The Specials - Specials (Vinyl) True innovators of the punk era, the Specials began the British ska revival craze, combining the highly danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude, and taking on a more focused and informed political and social stance than their predecessors and peers. Their agenda of racial harmony and social inclusion was pursued through their music, and came to be described as the Two Tone movement. Identified also by their distinctive look, the band wore mod-style 1960s period "rude boy" outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers) that were adopted by fans and musical followers alike. More Specials is the second album by ska band the Specials, released in October 1980. The album expanded the 2 tone sound of their self-titled debut to include lounge music and other influences. It featured collaborations with the Go-Go's members Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, and Jane Wiedlin; Rhoda Dakar from The Bodysnatchers; and Lee Thompson from Madness. The lyrics, like the previous album, were often intensely political.
R**S
Good LP! Reminds me of easier days... lol.
Great Ska. I don't think the cover is from the original LP. it just looks different than what I remember. But the sleeve doesn't really matter... I wanted the music. Excellent recording. I was happy with the price as well.
N**O
Hosed Again
Why do these record companies put out remasters and then remove a song or two from them? One has to wonder where Rat Race disappeared to? It isn't on this cd anymore. Oh, nevermind. I found it on the Hits disc. How Lame. They did the same thing with the remaster of English Beat. Don't buy this crappy version of this cd unless you either can't find the original issue or you absolutely have to have the video of Ghost Town (a pretty good vid) and Rat Race (a pretty crappy vid).
L**U
Unique blend of ska, soul and kitsch
More Specials is definately not for every ska fan. In fact, this album is a mix match of so many different genres that I would not even call it a ska album. Whereas The Specials first album gets you up off your rear end and dancing this is a more contemplative album to really listen to. The album moves around from darker themes to the silly with an overriding feel of 60's kitsch. Another 2Tone classic.
D**Y
Pisses me off....
That I had to re-buy this after I discarded my vinyl years ago. What was I thinking? GREAT album. Nice to have it back in the library.
E**O
John's Children waved the red flag.
More??!?! You want more?!?How can you get more of something thats already past the time of the season? Yeeesh!
B**L
specials
I understand that they were trying to do something different that the original album but it is such a departure from the original album
A**R
Five Stars
Great
R**K
Amazing amount of variation, but lacks debut's cohesion.
The Specials second album, and final before imploding, is called "More Specials" and gives the listener more, alright... maybe a little too much to digest. Jerry Dammers seems to have gone a bit crazy in the studio, as he produced the album and added multiple layers of keyboard, organ, vibes, synthesiser, melodica and whatever else he had lying around. I also assume the 'muzak' feel of "International Jet Set" and the mechanical drums on "I Can't Stand It" and "Stereotypes Part 2" are his doing as well. The stylistic menu is varied, including reggae ("Do Nothing"), retro fifties rock ("Hey, Little Rich Girl", "Pearl's Cafe"), new-wave pop ("I Can't Stand It") and even mariachi ("Holiday Fortnight"). Terry Hall's vocals sound great, especially on the anti-war "Man At C&A" and "International Jet Set", where his monotone delevery almost acts as another instrument. The group vibe is diminished, as most people have their own 'feature' song, like Roddy's "Rat Race", Lynval's "Do Nothing" and Neville's vocal overkill on "Stereotypes Part 2" and drummer John Bradbury's James Bond tribute "Sock it to 'Em J.B.". The Go Go's are even brought in for backing vocals on the "Enjoy Yourself" reprise (Terry co-wrote their hit "Our Lips are Sealed" and later covered it with his band Fun Boy Three, which included him, Lynval and Neville). Overall, it is a genre-shifting soup, with rockers like "Rat Race" alongside the moody bossa-nova of "Stereotypes". This is not altogether a bad thing, but proved the band had little time left. After the Dammers penned "Ghost Town" single, with offerings from Terry and Neville, the band went their separate ways. Roddy formed his retro-rock styled the Tearjerkers, Bradbury formed his own goofy and thankfully short-lived band, bassist Horace Panter joined with members of the English Beat to form General Public, Fun Boy Three formed with the Specials vocalists, and Dammers went on with the Special AKA. This, therefore was the Specials album swan song. For that, it was a success, but would not fare as well if they recorded others.
マ**ュ
ステレオタイプ！
１９７９年ごろ、桑原茂一さんの「オルタネイティヴ・ミュージック」というＦＭ番組でかかったこのアルバム、というか「ステレオタイプ」一曲が衝撃的だった。ちなみに続けて流れたのがジャー・ウーブルの「ブルーベリー・ヒルだった。今でこそこの手のジャンルはきちんと存在するが当時、やっとパンクが終った時期に「ポストパンク」という形容詞さえまだなかった時であるから余計イビツかつ新鮮味もあった。とにかく音楽を進めようという勢いが彼らにはあったと思う。スペシャルズはコステロ・プロデユースのキャッチーな１ｓｔから急進してここに至った。ダブの最初期、機材も整ってない中でのこれは立派だ。１ｓｔを期待したら半分は正解、半分は大きく裏切られるだろう。しかし悪い気はしないはずだ。スカやブルー・ビートがもついかがわしさや反骨、またごった煮的な面白さ（件の番組では「キャバレー・ミュージック」と形容されていた）、がいかにもクールでカッコいい。私的なロック１０選にも入れたい一枚です。
Ｊ**Ｂ
哀しき名盤
本作はスペシャルズの前作（１作目）より個人的には好きである。秀逸な音作りで今聞いても、きわめてオリジナリティの高い曲が多く、必聴である。しかし、このアルバムはスカ・ムーブメントの終焉を告げる一枚でもある。その意味で哀しい名盤といえる。
C**Y
A great add to my collection
Growing up in the 70s I loved the specials as I've got older I forgot certain songs, hearing a tune on this on the radio, I had to order it, disc came in perfect condition and a great price. Thank music magpie
J**Y
Almost perfect.
Suffers a little in comparison to their earlier material but is worth buying because there are moments of brilliance. "Man at C&A" is a work of genius and some of the music on side two (as we used to say) points defiantly to the future. Damon AllBran of Blurrgh must have listened to "International Jet Set" many times as a kid......! More Specials is included in that book, you know, the one which lists 1001 albums you must hear to stay fashionable, or something like that. So I must be more hip than I thought.
P**S
Special
Glad I added More Specials to my collection it’s a worthy addition.
