Specials (1979)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2002 Enhanced CD reissue.

I wasn't aboard the ska train back in the late '70s because I was too busy listening to soft rock and disco. I missed a lot of music coming out of the UK at that time. I was, however, strangely attracted to ska's mod style "Rude Boy" dress at the time. (This is exactly the opposite of my later approach to New Romantic music - loved the music, hated the frilly shirts and eye liner.) I avoided mod dress in high school because I didn't necessarily want to be beat up on a daily basis. A pork pie hat wouldn't have gone over well amid the rice fields of rural South Texas (unless maybe it had a John Deere patch sewn on).

I later came to ska music through The English Beat in the early '80s. I'm not a huge ska fan; between this CD and The English Beat stuff, I'm set. As I've written before, I like ska music in general, but can't take much of it in large doses. I think the lyrics are political, but I'm not much for lyrics. Would have loved to see these guys tear it up live back in the day, though.

This album is featured in the 2005 book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (p. 446) and ranked at #68 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s (despite its 1979 release date). It's highly acclaimed albums like these that I always feel I should listen to more often than I do. To be honest, I prefer Terry Hall's subsequent work with Fun Boy Three and The Colour Field.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone: "they cross-reference ska with reggae, the arrogant attack of punk and even a touch of English music-hall tradition."
• Smash Hits (9 out of 10): "a very promising debut and highly recommended."
• Stereo Review: "danceable, upbeat, infectious stuff with a working-class edge."
• Trouser Press: "This is an exciting debut...and an ambitious undertaking."
• Robert Christgau (A-): "there's a jaunty confidence to this music that's a lot less forced than power pop's"
• Musician: "eminently danceable"
• Slash: "Truly special, I know that's an obvious pun, but it's as inevitable as the fad this band will create, and for once I won't mind catching the infection."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #84
• CashBox: #67
• Rolling Stone: #37

Tracks: It all starts to sound the same after a while, but I can't resist the grooves of A Message To You Rudy, Too Hot, and Too Much Too Young. The wonderful Little Bitch gets a special mention since it later appeared in the classic '80s movie, Sixteen Candles. They should have stayed away from covering the Maytals, even though I enjoy the cover of Rufus Thomas' Do The Dog. The only tracks I usually skip are Stupid Marriage and You're Wondering Now.

I was able to get the Enhanced CD section of the 2002 disc to work on my computer. The contents there were videos to Gangsters and Too Much Too Young, both now readily available on the YouTube.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't have this album on vinyl and just picked up the CD from the used bin in 2005, paying $6.98 - much more than usual for a used disc at that time.

Previously revisited for the blog:
This Are Two Tone (1983)

Various Artists - This Are Two Tone (1983)

NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)

2 Tone Records was a small, indie label in the late '70s/early '80s that mostly released ska music embraced by rude boys ("rudies"). I always think of ska music as reggae music performed by white Englishmen on speed. This is a compilation of music from the label's more popular bands, including The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, and The Beat (known in the US as The English Beat). I like ska music in general, but can't take much of it in large doses. As a result, this is one of the few ska discs I own. A lasting influence of the label was its logo which portrays a man, known as Walt Jabsco, in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers.

Tracks: My favorite cuts are the two from The Beat, especially their cover of Smokey Robinson's Tears Of A Clown. The 6 tracks from The Specials are good as well. The Specials get more tracks than anyone else because the band's keyboard player and founder also started the 2 Tone label. The tracks from The Bodysnatchers, Rhoda Dakar, and The Swinging Cats are forgettable and/or disturbing.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Back to high school, of course. I had a few albums by the English Beat and one of my favorite band shirts had the female equivalent of Walt Jabsco on it. I wore that shirt throughout my college years until it was threadbare. The picture on the right is of your humble blogger, taken May 1988.