madness, The Beat and Bad Manners becoming over night successes but kick started the careers, long over, of the stars of sixties Ska. Conscious not to repeat them selves unofficial group leader, Jerry Dammers, and soundman, the late Dave Jordan set about the impossible.

Opener is the standard `Enjoy Yourself' and although Ska legend Prince Buster played this song The Specials go for a orthodox rock-pop arrangement to open the album in urgent party style. `Man at C & A' is the Terry Hall's perfect state on the Nation address in a punk ska hybrid which flows perfectly into Roddy Radiation's rockabilly masterpiece `Hey, Little Rich Girl'. Ska pleasers `Do Nothing' (later to be the albums hit single) and the perfect `Pearl's Cafe' take us back to the classic Specials sound before the Northern Soul anthem `Sock it to `em JB' ends side one leaving us in wonder that a Ska band could play Northern Soul this well.

Side two opens with the taster single, cocktail jazz dub reggae `Stereotypes' with its two piece constructions gives us a Neville Staples toast which is perhaps a little too long. Calypso instrumental `Holiday Fortnight' is a lot better than it has any right to be and acts as the perfect bridge to Hall and ex-Bodysnatchers Rhoda Dakar's duet anti-love song `I Can't Stand it'. Parody of `Going to Barbados' `International Jet Set' is the perfect embodiment of the new Specials sound with it's muzzack influence coming to the fore. This is etherised with the perfect closer a Bontemps organ driven reprise of `Enjoy Yourself' which always leaves me wanting to play the whole thing over again.

And so now we know how to follow a perfect debut album, you make a perfect follow up album.


Sounds even better now than when I was 15!, 02 Sep 2006
I was a bit of a rude boy, back in 1980. I have fond memories of strutting around North London in my Harrington jacket, Fred Perry shirt, white socks, braces and tassled loafers. I wasn't a skinhead then but I am now! When CDs came out, I stupidly gave away all my vinyl to charity shops, including More Specials.

Making a welcome return to my music collection, More Specials is such an overlooked gem. I notice it did make it into "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" but you are unlikely to find it in a top 50 or 100 list.

It's difficult to put into words why this album is such a treat. It's somehow timeless, borrowing from the '60s and '70s, rooted in the '80s but not out of place in the '90s and '00s. In fact, it doesn't sound at all dated. I recommend playing along side the likes of Massive Attack, Gorillaz and Lilly Allen, all clearly inspired and influenced by The Specials.

Finally, a word to the wise. Check the small print on the back of the CD and buy the enhanced CD which includes original videos of Ghost Town and Rat Race - two very special singles.

The most influential album of the last 25 years?? , 28 Jun 2004
OK, maybe that was a bit strong but this really is a CLASSIC!!! Like the previous reviewer said you really can trace a line from this group (and especially this album) to groups as diverse as Happy Mondays/Black Grape, Tricky, Massive Attack, The Streets, Plan B & Lily Allen.

The Specials were one of the biggest groups in the country when they released this and it was always seen as a bit of a letdown by the hardcode skinhead/rude boy fanbase compared to their debut. But, to those that love groups that mess with the formula it has become seen as a work of near genius.

Can you imagine the careerists of today like the Kooks or Razorlight doing an album of Bulgarian Folk Music or ambient house? Of course you can't, they are too worried about shifting units and marketing to risk real experimentation with the music. The Specials made an album featuring muzak, the sort of stuff you hear in hotel lifts and supermarkets and mixed it with lyrics about alienation, the futility of the saturday night beer boy life & paranoia about impending nuclear war and you could still dance to it!

If you haven't got this album - get it now! I bought it in 1981 aged 9 and I still love it to this day. The only slight grumble is that there are no extras. It must surely be worth the deluxe treatment including 'Bragging not trying to lie' & 'Rude boys outta Jail (version)' - the free seven inch that came with copies of the album back in the dim & distant. There is also some great B sides from that time and amazing live tracks (the Specials were the greatest live band ever - fact!!).

So, buy this and Enjoy yourself (it's later than you think).



buy it, 02 Jun 2008
I made a beeline to see Duke at Guilfest 2007 having seen him on Jools Holland. They were fantastic live, and Chip on percussion with Duke was a great show. I still cannot believe they have not broken through to a bigger audience. This album is superb. If I was to compare to another I would suggest hints of early Billy Joel, but with an Ulster twang...

Buy it and enjoy

Do yourself a favour...discover this!, 10 Mar 2008
It has been a long time since I heard an album full of such TALENT and ...UNIQUNESS...if there can be such a word.Inspirational lyrics, spiked to a delicious piquancy by an undisguised Belfast accent...tunes that get into your head and sometimes much, much more....moments of utter brilliance.I had no idea what to expect when I was given this album by my (surprisingly) perceptive son...it became apparant it was PERFECT within minutes of listening.
Do yourself a favour...discover Duke Special.

Wonderful., 19 Jan 2008
Joining a few other reviewers here, I first discovered the wonderful Duke Special supporting Crowded House recently, and the music instantly captivated me. The wonderful melodies, his beautful clear voice and lyrics of absolute genius. I bought this album straight away and like others I have barely listened to anything else since.
With exceptions I haven't heard this level of songwriting for some time.
The 2nd Disc really shows off just how beautifully an orchestra works with Duke's songs. Roll on the next album. I know alot of us cannot wait!
You will not be disappointed with this album. I doubt I could choose a personal highlight, there are too many.


Outstanding Talent, 09 Jan 2008
Like others, bought this after seeing them support Crowded House. The songs are very inventive and the hooks really get into your head.
The best album that I heard in 2007.
Can't wait for the follow up

Just stunning, 14 Dec 2007
I accidentally had the pleasure of seeing Duke Special supporting Crowded House in Birmingham. His live performance and his band blew me away. I ordered the album the very next day and can say I haven't stopped listening to it. If you're going to buy a version of the album get this one as it contains a live set on disc 2 which is purely mesmerising.

In a world of pop idols and X-factors it's so utterly reassuring to see such a talent slowly bubble up to the top.

I would recomend this album to anyone who likes good music. It never lets you down, it always makes you sing, smile, think, and occasionally shed a tear, just sublime, thank you Duke for writing this and letting me have the privelege of hearing it.

I hope there's more to come!

Specials Kick Da Bucket, 01 May 2008
When The Specials hit the number one spot for the second time in their short career with `Ghost Town' no one realised it was to be their swan song but within two months Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding quit to form Fun Boy Three leaving Jerry Dammers, John Bradbury, Horace Panter and Roddy Radiation to continue without them.

Reverting to the earlier name Special AKA their first project was to Back ex-Bodysnatchers Rhoda Dakar on her anti-rape song `The Boiler' which due to it's content was never going to sit easily at Radio One. Next up they recorded the single `Jungle Music' with ex-Skatalite trombonist Rico and acted as his backing band on his European tour.

On returning home they returned to the studio recruiting soul vocalist Stan Campbell to compliment Rhoda to record this album. It had a very difficult birth and by the time it was finished. Horace and Roddy had left the group to be replaced by Gary McManus and John Shipley respectively. By the time it was released Stan had also left and promoted hit single `Nelson Mandela' as a favour to the band.

As well as the classic anti-apartied single the album contained some great material notably `War Crimes', `Racist Friend' and `Alcohol'. The themes of most of these songs prevented air play and limited the success of the album. `Nelson Mandela' transcended the opposition to serious pop music by having a theme all descent people could relate to and consequently was the big hit it deserved to be.

The band couldn't capitalise on there own success and after follow up single `Girlfriend' failed to chart The Special AKA closed for business. Now some twenty four years later The Specials are coming out of retirement and we can only hope they too will venture into the studio.


Overdue a rerelease, 26 Jan 2006
High time this album was rereleased by the record company. It might be a footnote in the history of music, the dying embers of the ska phenomenon of the early 80s, but in its own way In The Studio is a minor classic. It was well received in most quarters, but only scored 3/5 in NME; sales were also disappointing, but to music lovers this was a treat.

First thing to note is that, Jerry Dammers apart, this is not the original Specials. However, many of the musicians and singers Dammers brought in had been on the periphery of the 2-Tone revolution, and all were talented performers in their own right. Vocalists Rhoda Dakar and Egidio Newton emerge with particular credit.

Then, the material. The songs Dammers wrote for this album are less raw and more mature than much of the Specials early material - no less politically charged, but they express a wider palette of emotions and greater musical depth than anything that came before. None more so than the joyful Nelson Mandela, written when the great statesman was incarcerated by the South African government and still 7 years from a triumphant return. Despite the urgent, pleading message, the song conveys a message of hope that was rewarded in Mandela's subsequent release.

While not all songs are that powerful, they are all worth listening to: the quirky What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend, for example; the raw power of Break Down The Door; the poignant Alcohol, written perhaps from personal experience; and the challenging Racist Friend, urging listeners to ditch friends with racist attitudes. In fact, there is not a bad track in sight - Dammers went out into other projects on a glorious high.

And in the end..., 06 Apr 2002
By the mid-Eighties we'd grown out our hair a bit and traded Prince Buster for Astrid Gilberto. 2-Tone was long gone so we looked to The Style Council, Animal Night Life and Working Week for the new sounds. Dammers too was peddling the New Jazz movement with his re-vamped Special A.K.A . Hall, Staples and Golding were replaced with the always reliable Rhoda Dakar and a prissy soul singer named Stan Campbell. Jerry's new group were hard-Left and musically more progressive than their former incarnation.
Despite the presence of top-ten single Nelson Mandella, In The Studio was deemed a disappointment upon it's release in '84. It has actually aged quite well. Dammers as usual was miles ahead with his use of lounge, afro-beat, northern soul and bohemian jazz. That trademark Dammers black humour is also there to alienate anyone who may have come to the album via the hit-single.
Brilliant stuff.

Pretty Special, 24 Aug 2006
This is my favourite of the 2 Specials albums. 'More Specials' is quirkier, but this is equally fun and more up-tempo. I love to leap around to this record at every oportunity, (much to the annoyance of my neighbours). I could wiffle on about all of the profound lyrics and such and Terry Hall's deadpan style, but once you buy this record then you will find out for yourself. Suffice to say that this record is well worth getting for your collection. If you like that 2 tone sound, then it really doesn't get any better than this. And at this price it is a steal!!!!

A masterpiece yes, 01 Jun 2006
Whilst it is indeed masterpiece of pop creation and you really must own it. It is still only a pop creation, really very pop and i wouldn't really say it sounded "fresh" on every listen. Its good for a few plays, by which time it will all be in your head already - such is the quality of the songwriting. Buy, listen, love then place on a shelf and hum.

A Classic., 13 Feb 2006
This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If your are into Punk or Ska this really is a must buy.

A Classic of Musical Re-Invention. Brilliant !, 25 Sep 2004
The Specials album is and was without doubt, a fantastic album. Anyone with any appreciation for music whatsoever, should buy this. The beats are great, the lyrics are great, the tunes are great. A great shame so much of our modern music is so dull and spiritless compared to music like this. As much a breath of fresh air as it was all those years ago. Superb !!!!!

Am i missing something of the first hand Ska experience?, 15 Aug 2004
Having recently decided to correct one or two oversights in my music collection I bought this C.D. Ska was one of the few genres that passed me by originally.( The other being jazz funk which I've never considered a great loss.) Of course I heard all the singles and I even bought some of them but really I was far too pale and interesting and well dull to really explore music that despite it's often serious subject matter often seemed to me an excuse to indulge in lots of silly knees up dancing.

This 2002 re-mastered version of the 1979 debut album by The Specials seemed to me the perfect place to start. "Ghost Town" is after all one of the greatest number 1,s of all time while "Gangsters" is a superbly idiosyncratic song. Plus it's produced by a sprightly youth called Elvis Costello which is something I never knew till I read it on these very pages. ...And it's great, with some truly wonderful songs and an irresistible energy and laconic humour. However I don't think it's quite the all-out masterpiece that many of my fellow reviewers think it is, and I think I know why. The live cuts ,"Monkey Man" off this album and the single version of "Too Much Too Young" exude a tremendous blast of the hedonistic verve and sense of communal spirit that existed around the Ska scene and i, never experienced that first hand so in a sense I'm coming into this album cold and lacking the empirical knowledge of the Ska experience..
It's taut wired energy seems to be lifted straight from the aftermath of punk and the genesis of the new-wave movement but thrown in with rhythms of reggae, which of course bands like The Clash had already incorporated into their sound, and elements of dub and R & B it's an intoxicating mix and when it all gels together it's fantastic., but I found some of the material here a little repetitive (Which is one of the problems I have with reggae.) and one or two of the songs a touch mundane. "Too Hot" and "Blank Expression" are prime examples of this.

Mainly though this is terrific stuff." Concrete Jungle", "Little Bitch", "Nite Klub" and "You're Wondering Know" which sounds like a track off Enos,s "Here Comes the Warm Jets" particularly. Even the six minute version of "Too Much Too Young" though lacking the vivacious outrage of the live single version is great. "A Message to You Rudy" still sounds fresh as well.
I really missed out when I pompously ignored this stuff first time round and now I'm way too old to do the silly knees up dance............I think.

Singularily Special, 01 May 2008
The Specials Singles is just that containing at least the a-sides of the 45's of one the greatest bands of all time. Opening with one of the strongest debut single of all time `Gangsters' it moves through double `a' side `Rudi, a Message to You' and `Nite Klub' to the first side of there live EP `Too Much Too Young' and the Skatalite inspired `Guns of Navarone'.

Stand alone single `Rat Race' is next before we move into less comfortable territory with double `a' `Stereotype' b/w `International Jet Set' and then `Do Nothing'. The magnificent `Ghost Town' is next together with both of its equally good b-sides `Why?' and `Friday Night, Saturday Morning'.

The quality drops as Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and The Special AKA give us a poor `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend' . The temperature rises again with the fantastic `Nelson Mandela' but it's too late to save the band and `Girlfriend' leaves the album, and indeed the band, with a disappointing ending. Hopefully now the full band is reforming The Specials will be given the coda they deserve.


the best, 08 Aug 2001
I was in my late teens when ska hit the world (my world), saw specials, madness etc at various concerts, have all the albums and 45's. love them still, nothing will come close the the beat. this is a great album. buy it and you won't keep still.

Coventry's sublime answer to New Wave, 13 Mar 2001
The bulk of the Specials' career between 1979 and 1981 is solidly collated in this truly excellent compilation album.

Jerry Dammers was the musical genius who provided the main driving force behind the diverse talent he had collated, all of which were excellent live rock musicians. Furthermore, many have frontman viewed Terry Hall as the direct precursor of Morrissey, with his deadpan, sardonic vocals and tragi-comedic lyrics about life's more mundane subject-matter, eg, 'I'd rather have lipstick on my collar than piss-stains on my shoes'.... truly inspired ! For 18 months or so, The Special's were deservedly Britain's biggest band, even making a sizeable impact in the USA, where they achieved cult status.

There are several standout tracks here, particularly the three #1 hits, Too Much Too Young (about teenage pregnancy), Rat Race (about the Coventry band's resentment of having to move south to London to succeed) and the haunting Ghost Town, from 1981. Ghost Town is an excellent snapshot of a country at the end of its tether, highlighting Coventry's rapid social, economic and psychological desolation during Thatcher's first two years in power, and it proved extremely prophetic when just months later, several major cities experienced rioting on an unprecedented scale (this theme was also inherent in their famous Concrete Jungle track). However, with choice tracks such as the classic Gangsters, A Message To You Rudi, Do Nothing and Friday Night, Saturday Morning plus the Special AKA's Nelson Mandela, there is quality here in adbundance.

The sound of ska has never sounded so good and you will find few who do not hold this band with the utmost respect. The Special's proved to be one of the world's first socially-aware bands that did'nt ram their messages down our throats but just concentrated on sounded great (some irritatingly called them The Clash of Ska). They certainly led the way, if not musically, but thematically, for the likes of The Smiths and Billy Bragg and were a welcome diversion from the materialistic, New Romantic tosh that was rapidly swamping Britain at the time. Eventually it all came to an abrupt end after Ghost Town, but the offshoot was the brilliant, Terry Hall-led Fun Boy Three followed by his excellent Colourfield project, proving that Dammers was not the only musical genius onboard the ska phenomenon that brought the 'Dance Craze' to Britain.

The Best of The Specials, 07 Feb 2001
This is a truly brilliant album for anyone who loves the whole ska scene.Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital and contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.

Essential Listening, 15 Apr 2008
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label and managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
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