SOUNDTRACK4LIFE: THE B-SIDES: the specials

Showing posts with label the specials. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 February 2019

Tidy Tunes 2019 #2/28: The Lunatics - The Specials

Yesterday we mentioned about it being 40 years since the release of the debut album by Joe Jackson, well funnily enough today's choice, The Specials, are also celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their self-titled debut on Two Tone. They also happen to have released a brand new album called 'Encore' just yesterday. It's the first one since 1980's 'More Specials' to feature Terry Hall and he's joined by the only other remaining original members Lynval Golding and Horace Panter. The rest of the originals are off doing their own thing (it's way to complicated to go into all the details here!) apart from John Bradbury (he wasn't an original but was part of the classic line up of the band and played with the reunited band from 2008-2015) who sadly passed away four years ago.

Listening to the new album it's very clear that the world into which they were born way back in the days of The Automatics/The Coventry Automatics (in 1977) has changed in many ways except for the fact that many of the things they were standing for back then are even more higher profile now, the issues of racism and sexism for instance.

Today's pick from the album is actually a cover version of a song that Terry Hall and Lynval Golding wrote with former Special Neville Staple and released in 1981 when they had left The Specials and formed Fun Boy Three. The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum) peaked at #20 in the UK Singles Chart.

The Lunatics - The Specials
from the album 'Encore'
Released 1st February 2019 (Island Records)

Also on the new album 'Encore'.

Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys.

BLM.

Vote For Me.

Breaking Point.
Blam Blam Fever.

10 Commandments.

Embarrassed By You.

The Life and Times (Of A Man Called Depression).

We Sell Hope.

Friday, 19 October 2018

Rewind: Madness and Specials Unleash Debut Albums On This Day in 1979

🌟🌟🌟🌟

One Step Beyond - Madness
Stiff Records
Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley
Released 19th October 1979
UK Chart #2

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Specials - Specials
2 Tone
Produced by Elvis Costello
Released 19th October 1979
UK Chart #4

Two of the bands at the forefront of the 2 Tone Ska Revival released their Debut Albums on this day in 1979. Madness of course had moved on from the 2 Tone label to the "Most Flexible Label in the World", Stiff Records and The Special A.K.A. had been dropped in favour of the more simple Specials.

Out of the two I preferred One Step Beyond, mainly because I didn't think that Elvis Costello had properly captured the urgency and frenetic nature of the Specials that they displayed when playing live, whilst with Madness, Langer and Winstanley did manage to capture the energy of the band.

It was One Step Beyond that had the upper hand when it came to the Charts peaking at #2 whilst Specials made it to #4.

Both bands are still out and about playing live (with newer personnel) and I think I read somewhere that the Specials are hoping to record a new album soon. Can't Touch Us Now in 2016 is the latest studio album from Madness (their 11th) and the first not to feature Cathal Symth (Chas Smash) who had left the band to focus on a Solo Career.

Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 342 - The Specials

BBC Sessions - The Specials

The Archive Series

EMI

Released 1998

I tried to find the UK version of The Singles Collection on You Tube but could only find the Canadian version. This version excludes the last track on the UK version (What I Like Most About You Is Your) Girlfriend. Apparently some UK versions are also the track and some versions of the album do not have Rude Boys Outta Jail and Maggie's Farm and have been replaced the tracks International Jet Set and War Crimes.

The Singles Collection - The Specials

Chrysalis (Canada)

Released 1991

1 Gangsters
2 Rudi, A Message To You
3 Nite Club
4 Too Much Too Young (live)
5 Guns Of Navarone (live)
6 Rat Race
7 Rude Boys Outta Jail
8 Maggie's Farm
9 Do Nothing
10 Stereotype
11 Ghost Town (12" Version)
12 Why?
13 Friday Night, Saturday Morning
14 Racist Friend
15 Free Nelson Mandela (Extended Version)

(UK Version went to #10 on the Album Chart)

Notes on Singles

The Special A.K.A. - Gangsters / The Selecter - The Selecter

March 1979

UK Chart #6

A Message To You, Rudy (featuring Rico) / Nite Klub

October 1979

UK Chart #10

Too Much Too Young / Guns of Navarone / Skinhead Symphony

January 1980

UK Chart #1

Rat Race / Rude Boys Outta Jail

May 1980

UK Chart #5

Stereotype / International Jet Set

September 1980

UK Chart #6

Do Nothing / Maggie's Farm

December 1980

UK Chart #4

Ghost Town (Extended Version) / Why? / Friday Night, Saturday Morning

June 1981

UK Chart #1

Racist Friend / Bright Lights

August 1983

UK Chart #60

Nelson Mandela / Break Down The Door

February 1984

UK Chart #9

*******************

Formed in 1977 The Coventry Automatics (not wanting to be confused with the band also called The Automatics who had signed with Island Records) got a real break when they were invited to play with The Clash during the On Parole Tour of 1978.

Their blend of Punk infused Ska set them apart from pretty much all of the bands doing the rounds at the time but in Birmingham and North London The Beat and Madness were also perfecting their sound that drew its inspiration from Ska and it seemed obvious at some point all of these bands along with fellow Coventry band The Selecter would join forces and be part of the Two Tone movement.

It's kind of strange listening to these two albums today in the light of the current political climate with the rising once again of the Facism in the UK and beyond. You almost get the impression we have been caught up in some kind of Time Space Continuum that has hurled us all back to the late 1970s when the National Front were running riot everywhere and groups like Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League were gathering forces against them! The attitudes of the whole Two Tone movement came down on the side of fighting against such thuggery despite the concerts being disrupted by the Bulldog Breed and violence toward any who disagreed with them!

More than ever we need to get back to a place where we do not discriminate against people because of their colour or their place of birth and even their religion. The recent vote in the UK to pull out of Europe was built on the divise rhetoric of facist beliefs and even the election of Trump in the USA - supported by the Ku Klux Klan - should cause us all to be just a little bit more worried about these issues.

Whilst hate crimes and racism abound in our society we should not be just giving up and letting it happen as if it is the "new norm". History is on the side of those who rise up against the neo-nazis, alt-right or whatever disguises and banners they go under today.

The music of The Specials to me is a reminder that, to use the words of an old Men They Couldn't Hang song, "with courage we can beat the black shirts down".

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 143 - The Specials

The Specials - The Specials
2 Tone Records
Produced by Elvis Costello and The Specials
Released 19th October 1979
UK Charts #4
US Charts #84

One of the great debut albums of the late 1970's came from The Specials from Coventry. They had been on the go since 1977, had supported The Clash on the On Parole Tour along with America's Suicide back in the day when they were called The Automatics (though they did change their name either during the tour or prior to the tour to The Special AKA).

In 1979 keyboardist Jerry Dammers formed 2 Tone Records with the debut release being a split single between The Special AKA and The Selecter.

Although when the album was released it received mixed reviews from the music press it sold well peaking at #4 in the UK and the band were responsible for spearheading a new interest in the great old Ska records of the 1960s and early 1970s.

If ever there was a reviewer you like to slap upside the head it has to be David Hutcheon (only kidding Mr Hutcheon!) who whilst reviewing the 2002 reissue, for Mojo said that "Specials doesn't feel quite as exciting as it did 23 years ago" - really! I actually think it does and seems even more fitting to the times we are in here in 2016.

Today is the birthday of Jerry Dammers
Born on this day in 1954.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Friday, 15 May 2015

Alphabet Beats #129: S is for....The Specials 1977-81

S is for...

I wish to state from the outset of this post that some people might be a bit disappointed because I've only spotlighted a particular period of The Specials history and have not told the whole musical story. I'll take that on the chin and state the reason for only focusing on the first couple of albums and the singles up until 'Ghost Town'.

Whilst the music that followed was quite interesting in places it never really gripped me like those first two albums and that great batch of singles released between 1979-81. Some of you reading this might have actually enjoyed the series of albums that followed and that's good for you, but for me it was never the same after Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding to form The Fun Boy Three.

So let's kick off with a concert from the classic line up of The Specials. This show was recorded by the BBC for their series Rock Goes To College (which if my poor memory serves me was on BBC2). The show took place at the Colchester Institute, Essex in 1979.

One of the things I loved about The Specials when they appeared on the scene was they were like a live version of Trojan Records hits album. A lot of that music I had heard at football and even the school disco! I had picked up the old singles in junk shops for 10p a time and was thrilled to see a band with an amazing amount of energy clearly enjoying bringing a fresh breath to these old classics.

Formed in Coventry in 1977 they were first called The Automatics but I'm guessing that they discovered that Island Records had a band sign to them with the same name and so they became The Coventry Automatics. In 1978 Staple and Roddy Radiation joined the band and they became The Special AKA. A huge break came for them when they got the support with The Clash for the 'On Parole Tour' (Suicide from New York were the main support band for the tour, you couldn't have found a more bizzare threesome out on the road at the time!).

Opening night of the 'On Parole Tour' Advert

What was funny was The Special AKA name was only made "official" about four hours or so before they actually hit the stage at Aylesbury Friars. For more details about that night click here, the article contains a review of the show by Garry Bushell who was then writing for Sounds music paper.

In 1979 Jerry Dammers formed 2 Tone Records.