More Specials

Beautiful cacophony of sound Bit of a soft spot for ska. Enjoyed it.

se me hizo súper aburrido, muy poco disfrutable

Ein bisschen albern

Listening to this felt like listening to the dawn of Ska, lots of horns and "boogie" grooves. Other than being way early in the Ska game, this album is unremarkable. 2/5

I think I said something similar the first time I got this band but the ska here is fun at first but it definitely overstayed it's welcome a bit which for a 41 minute album isn't great. 6/10

Bad

Just a really fun album. I’m a fan of ska and it makes me want to dance. There were some more extended songs I guess you’d call them, which allowed me to settle into the groove, something I liked. All in all, a really solid album.

International Jet Set is one of the best finds in my experience with this project. The whole album has such different sounds from track to track. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

A band I know only from some of their better known songs and I have to say, knowing the likes of Ghost Town, Too Much Too Young and A Message to You Rudy, all of which are really good tunes, I was pretty disappointed with this which seemed to lack the same kind of energy as those songs have. This being their 2nd album and coming quite soon after their debut, I'd have expected their fire to still be there but this doesn't sound like it at all.

The first Specials album is a work of singular perfection. This one is pretty OK though.

Like being in an elevator in a David Lynch movie.

Does me no harm. But not really my jam. favourite: "Sock It To 'Em J B" 1,5

great

That was special hahaha

not as Special as I had hoped it would be

Better than expected.

Nice stuff

Quite fun but needed a few more bangers, a little tedious towards the end

I mean

Their second album. Ska / Reggae. The always difficult second album after a successful debut. This one is mediocre to me with odd changes in tone. Some tracks were reminiscent of cheesy 80s supermarket adverts on TV. Their first album is far better.

Fun Ska

Classic, influential, and eclectic. But there are better Specials albums in my opinion. Good background listen, but not as gripping to me as others would have been.

algunas canciones están bien pero es muy sin más

3.5 Opening/closing song a bit weak imo, enjoyed most of the rest though

achei a qualidade de gravação horrível, não sei se é o master ou algo da produção.

*Great 2 tone record *A little too alt for me to give a 5

This is really interesting. It's basically 2-tone ska plus a little bit of everything behind the bar. Just off the top of my head, there's some rock & roll, Latin Music, lounge music, chiptunes and more. Sometimes the mix ends up sounding weirdly similar to the quirkier nooks of late '90s alt rock. I really like Enjoy Yourself and Man At C&A, then I think there's sort of a lull in the tracklist. But fortunately, from Sock It To 'em J.B. to the end, The Specials have their best songs. Sock It To 'em J.B. is a blast. Stereotype has a really cool atmosphere, it's like psychedelic reggae, and it's got an incredibly catchy core. I can't Stand It is a really inspired arrangement, and a great chorus. And International Jet Set is a slightly spooky song about the absurdity of air travel, and ut's really good. These songs all sound really ahead of their time, fun, catchy, and kind of weird. And they contain the core of what's so special about The Specials. I was kind of surprised by this album. This is lots of fun, and it has a lot more depth and experimentation than you may think. I'd say it's worth a front to back listen.

Album #1070 (1091 challenge): "More Specials" by the Specials (1980) "More Specials" is the second album by English ska band the Specials. Ska, two tone, post-punk, lounge and avant-garde are the Wiki-listed genres. After the success of their debut, the band expanded their ska revival music incorporating other genres including lounge music, easy listening, Nothern soul and rockabilly. Relationships soured within the band while writing and recording with most of the band leaving in 1981. Core bandmembers included Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (vocals, guitar), Neville Staple (vocals, percussion), Jerry Dammers (organ, piano, keyboards, production), Roddy Byers (guitar), Horace Painter (bass) and John Bradbury (drums). Additional horn musicians and vocalists also contributed. Commercially, the album reached #5 in the UK and #98 in the US and was critically well received especially for its influence on 1990's trip hop. "Enjoy Yourself" opens the album. Upbeat ska with a rolling piano and multiple vocalists. A pumping organ and wild, chaotic horns. Live life now! This song had a late 50's/early 60's vibe. "Rat Race" continues the ska beat. Various percussion beats. A mysterious keyboard sound. A rock guitar edge. Hall singing about the pointless pursuit of success. Lynval Golding wrote "Do Nothing." A reggae beat and guitar. Keyboards with a roller rink feel. Prominent horns in a pretty chill song. The side side opener "Stereotypes/Stereotypes Pt. 2" brings the cinematic. Background horns and keys. Soft vocals, a Spanish guitar and a Carribean lounge ticking beat. The eight-minute long song carries on and goes a bit psychedelic with echoing vocals. Rhoda Dakar joins Terry Hall on lead vocals in "I Can't Stand It." More of that 70's lounge sound. The organ is featured with a solo even. Very 70's. Very prog. I finally hear the easy listening style aforementioned. An album with a tale of two sides. The first side is what you think when you mention the Specials: upbeat, ska, reggae, rock, Northern soul, horns, the organ and driving music. This really got me in a better mood as the songs went by. On the second side, the music goes cinematic and lounge with a largely creepy-sounding organ. The songs are longer. There are elements of prog, Carribbean and psychedelic. I rather enjoyed both sides. This is a solid album with some extra points for trying some avant-garde lounge music; That's a first for me. Overall, there's something here for everyone to enjoy to some extent.

p469. 1980. 3 stars. I always feel I should like The Specials more than I do - great tunes, sharp lyrics - yet somehow my immediate reaction is "meh" whenever I hear them. Just my musical blind spot. Sorry lads.

That was disappointing. I loved their debut album- lots of energy/ spiky tracks with a real bounce. This feels a much flatter / baggier affair with much less joy or bounce. Enjoy yourself sounds more like a pub sing along...

More Specials There are some great tracks on here; Man at C&A, Stereotype, Do Nothing, I Can’t Stand It, International Jet Set, the ebullient cover of Sock it to ‘em JB and the push of new influences and sounds on the music is estimable, if imperfect, ut it does feel a bit disjointed and the apparent exhaustion they were feeling definitely gives it a curious sense, a slightly flat, jaded feeling. The energy and focus of the first album has definitely dissipated, and you can feel the tension of the different members wanting to pull in different directions. It is an enjoyable album, but even with those highlights it’s clearly a notch or two below their debut, so I think it settles as a high 3. 🏁🏁🏁 Playlist submission: Stereotype

This album was given a poor reception by hardcore fans and I can understand why. Often it veers a bit into cockney/pub rock from the youthful punk-ska of the eponymous predecessor. There were several times it reminded me of Blur's more novelty stuff, which indicates the end of pier feel to some of it; but even then there's a creeping delight to it, such as the undeniably catchy 'International Jet Set'. After taking some time to get on board with all of this - the kitsch, the very British nostalgia for the semi-naff, the character portraits of damaged people - the likes of 'I Can't Stand It' seem a notch of irony too far, and ultimately fail to reach the quality hurdle. 'Pearl's Cafe' feels rather tame when held against 'Too Much Too Young' for instance, and is at best an Ian Dury tribute. Nevertheless, don't fall into the trap of holding it up to their visceral first album and there is a heck of a lot here to love.

More Specials was the collective noun for Len Houmous’ wives 5-8. 2.9 1/11 Enjoy Yourself

Absolutely brilliant album

Didn’t massively grab me. Some good songs but nothing I’m gonna rush back to

A nice change after such a bad run but I doubt I'll revisit. 'Do Nothing' is OK. 'Rude Boys Outa Jail' sounds like the kids just before I tell them to calm down. 'Maggie's Farm' is a questionable cover. 'You're Wondering Now' is still great though

Loved them when I was younger but now they seem too twee.

Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.

Pretty good

2,2/5

Pretty interesting album, a ton of variety on here, but that also causes it to really lack cohesion.

music is love

Quirky! The eclectic mixture of genres and subgenres on this album doesn't always work, but it's always interesting at least. The band is pretty tight, too. I'm oscillating between 2 and 3, but I'm gonna give a 2 for now for "okay". I may come back and have a have a higher opinion, cuz with so much going on I'm sure I didn't catch all the chance music happenings that would come about with mixing so many different types of music in these short songs.

Their first album, which I've listened to a lot more since getting it in the first week of this generator, has since become one of my favorite Ska albums to listen to. This one has it's influence pulled from more sources, but that doesn't necessarily make it a better album. It lacks the focus of the first one and some of the later songs on here sound a bit boring. That said, it's still a good album. The upbeat energy is there and some of the pulls from Lounge music and Reggae work well with their existing sound. The J.B. song is a great example of a song aided by the extra blend of styles.

It's okay. Didn't get a lot from it. Like generic 80s post punk mixed with ska. Even though they deal with deep, kind of grim subject matter, the ska makes it sound like kids party music. No songs stick in mind.

More, indeed. A mixed bag on this one. I do like the darker songs like “Man At C&A” and “Do Nothing”.

Never heard of them. This was so fun!

2nd Specials album from the generator and I still don't see what's "special" about them. Ska is not for me I guess. Actually towards the end the album stopped being ska and started being weird and random 2/5

It's OK. I've dabbled with some ska punk over the years and I've tried out the Specials before and wasn't super into it. Gave this a shot. It's OK. The production feels a little muddy at times and often there's just far too much going on at once for me to enjoy it.

That was a fun album - I enjoyed it!

Not the biggest Ska fan, but I rather enjoyed this!

Like the 2 tone / ska sound but this was underwhelming.

I love the specials but I had only listened to their debut as it turns out - and who can blame me? That is simply a no skip album. All killer no filler. Not sure I’d say the same for this one but it certainly still has some real gems! And I’m never gonna be upset at having them on. And what it did illustrate to me is something my entire family have been saying as long as I remember is in fact from a song from this album! When we were tiny we changed the words to rubbish but as we got older we’ve all continued to say ‘it’s all a load of bollocks’ in that exact tune from ‘Pearl Cafe’ so that definitely brought a smile to my face.

Well I didn't get on with that at all... I don't know if the slightly jokey lyrics or the tone or the lack of catchy tunes or grooves was the worst.

Stupid and enchanting. Almost quit after three songs but it grew on me.

I enjoyed it more than the reviews had led me to fear. A couple of catchy tunes but definitely a few shockers.

This was fun. But how many Specials albums do we really need on this list? More hair metal please. 3.5

Good but not great

I enjoy some Specials. I was really into Ska years ago. 3.5 stars

Much better than the other Specials album on here, but still not for me

Not necessary.

bit out there

Kinda basic stuff. Pretty boring. Favorite Track: Man at C&A

S'OK. I can listen to some SKA, but not a whole album.

Even after listening to this I'm not sure what to make of it. However, it's a pretty fun listen.

This album is fun, though not as fun as their first, self-titled album. It's not the Specials album I'm going to put on in the off chance I want to listen to them, but I wouldn't be mad at hearing it again. 3/5

I mostly bounce off ska but this is a good album. I think the background of this album explains it, as they were trying to push out of the 2-tone direction. 3.5/5

Very conflicted about this record. I love just about everything before it and admire what Dammers attempted here by moving away from the two-tone sound he helped to create. But my favourite song on it and maybe my fav Specials song - Do Nothing - is written and sung by Golding and does not contain the muzak affect Dammers preferred. I’ll always be up for anything Golding, Hall, and Staple sang on, but I get the sense Dammers was a better arranger and interpreter of other work (whilst usually requiring assists from a producer - see Ghost Town) than songwriter. Shrugs.

Not my jam

4/5. This is a surprising listen. Personally I'm not a fan of ska, mainly for how formulaic it can be, and although for "More Specials" Ska acts as the skeleton for most songs, but the different influences affect every single song to the point that the album feels fresh the whole way through. You get early techno, calypso, infusions of vocal choruses, and so much more as you listen. It's great. The underlying compositions can be good too. Some melodies stuck with me after listening to this. Lyrics, despite being called out in the Wikipedia article, are nothing impressive. "Do Nothing" and "Stereotype" are my favorites.

The first song may have implored me to enjoy myself, but that proved to be a challenge with this band. For me there was just too much going on with this album and it sounded like a disorganized mess - maybe special, but not enjoyable.

Restless, shape-shifting post-punk / ska-adjacent pop built from brittle synths, stiff rhythms, lounge pastiche, and deliberately awkward arrangements, paired with flat, ironic vocals, moves like flipping through radio stations in a foreign hotel—clever and unsettling in concept, but alienating over time.

Pleasant

A lot of different sounds and genres at the same time

New to me. This was a fun album, an enjoyable listen!

Not a fan.

This sounds like great music for retirement home parties.

Skön vibe.

Funky blues

it was pretty fun. liked the song about the nuclear war

Familiar with The Specials’ first album, but nothing outside of that really, Ghost Town aside. This was good. An extension of their debut, but I wouldn’t expect anything more. Very English, and very enjoyable. Nice that it gives me nostalgic, UK in the 80s vibes. “Sock It To ‘Em, J.B.” was a highlight. The Specials are always good to listen to, despite them not being a regular revisit for me. Great band and solid album.

Pfffoe, Ska, Two-Tone, en de hele mikmak, het valt me altijd zwaar. Hoe zeer ik ook respecteer dat The Specials een ware culturele shift op gang bracht in de UK, ben ik altijd verdeeld over hun output. De opener van 'More Specials' is de belichaming van mijn aversie tegen het genre, de zogeheten over de top heppie de peppie feest-Ska. Maar aan de andere kant vind ik de wat meer tragere, dub-heavy, en soms zelfs spooky sound van ze wel erg interessant. Toch hoor je daarvan te weinig op deze plaat om echt met een positief eindoordeel te komen. 5,5/10 Highlights: Do Nothing International Jet Set

The Specials hebben altijd een speciaal plekje in mijn hart gehad. Maar eigenlijk kom ik erachter dat met name hun debuut plaat dat plekje verwarmde. Want More Specials is maar een schim van die energieke 2tone plaat. Het is meer mellow en een mix van invloeden uit andere genres. Een allegaartje. De band lag in scheiding en je hoort aan de muziek dat niemand zich wilde voegen naar de lijn of ideeën van één bandleider. Jammer, het was zo'n mooi stel. De mix van de diep-britse teksten en de zwarte reggae beats vind ik altijd zo vet. Terug naar het debuut dan maar. Die komt vast nog wel een keer langs. Toch nog 3 sterren voor deze maar het viel me tegen. 6,5/10 Highlights Enjoy Yourself

Felt more like a strange journey of the senses than an album

I like this less than the other album. It’s pretty eclectic and a bit bizarre, but that’s part of the fun. Would I listen to it again? Probably not, but I’m glad I have listened to it. Better this than some polished turds I’ve listened to already! Yes, that’s right I’m looking at you Metallica.

Probably not as good as the debut album but still a fun listen. For some reason it’s with this album that I can see the influence this band had on Blur.

Pretty good. I like their version of Enjoy Yourself and the song about James Bond was fun. I like the band's and ska in general's upbeat nature. 5.6/10

hey its ska that I can actually tolerate! Man they had this dialed in way back in 1980, its too bad the genre nosedived so hard later. Man this was pretty fun, not much else to say.

Did we need another album by The Specials? No. Was it a delightful ska album? YEAH

Absolutely a fan of the 1st album (5 racist-free stars) and this was the 1st time I've listened to More Specials all the way through. It's good but not great. Somehow, the original energy got lost by egotistical tensions (yeah, Jerry Dammers you an asshole) and the energy suffers. Too bad. But I guess you can't just keep doing the same ol'. Rat Race is exceptional. Otherwise, at best the songs aren't terrible except for the reprise at the end...for fuck's sake stop while you're ahead, boys! As a fan of ska-punk, I still like the rest, more or less better than average. But I gotta blast it down for that last reprise of an already weak song. 3 almost sweaty dance stars.

While I may like the first album more due to its tightness, it's the looseness here that makes this album a near masterpiece. It is all over the place. Fans of Sandinista will find a lot to like. I could see how an album like this would make a band. I'm happy they recorded it before they broke up.

I love getting an album on this that I love but I don't know inside out. You get to discover new things and there is so much to discover in this fantastic album.

For the first half this is an alright ska album, but the sudden nosedives into the more lounge/muzak influenced material don't really do it for me. 6.5/10.

Enjoyed British ska more than I thought I would. Favourite track: Friday Night, Saturday Morning

6/10 Maybe it's not for me but I didn't like it a lot. I just don't see this album doing anything interesting or new for an album released in 1980.

Average. Don’t like this kind of thing

They sum it up nicely themselves. "It's all a load of bullocks"

Zeer Specials

irredeemably boring

Its been way too long since I listened to this one. So much fun and charm, its okay to be aware cynical and yet fun

I enjoyed this one, I don’t know enough Ska albums

You expect greatness from Terry Hall. You expect banging ska from The Specials. This album feels like a a jam project in places - it lacks the innovation and hard edge of its predecessor. It's still a good album, and you begin to hear traces of ideas that led to Fun Boy Three, but ultimately it seems like this was rushed or received less care. "It's all a load of bollocks, and bollocks to it all" Terry sings. The album theme? Still gutted I didn't get to see them before he passed.

Enjoyed this, great ska groove, liked the James Bond track in particular

They're just weird and very Lahndon at times

the difficult 2nd album, slips by without anything standing out

Writing an lp is hard, writing a follow up to a classic album is near impossible. The biggest dig against this is it's not the first Specials lp. Starts strong, fades a little by the end. Wiki has Rat Race listed on the lp, while discogs entry for the original UK pressing excludes Rat Race but adds a bonus 7" with 2 extra tracks. I listened to the UK track listing and added Rat Race. Rat Race is a definite positive addition to this album.

Ska punch with a British finesse that makes this memorable

An ok album, much preferred their first album to this

Goofy agh

Fun and a good variety.

Kinda wild reggae vibes here. Lotta noise. First half of the album in particular is not for me. But we jammin. Not hugely into the vocals (seems like a variety of singers). Kinda got that Talking Heads vibe, vocally. Some catchy songs tho (Hey Little Rich Girl, Do Nothing). Holiday Fortnight is a vibe. I would give this a 2.5 if poss.

Instead of britpop we got britska. Which is not much better.

Was the second song Castlevania music? I Can't Stand It was interesting.

This just seems like they are messing around. One of those albums that makes me wonder what we are rating here. This list is based on "...Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.". I don't think I could in good conscience suggest to someone that might be dieing that they need to hear this. So from that point of view this would be one star. Is it a bad album? No, it's fine, it's a bit of silly fun. From this point of view, two stars.

Very good listening from The Specials. Can’t beat that intro and outro. Beautiful

I enjoyed this! I liked the first song quite a lot

Fun

This was nice but for some reason it didn't grab me

I kind of forgot there was even music playing at one point. Nothing really stood out but I did like the keys on I can't stand it.

I always thought their debut was better. And while it’s definitely more iconic, I think this is a step up. I can hear the influences on Blur and love the Muzak on the second half. It makes me feel asleep and awake at the same time, not in a bored way. Rating: 4.1

Not for me. To ska sounding. Didn’t hate it but would rather not listen again

The Specials are integral to the 2-Tone sound and revival of Ska music, but this album is not remarkable, and doesn't contain any of their "hits". Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Sock It to 'Em J.B.

Незвичне звучання та досить унікальні ритми. Така музика іноді набридає, але під деякий настрій добре.

Absolutely fab in all ways. I'd heard the first record but never this, and I've gotta say that I reckon this one's better. They just sound like they're having so much fun playing and doing a damn good job doing so. Groovy and joyous all round

Surprising and mostly enjoyable.

Album felt like an action comedy movie in a beach/summer setting... I know.. weirdly specific.. overall very fun to listen to! I like stereotype sm

Meh

I started out hearing the early ska and thought, I'm not going to like this and then it shifted to more of a reggae sound, and I really hated it.

i liked this much more than the first specials album that I listened to a few weeks ago. more range

I usually like Ska but this one sucks. Suppose I liked a couple tracks so I can't hate it too much. It's just that the british new-wave crudeness and jazzy muzak go together like oil and water. Confusing and not very impressive vocal deliveries atop muddy mixes. fav tracks: Stereotype

La pasé re mal

Second and final Specials... supposedly. For whatever reason this website has a third book album from The Specials (archive.md/zvccb), which only has 160 ratings and six reviews. It can't be a user album since all of the reviews are from October of 2020. I've also checked my PDF copies of the 2013 and 2016 editions of the book and it isn't in there either. The genres also appear to have changed following the recent site update, though that could just be an automatic thing. I guess the dev of this website put the phony album in on accident and made it impossible to roll shortly afterwards. I did a cursory Google search for any fraudulent lists which include this insidious, fake album and found this: archive.md/wtVuD. As it turns out, all of the album pages on this website were created with a script that scraped Wikipedia and Spotify, resulting in more than a few anomalies. The fake Specials page was supposedly created since both this release and the live album begin with "more". Interesting. A lot of pages in the Reddit thread I linked were either merged or outright deleted, which explains why some early adopters of this site have an album count which is either above or below 1089. Okay, okay. This is the most autistic thing I've ever done, but I have officially discovered eight fraudulent albums on this site. I ripped all of the album pages from the sitemap, removed everything but the album links using Notepad++ and compared it against the HTML of the albums list (1001albumsgenerator.com/albums), which I had also cut down in Notepad++. Behold! Eight albums you were never, ever meant to hear: Air Traffic - Fractured Life (archive.md/8lxll) Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata (archive.md/okJmn) Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes (archive.md/upkiM) Rihanna, Paul McCartney, Kanye West - FourFiveSeconds (archive.md/VIfgq) The Presidents of the United States of America - Self-titled (archive.md/Up2zI) The Specials - More...Or Less. The Specials Live (archive.md/zvccb) Throwing Muses - Purgatory / Paradise (archive.md/f915p) Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (archive.md/fncOW) It's interesting to look through these dead album pages and read the reviews of all the FOOLS who didn't know they were being conned. Nobody rolled FourFiveSeconds or The Presidents of the United States of America, so those pages are completely empty. Purgatory/Paradise has the fewest ratings and appears to have been removed first since all of the reviews are from September 2020. All the Young Dudes appears to have been removed last since there's a review in there from March of 2021. For whatever reason, a lot of people listened to Like Clockwork and All the Young Dudes - those albums are at around 1000 ratings. The review at the bottom of All the Young Dudes doesn't have a rating. The review doesn't even appear on that guy's profile. Spooky. I honestly feel tempted to listen to these eight albums so I can assert myself as the supreme power user of this site. ================== Holy fucking shit. I need to talk about the album already. I just couldn't help but blog post about my cool discovery. Anyways, I can decisively say, with confidence, that this is my final Specials album. I don't remember much about their previous album since I listened to it 320 albums ago. "A Message to You Rudy" was a good tune, however. I remember thinking some of the middle tracks of that album were good as well. Since I've said it before I may as well say it again: Ghost Town is a good song. Shame it's a non-album single. I wasn't too big on side A of this album, but side B was pretty cool. My expectations were thoroughly flipped on their head. The album goes from featuring derivative, by-the-numbers ethnic music to sounding years ahead of its time. The album gets these sleek, funky, polished synths that fit the ska stylings like a glove and propel the album into what sounds like its own genre. These electronic tones genuinely sound like something from the late-90s. It's kind of surreal. The songwriting also goes a long way in heightening the impact of these songs. The vocals have a bounciness to them that makes this stretch of the album pretty fun to nod along to. While I'm not sure if an album filled with this style of music would work, I appreciated the 20 minutes or so that I listened to. Good stuff. Book time. Shook up the ska formula. Side one samples many different genres of Black music. Side two is even more varied and experimental, being even more exotic in its influences. It also inspired some 90s trip-hop acts, notably Portishead - that figures. Wikipedia says this album initiated a chain of events which lead to much of the original lineup departing from the band. The Go-Go's feature on this, which is a remarkably strange coincidence since I rolled their entry three albums ago. Alienated some of their audience, but charted well. Has a solid critic backing. This is the beefiest research segment I've had in a while. I was initially skeptical of this inclusion since their debut album appears to be the heavy hitter, but there's some solid reasons for this one making it, too. I cosign this inclusion.

Not really my thing, but enjoyable nonetheless

Yeah, I don't know. It's like Ska is kind of a dumb idea to begin with, but we can all handle 3 minute hits of dumb. Two great songs and some attitude that carry the record.

Vorher noch nie von der Band gehört. Ist so gar nicht meins. Gab nicht einen Song den ich noch mal hören müsste. "Hey Little Rich Girl" war dennoch der beste Song vom Album.

This one grew on me, less rushed, more patient and mature in ways. I liked the dissonance and creative fill choices 3.5

Can’t get it past 2.5. I’m not a ska/reggae fan generally, and this album sounds cheesy to me b

not very special to me.

new wave, 1980 -> 2

This was kind of fun at first, but as it went on I enjoyed it less and less. It’s in between 2 and 3 stars for me, but since I have no desire to hear it again, I’ll go with a two.

I regret to inform you that this kinda slaps, actually. Ska's good sometimes, especially on a Friday.

1. enjoy - 0 2. man - 1.5 3. rich - 1 4. nothing - 1 5. cafe - 0 6. zock - 0 7. ztereo - 1.5 8. holiday - 1 9. ztand - 0 10. jet - 0

As a ska kid I know I'm supposed to love this. But the specials just never rang fully true to me. It kinda feels like an incomplete thought. Like they thought of a premise they couldn't fully execute. I'd never actually bothered listening to this album just their debut. I think this album might actually be more consistent and Enjoy Yourself and Do Nothing and a few others are as good as any song on their debut. But message to you rudy and you're wondering now and the whole first album are just so iconic

Funny enough, I really liked the song I Can't Stand It. But the rest, I just couldn't stand.

Spearheading the Two Tone movement of the early 80s, lots of great songwriting and a bit more adventurous than some of their contemporaries, I was never a two tone boy at school, no Harrington jacket or Fred Perry shirt for me thanks, but you have to acknowledge they wrote some great hits.

I *want* to like it more than I do. I feel like it was probably pretty subversive back in the day, but it's kind of a tough listen. I'd give it 2.5 if I could.

Amazing! Wish these freaking weirdos who reissue albums would stop changing the order of the original tracklist, though.

Sounds like mario kart music

Their first album was a punk ska masterpiece, the album is more experimental and diverse.

This was awful to listen to after just waking up.

I was previously familiar with The Specials as their first album came up in this exercise earlier, but I was not familiar with this album. I liked it at first, but after a few tracks, it became more of a lounge sound than ska, and I did not really like this change. This is certainly unique and interesting, but I don't see coming back to it. I definitely preferred the first album.

Ups and downs but mostly meh

Always fun when the Brits get in on the reggae vibe and throw in some punk. Pretty musical offering here, mostly enjoyable, though there's a few points where I found myself thinking "next track can come any time now."

I love their debut. This just doesn't do it for me.

more often than not, a chaotic unorganized mess.

Solid sophomore effort but I think self titled debut is much more essential. As with a lot of things on this list, there are a lot of things I’d choose over having two Specials albums. That being said, they were highly influential to a lot of my favorite ska bands and I quite enjoy listening to them in the right mood.

Voelde het niet echt. Tweede cd niet afgeluisterd.

more like 2.5, like the band but the lyrics and singing are rough

3.5

Goofy but overall 4.5/10 Bit of fun yet also very random

I thought it was ok 3ish

Didn't hear it entirely, but what I heard was very nice

A handful of these are decent. 2.5.

Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Pretty bland 2-tone - don't know why this band gets so much love. It's not terrible, but it's also pretty bland and boring.

I've only ever had the first Specials record and a couple Fun Boy Threes, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to check this one out too. And ah yes, I recognize a couple tracks, e.g., "Enjoy Yourself." This feels a little mellower than the first record - it's the usual ska with interesting lyrics, but a couple of tracks had some unexpected dancehall-y/soundtrack-y bits, which was fun. Only disappointment was that I'd hoped "Ghost Town" would be on this one, but I'm now reminded that that song didn't come out until 1981, so it looks like that must have been a single that came out after this album. I loved that song when it was on the radio but never tried to find a copy. But still, enjoyed it - 4/5

more specials made me laugh and the enjoy yourself version to close it out is comical. It's all over the place, but it sounds like they were having fun. Weirdly opener at a beach festival vibes and also elevator music?

low 2

A 4 only because it doesn't stand up to their first album. It's not as good, for sure, and the stylistic growth can be creaky at time, but the volume of low scores I see are honestly surprising. I really love this album, to each their own ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

The longer this album went on, the more it grew on me. I went from thinking the whole thing was bollocks to finding some moments I really enjoyed. The sound styles varry pretty greatly. There's some ska which gets old but there's also a handful of catchy choruses and at least one nice keyboard solo. So I'm settling on a generous 3.

It would have gotten 5/5 but some songs brought the whole album down.

freaking ska man, good to know i'm not missing out on this genre Would I listen again: Jeezus no Deserves to be on this list: Jeezus no 1.2

Wanted more ska. Was too loony at times.

This one caught my attention a bit, but I think I liked the idea of the album more than the actual album maybe. It didn't wow me and it didn't hold my attention Standouts Sock It To 'Em J.B. 3/5

Not quite as fun as some other ska i've heard.

Just like the title says *more* Specials, rather than *new* Specials. There's nothing here we haven't already heard on the band previous album, also on this list. So what is the point including it here? Key tracks: International Jet Set

I was expecting this to be much more straight ska, like their first, but was pleasantly surprised by how weird and goofy it is. It incorporates lounge, easy listening, and a kind of muzak vibe. And I can't get the song "Enjoy Yourself" out of my head. There are some lyrics to live by. I hardly recognized members of the Go-Gos backing vocals but they did (sounding very British)

This was a lot of fun. Didnt expect it to be as sonically diverse as it is at all. And while it's infused with that Jamaican goodness, its also super British - alot of the songs here, especially lyrically, feel kind of Kinksesque.

Haven't come across the first specials album, which I assume will be included since it's much better than this swing 'n' a miss. It's got some good stuff (but not ghost town! even if Man at C&A sounds a bit like it's headed there!) but it's just kind of a mess. Which is maybe why it's here? It's a talented group putting together a mess? I dunno, man. Less than the sum of its parts which is a real death knell for an album, but it also manages to be experimental enough to save it from the dreaded two - some of these sounds are 20 years in the future. Need a radar chart for this one, and maybe some more time. And maybe be a teenager in Thatcher's Britain.

Quite a fun album -- weird but also a number of earworms

Musically adventurous, The Specials expand the ideas of ska by layering new styles and textures. Gloomy lyrics filled with humor, cold war fears, and modern urban decay, this album starts with hope, ends in disaster. A much darker album than expected.

On first listen, I found this a tad irritating but I gave it a second chance and some of the complexities of the album came out. This is a ska album at its core however; there are some moments of psych that make things a bit more interesting. Don't love this but its interesting enough. 3 stars

oh HELL NO

had way too much fun listening to this, made me want to put on my fedora and checkered vans and pay my respects to aaron barrett

so i told juyeon my traumatic ska story but that aside this was ok!

Crazy how well Sergi knew this band/genre

Just a massive flop tbh. Then the last song does sound like a bad rendition of happy birthday which really soured it all

Absolutely no bangers. Such a downgrade from the debut

izrazito nedosljedan album. prva pjesma ko da ja s nekim pijancima pjevam u kafani. nakon toga postaje solidnije ali je kvalitetno pregrbavo. baš šteta jer ima odličnih momenata. ti su me momenti podsjetili na pjesmu "ghost town", koju sam potom guglao i - gle čuda! - to je njihova pjesma. šteta što album nije više u tom stilu, prava šteta.

It's so strange, there are so many aspects of that *should* work, but they just really really don't.

This was truly awful to listen to. I had no idea how this got made and who thought anyone else should listen to it. It's like they took the worst part of some different genres like SKA, reggae and pop and blended it together with terrible voices. I wish I could get that time back. I suffered thru it for the cause but boy I wish I didn't need to.

This was alright. Really seemed to pick up with the last few songs. I did quite enjoy both versions of “Enjoy Yourself.” Always happy to see ska on this list, even though this almost seemed for ska/reggae in parts. I think I preferred their other album better, but this okay too.

I had already heard the album The Specials by The Specials 200 albums ago. And this is, indeed, more of the Specials. It's good, it's fun. But did we need both albums? No room for another ska band, even?

Gute Unterhaltung.

More Specials entstand in den Wessex Sound Studios in London und zeigt die britische Band The Specials in einer Phase bewusster Erweiterung ihres ursprünglichen Ska-Ansatzes. Die Gruppe aus England löst sich hier teilweise vom klassischen 2-Tone-Sound und integriert Elemente aus Lounge, Easy Listening und New Wave. Bekannte und stilprägende Songs wie „Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)“, „Do Nothing“, „Stereotype“ und „International Jet Set“ verdeutlichen diese stilistische Offenheit. Das Album wirkt fragmentierter und experimenteller als das Debüt, was nicht immer geschlossen, aber konsequent gedacht erscheint. More Specials dokumentiert den Willen zur Veränderung und bleibt dadurch ein eigenständiger, wenn auch weniger unmittelbarer Beitrag im Werk der Band. Insgesamt ein interessantes, bewusst sperrigeres Album innerhalb des britischen Ska- und 2-Tone-Kontexts.

I enjoyed the song that is basically naming James Bond movies/novels.

The not so specials

Greit til å vær ska/reggae??

How do I describe this....weird vibes, blahhhhh, generic, trying too hard to be other music genres?

The Specials as a band, as a concept, and as a historical group all are a group I support 120%, and the same goes for what ska meant as a cultural off-shoot of punk. But man….I really hate listening to ska. I didn’t like their first album, but I understood why it was included. More Specials, though…….no, absolutely not. This is a cheese grater against my ears. This is hokey and annoying and cheap and watered-down reggae, which I don’t even like that much, and the songs here all fucking suck. I didn’t need a second album on this list from The Specials, but having it in my hands, I now also wish it wasn’t in the world period. I don’t know how anyone could listen to these songs and be into it. At its best, it’s boring reggae; at its worst, it’s 80s British pop music with too much horns and bad vocals and cheesy, cheesy, cheesy songwriting. This was a pain for me to sit through. I went in with an open mind because of who The Specials are as a group, but I really dislike who The Specials are as makers of music. Hated this so much, unfortunately.

sellaista afrikkalaista ja jamaikalaista rytmiä, reggeäkin löytyy.

Gym. Vormittags. Nicht meins.

Eh...this is fine. It isn't great. Not really my favorite. I like reggae, but this really gets old after a while. Actual rating...2.5. Liked Songs: "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think") , "Hey, Little Rich Girl" , "Pearl's Cafe"

Interesting 2

Listens: 3 or 4 Standout Tracks: Sock It To 'Em J.B., International Jet Set I am waffling on whether I like The Specials or not. One the one hand, there haven't been too many ska/rocksteady bands with a punk-ish attitude on the List so far, and so in that regard it was pretty refreshing. It almost dips into Reggae too, and it sort of reminds me of Thievery Corporation, who I love. On the other hand, they are not playing any music that is revolutionary or mind-blowingly awesome. There are a couple of good tracks, some boring ones. There's so decent singing and some not-so-decent singing. I mostly dig the beats. I think if I were in the mood, I would listen to these guys more, and I am inclined to add the album to my ever-growing library of albums I've picked up from the List, so I think they get a 4 from me. I also really get a kick out of the James Bond Song. I have a buddy who's initials are JB and we call him JB, and I think, glossing over the "100% confirmed James Bond" references, this might just be his theme song.

Indeed a special album. My higher rating than this crowd may be because The Specials are a bit new to me.. and new music generally is more intresting.

This mostly a fun sound. I wouldn't buy it, I wouldn't choose it, but it was a pleasant listen.

This is really high level. First half is cracking, momentum does dip a little, but still good Enjoy the album, its better than you think Do Nothing is outstanding

I think ska is my least favourite genre of music. Which makes reviewing these albums tough. I dislike this more than some albums I’ve given 1 star. But this album does seem to have some ideas, even if i dont like any of them.

They actually wrote my review for me in the lyrics of ‘Pearls Cafe’… “It's all a load of bollocks” Yes it is.

As described, more of the specials but nothin special

I weighting the rating based on the half of the album I love. The more they ditch ska and embrace experimentation, the better they get. I don’t think Gorillaz, and other trippy, eclectic bands, would exist without this album.

Nice

Good times, some fun tunes. Do nothing current fav

It was aaight

good great ska music, good vibes

I find ska in general, and The Specials in particular, really exciting in terms of their background and cultural significance. However, most ska bands, and The Specials in particular, make a type of music that I just don't find exciting. Ultimately, Two Time is not much more than punk rock with a few extra instruments, but without the energy of the original. Still, it's worth giving it a listen.

Fun. I see what this inspired for sure.

Starts with the party anthem "Enjoy Yourself..." which may be the cause of the much derided third-wave of Ska. Then it kind of devolves into a loungey studio experiment where every member the band has a different idea about what to do - as long as IT'S NOT THE THING THAT EVERYONE LOVES YOU FOR!!! How Rude "Stereotype" and the dub contrast is a great example of what this album could have been. It's mostly merely ok, and because The Specials' first was one of my favorite albums, this is very disappointing. Fun Boy Three was a better version of this style, although Terry Hall does a great job on here (as usual).

ska is not my thing. Did not enjoy this much at all.

Love the specials

4 - BAD

I’m never going to think to put this on, but it’s kind of ok if it already is playing.

On More Specials, the band doubles down on British ska’s muscular rhythms while gleefully sabotaging any expectation of coherence, turning their sophomore effort into a shape-shifting oddity that’s as frustrating as it is fun. The grooves are still taut and danceable, but the album’s mood lurches from upbeat crowd-pleasers to left-field experiments, getting stranger and more diffuse as it rolls along. That tension works best early on: “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)” is a buoyant, ironic opener that feels built for packed dance floors, while “Hey Little Rich Girl” cleverly splices ’50s sock-hop nostalgia with ska’s nervous energy. “Sock It To ’Em J. B.” lightens the mood with horn-driven kitsch, a playful James Bond pastiche that underscores the band’s sense of humor. Still, the album’s scattershot approach keeps it from hitting the sharp, unified impact of their debut, making More Specials an interesting, occasionally inspired detour rather than a fully convincing statement.

Christmas Day selection and as far as I can tell not one reference to the festive season at all on this album. Quite the opposite in fact as the lyrics are bleak hinting at nuclear war or grumbling about Margaret Thatcher (how I wish we had her like now!) As it happens I bought this album at time of release mainly for one track - the extended dub version of Stereotypes. I was into Linton Kwesi Johnson at the time so this track fitted well into what I was listening to then. Listening today amongst boiling sprouts and basting the turkey it is still only this track that grabs me and no prospect anytime soon of dusting off my original vinyl copy. 3/5 25/12/25

First Listen; 3; This is a very diverse and ambitious album, and also fun. I think the more upbeat songs work better for the band. Favorite Track: Enjoy Yourself

no

need to listen still

I would give this a 3.5 if I could- unexpected sound and really enjoyable! The brass was great

Never really listened to the Specials and I don’t know why this was great! I listen to the deluxe reissue. Great blending of different genres of music.

Wasnt for me

I think I've decided that I don't like The Specials.

Best Track - "Enjoy Yourself"

Chill album

Scientifically proven fact; most albums sound better on Friday.

My first REAL intro to ska. Very hit or miss but I LOVED stereotype and other high moments.

I think this reggae pop big band with lyrics stuff is very fun and very interesting. It is not "always" likely to be my thing as I think it requires a kind of mood or kind of party to put it out there. There is nothing actually wrong with it and it is clever and fun... but it ... like it IS sort of party only music. I suppose a song on the radio now and then or.. yeah it would be uplifting. Again, and important! It IS fun and it is pretty well done. Maybe the genre is a bit too ... Much, actually...

not as bad as i thought but definitely too long

meh. not my vibe. I tried listening to it but I just was not feeling it today. May revisit another day, but I only made it about half way through today. I was just feeling a little overwhelmed by noises and not loving it. Rating: 2/10 No favorite song

Much better than expected. This clearly isn't the Specials' album you'd reach for and I can understand the disappointment from the time but it had me grooving despite the excesses

It was ok. Not too kemorable

Goofy but goofy in a endearing and interesting way, just like Madness. 3.5

I didn’t enjoy it as much as their debut album. But even not great ska is still fun.

Fun, funky, ska band that doesn't stick to the predictable ska roots. Would listen again. A couple tracks were great, but ultimately not sure if I would purchase the album.

Madness нравится мне больше. Но эти пацаны тоже круты

Britain raped much of the world, and gave us The Specials. So, I guess it's a wash. I don’t enjoy this album as much as their first album but I appreciate the changes they went with intentionally not being static. It's unique. Ghosttown is hypnotizing and one of my favorite songs. Nothing has a similar affect on me. This deserves a 5, but then the first album was a 5... fuck. If ever there was a cross-fade decision to make, this is it. 5. Because of Maggie's Farm.

Ironically, I found there to be nothing special about The Specials to be completely honest. Not bad, but not groundbreaking either.

This wasn't very special for me. Some of this stuff was fun and I like the loose vibe but I don't see myself wanting to listen to this again. 2.5/5

Listened Before? N Yep, it's the Specials. Pretty good but not as good as their first one. I could hear some progression here but I think I liked them more raw. Anyway... Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Enjoy Yourself

I am not feeling this

I associate the specials primarily with the song "Ghost Town", one of my favourites that I listen to over and over again. It's supposed to be on this album, but apparently only on the deluxe version. I've now listened to this album in its entirety for the first time. It was quite fun, but I've heard SKA that I like much better. 3/5

first song thoughts: sounds like the theme to a sitcom, but it goes on for a full three and a half minutes forgot what i was listening to and sock it to em pulled a soulja boy aaahhhhhh fakeout on me lol i can't stand I Can't Stand It but i kinda like International Jet Set

Weird, perverse, and singular. Really I can’t think of many records that sound like it. Their first record didn’t indicate this was where they would go at all, and I’m not aware that they ever did anything comparable. I remember listening to this on an 8 track driving the back roads of a wrecked factory town in 1980 they would soon become the site of a major casino. No wonder it made perfect sense.

Enjoy Yourself 3.4 Rat Race 3.4 Man at C&A 3.6 Hey, Little Rich Girl 3.5 Do Nothing 3.4 Pearl's Café 3.2 Sock It to 'em J.B. 3.4 Stereotypes/Stereotypes Pt. 2 3.1 Holiday Fortnight 3.3 I Can't Stand It 3.5 International Jet Set 3.4 Enjoy Yourself (Reprise) 3.2 Score: 3.366666667

Don’t get me wrong there were some good songs in here but in it’s entirety it was genuinely awful

Cuesta salir de ese túnel en ese plymouth

Great

I find this so hard to rate. I mean, it's fun, bouncy. But the singing is mostly not great. It's ok, but a little talk-y. The lyrics, for the most part, are juvenile. But it's fun. Some are better than the rest, but after listening three times, I'm struggling to remember what the high points/ songs were. If this was playing, I'd let it play, but I don't think I'd ever choose it. Feeling super generous today and giving it a 3.

I quite like The Specials but this album felt a bit naff for some reason?

# Album Name: More Specials # Artist: The Specials # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Just an alright album. Quite fun and boppy but no real standouts for me. # Top Tunes: JB / Stereotype / Do nothing # Would I listen to it again? Probably

La primera cancion me ha saturado un poco, pero el resto del disco me ha parecido bastante guay como mezcla melodias y ritmos diferentes que quedan bastante bien.

This was fun, but not really a record I would go back to repeatedly.

Ang a half

Not for me

Never rated them that much. Not terrible

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, good fun

A little minor but so many great moments, great vocal inflections, fun instrumental flourishes - love these folks

honestly why is no one making music like this anymore? it kicks ass

I think I like Ska music, just not this album all that much.

Party ska, but not for me.

No ska for me, thank you.

Interesting and wacky. Opening track is great, the album overall though is too strange for me. Not into ska and the musak second half is interesting but not memorable or particularly enjoyable. Appreciate that it inspired some great bands like portishead and massive attack. Before it’s time I suppose

Ska:ta :D Hyvän henkistä ja vähän kieli poskella tehtyä. J.B. style :D Eli James Bond style. Parhaat: Man at C&A, Sock It To 'Em J.B.,

A very eccentric but charming experience. Can't say I'll come back but it was a fun listen.

Fantastic album. Fantastic band.

I'm going through an existential crisis right now. This didn't help.

I don’t know why there’s a second Specials album on the list but I’m glad it’s here. Probably the best album that includes a mickey mouse impression

Listened to this in full earlier, now I'm boozed. So now all I have to offerf is 'secondary school nostalgia' vibes. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Why? ★★★☆☆ (6/10)

Generic, OK for background music.

I like The Specials, and this is a decent album. That said, their debut album is quite a bit better.

I enjoy the Specials, but I feel like a lot of the songs on this album run together.

Definitely the second best Specials album on here - it starts off with some definite tunes, but gets really lost in the second half. Also, Mirror in the Bathroom came on after this in Spotify, and just made me wonder how did two Specials albums get on here and no The Beat??

Fun I think, pretty odd. British reggae but in a way that's not bad, I think because of the different trumpets and instruments they employ

it's not for me

It was fine. It’s one of those records on this list that I guess I’m glad I’ve listened to for broadening my band horizons, but I didn’t come away wanting to give it repeated listens. It is an interesting take on reggae/ska though.

I suddenly want to watch Moonraker

3+ Stars (9/15)

I need to come back to this album it sounded good

I bet this was influential, but man this album is not very good, especially towards the end. I can't believe there is a song where they just name James Bond movies. I really started to get a headache towards the end of this. It isn't the worst thing though... High 2.

I'll be honest, my knowledge of The Specials was pretty much limited to "Too Much Too Young" and "Ghost Town" and none of this matches up to those songs, so pretty disappointing, really.

Fun for the first 10 minutes. Less fun for the next 10. Somewhat annoying for another ten minutes. And then outright animosity thereafter.

Gear: Penon FAN 3s Artwork: 🍺🥃🍸 Production (2002 Remaster): 📏🛢️😩 Music: 🎺📉😒 Rating: 🍺🥃(🍸)/5

Eh, it was fine. I wouldn't buy it.

Blind album and artist. Saw the name come up elsewhere on the project but haven't listened to it yet. I do not see what is special and honestly was not into the reggae ska vibe like I thought.

But if a weird vibe

It was fine

This album starts off really well, it’s firing on all cylinders straight off the bat, and then it falls into chaos and ends really poorly. I get that The Specials were trying to build on their debut, and it’s starts out well going from ska to dub then getting a bit more reggae, but then it just loses its way completely. I’m disappointed, lads. I’m disappointed. Not sure this needs to be in the book really. The debut was the catalyst for ska/dub/reggae. This is just an album Influenced by the previous one.

04/11/2025 Nothing special about The Specials. Spotify listeners: 3.6 million

More special needs.

Not without charm but also not as good as their album which precedes this. Which I love. At its best this is wonderfully British reggae. At its worst they are listing James Bond movies and slagging off girls with no real aim. Still a great sound