More Specials

Not so special.

More Specials is an aptly bland title for an album which sounds like discarded tracks from the seminal album that immediately proceeds it. Some of the songs truly stretch credulity, with Sock it to ‘Em J.B. being most firmly in my crosshairs. God knows if in 2025 they would continue on naming every title of every James Bond film to date. They sound a bit looser, but not in a good way.

Unfortunately I don’t like this specials album anywhere near as much as their first, it’s a low 3 for me

This is a bit Special ....

sie hend jo mega spass. ich bin nöd sicher ob das uf die liste ghört. ui de zweiti isch sehr reggae mit wenigstens chli funny synthi. hey little rich girl idch etz au nöd würklich es meisterwerk. hm. aso ich verstoh es isch au herzig. aber. hmm. ich bin würkli kein fan. ich ha s gfühl sie hend müese es ska album uf die liste tue. und sie hend eis gnoh wo möglichst nöch a new wave isch. ähm. do nothing het wenigstens sochli schrägi gitarre. hä d bandmitglieder hassed sich? chani mer bi dere musig null vorstelle. pearl's cafe isch etz no herzig. aso au kei offebarig. bi sock it to em JB zeheleds ide strophe afoch alli james bond film uuf? fun? meineds au de james brown? well sie seged soulful und so. ich bin am songs zehle woni no mues lose macht würklich kei spass. i cant stand it isch etz au ehner seicht und weird. würkli arsch. 1. will nödmol meh dezue sege.

HAHAHA JAAA SKAAAAAAA enjoy yourself bringt mega d stimmig übere wos glaub au ide lyrics wennd überebringe. nöd crazy mis ding aber na cool man at c&a isch skurril, na lustig aber meh dancehall (?) als ska für mich? stereotype isch au eifach konisch aber ich fühls na? AU I CAN'T STAND IR WISO FÜHLIS NO? es isch fast scho obnoxious mitem BARABARABARABARA im hindergrund hmm musses nomal lose. momentan zwüsche 3 und 4 (zwüsche chli nervig, wenig wo eim würkliii catched und sie und ich hend megaa spass und es isch dumm) ER SEIT BOOMSHAKALAKA

This is the perfect example of what I love about this project. The Specials are a band I’ve heard of and can recognize a couple of songs, but did not know much about. Listening to this album not only gave me an appreciation for their work but also set me off on a Wikipedia rabbit hole where I learned all sorts of interesting things about their formation and history.

Not really a ska/two-tone kinda guy, it's fine, just nothing...special. Top Track = Hey Little Rich Girl

“Enjoy Yourself” and “Sock It To ‘Em J. B.” are excellent songs. It was fun to hear The Go-Go’s before they were stars in “Pearl’s Cafe” and the reprise of “Enjoy Yourself”. The lyrics were too cynical in some songs but, that’s what happens sometimes when a band gets overwhelmed and overworked.

I never got the appeal of ska.

Fun

I like the first Specials record, but this one is pretty weak. Aspirational in arrangement, instrumentation, but the songs are not strong and I did not, despite the exhortation, enjoy myself.

Ska is too narrow a label for the range of musical sounds and arrangements here. Sometimes I heard New Orleans jazz, sometimes mariachi. Overall quirky and brilliant.

A strange and buoyant little album, bouncing between moods and genres. Not all the songs are much good, but it’s a fun listening experience. Best song: Enjoy Yourself

This is okay. Some of the songs are quite straight-ahead and uninteresting. Some of the songs are a bit more interesting, but not enough to redeem the whole.

I know of The Specials because of the dearth of Ghost Town jungle remixes from the 90s, so I get the impression they're a big deal in the UK. I see they have an album of protest song covers from 2021, I'll need to give that a look. First track. I guess this is ska? The blokes-at-the-tavern chorus doesn't grab me. Man at C&A has some slightly trippy vibes that I dig. It's a head change. Or maybe I just had too much lunch and am feeling ill. Hey, Little Rich Girl is fun. It's what I think good ska probably sounds like. Then a few tracks where I don't really get what they're trying to do. There's some storytelling. Stereotype sounds like something you'd half hear from the floor of a heroin house. Maybe all of it is. Alright, that's all I can do. It is Later Than I Think, and I will take their advice and Enjoy Myself rather than finish the album.

This is like the Wiggles trying to rebrand after leaving Disney so they got weirdly sexual.

The second half of this album has a specific feel: You’re on the one vacation you take a year. It took six months to afford this weekend. You lost most of your gambling money in 45 minutes the night before. You only managed to get one watered down gin and tonic before the bankroll petered out. You spent the first 28 minutes at the pool looking for somewhere to sit. All the chairs are $225 a day or have a sagging bronze heap occupying it. You spent $12 on a Michelob Ultra because it was the cheapest. It got warm in 8 minutes. You swam in the pool. Every stroke past a group of people sends you into a cloud all enveloping warmth. You spit out some mixture and try not to think about it too much. You go back to your seat to find your book missing and one flip flop. A blast of cool sends shivers into your trunks as the scorching concrete yields to cool linoleum. There’s three blisters on your left foot. You wait for the elevator next to two kids and a dad that’s spent 9 years in TRT. The elevator dings. The kids hit every button after they get off on the second floor. Jim Rogan laughs, “sorry brother.” You want to give him a tracheotomy with his kids snorkel. You’re glad it’s filled with piss. I Can’t Stand It by The Specials comes on. You remember sweating out $6 pitchers of Bud Light in skank pits and bumming cigarettes between sets. You stay the whole elevator ride and shake your hips for a sec. Your key card doesn’t work. You pound on the door. One of the six of them will wake up. It takes three rounds of pounds. “Fuck fuck ok…. Shit sorry man…. Fuck. How was the pool?” “Meh. It was fine.”

That was a fairly fun album.

I honestly don’t know why everyone gets so down on ska. It’s a little corny but this album in particular is such a cool genre bender and offers some really unique sounds that I still haven’t heard to this day. Very cool album even if it isn’t necessarily “cool”

More like Less Specials am I right! What is the point of this album? This sounds like a bunch of commercial jingles. It should be fun but it's not! And yet there are 3 albums on this list by these guys.

I like a bit of Specials but I'm not sure I love this record all that much, except for a couple of high-spots. Even if plenty of the lyrics are remarkably on-the-nose and prescient with it, there's just something about some of the instrumentation that I can't quite get behind.

Kind of fun but also very inconsistent. A bit all over the place but does enough to earn a pass.

Definitely haven’t heard anything like this but I preferred the reggae themes more than the clown, haunted house music vibes they have going on. Interesting but doubt I will be returning to this

1. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) - 3 Like a bad cheesy 50s/60s rock song. Vocals are drowned out by the instrumentals during the verses and crash into each other during the choruses. 2. Man at C&A - 2 Very uninspiring track. Instrumentally not much a direction and lyrically completely lost. 3. Hey Little Rich Girl - 3 Instrumentally it's okay but otherwise it's not the best track. "Now little rich girl, that's why you're in this song" is genuinely not a great piece of writing and generally whenever a song mentions itself, it's a particularly weak point of musical composition. It's very hard to pull off well and this track is another example of one that does not. 4. Do Nothing - 4 It's a simple enough song that's it's not bad but it's nothing phenomenal. A bit of a pass over track. 5. Pearl's Cafe - 1 Very poorly written song. The part where the whole group comes in to repeatedly sing "it's all a load of bollocks" is a particular low point. 6. Sock It to 'Em J.B. - 5 The concept of the song is fine but when it retorts to just reciting the movie title names it's a bit underwhelming. 7. Stereotype / Stereotype, Pt. 2 - 5 Part 1 is overall good. Part 2 has a talking part that's not a very good quality. Instrumentally it's pretty enjoyable. They bad and good parts are in complete balance in the track. 8. Holiday Fortnight - 6 Purely instrumental track but with a great sound and tempo. All around enjoyable. 9. I Can't Stand It - 3 Vocally it sounds awful. Lyrically it's not a great piece of writing. Instrumentally it's okay. No idea why the good nights had to be at the end of the track either. 10. International Jet Set - 3 Way too many tone changes. Sounds like a spooky wannabe Halloween track but without any really spooky lyrics. Just all around poor. 11. Enjoy Yourself (Reprise) - N/A It's a reprise so I will not rate it. Average Rating: 3.50 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 1.75 Rounded Up: 2 Stars

The Specials continue their bouncy ska sound, with increased reggae and dub influences, but combine them increasingly bleak lyrics that span from nuclear anxiety to stories about domestic malaise. By the time you get to the reprise of "Enjoy Yourself" the speaker is practically dripping with sarcasm. A brilliantly dissonant album.

A little raw and slow to my taste.

I’m enlisting in the Two tone army

This one was just fun, feels like a random Guy Fieri-looking jam band playing at a seafood restaurant.

Kingston rock?

It's fine

Segundo disco, son el encanto del primero pero casi tanto o más reconocimiento, sobre todo con el tiempo pues en su momento fue bastante crititcado, no sin fundamento para quienes esperaban más de lo mismo, que no era poco. Música más abierta de miras, colaboraciones ilustres desde Belinda Carlisle en esa dicharachera Enjoy yourself o Lee Thompson, de los Madness, en la más insulsa Hey little rich girl. Influencias de bandas sonoras, easy listening (que en los 80 era muy arriesgado por no decir fuera de onda), trompetas latinas (esa alocada Holiday Fortnight), spaguetti western, ambient, psicodelia (Man at C&A, un tema sobre las preocupaciones de la polémica nuclear)... todo ello hace que el disco tenga una unidad que lo enriquece y lo hace más perdurable. Ahora bien, las mejores son para mi los sencillos: Do nothing (su catuación en Top of the pops suena celestial) un reggae clásico pero excelente y Stereotype pt2 una odisea dub con un fraseo de enorme calidad y sobre todo la trepidante Sock It to 'Em J.B. En Pearl's Cafe suenan a Costello y salen airosos. A mi I Can't Stand It no me dice gran cosa, creo que baja el nivel de la segunda cara. International Jet Set sí que es otra cosa, extraña pero hermosa sobre todo el final como la lúgubre y en cierto modo cabaretera reprise del Enjoy yourself. Podría decirse que fue el paso del blanco y negro al color, como contrastan las portadas del primer y de este segundo álbum. El peaje fue grande, provocó que la banda de deshiciera, eso sí después de publicar su Good vibrations particular: Ghost Town. Grandes? enormes... y este es el disco que inició el Post-ska.

This album sounds like a ska party that slowly realizes the world’s ending but keeps dancing anyway. It’s manic, loungey, political, and existential — like apocalypse muzak. The Specials took their sharp, punk-ska energy and wrapped it in irony: cocktail-bar keyboards, doo-wop harmonies, and lyrics about nuclear dread and social collapse. It’s cheerful music for people who read the news too much. Rating: 4.6/5

not bad 2.75/5

S/T debut struck gold. An absolute all-time fav. Magic was not to be found on the follow up.

Sadly, this wasn't as good as I'd hoped, or even expected. It's not even close to their debut album in terms of quality. I did make it all the way through, and there was never any moment I considered turning it off, so I think 3 stars is about right.

Early Ska

I didn't like this quite as much as the debut album, though oddly it was the tracks most like the first album's tracks that maybe worked least for me. I liked the stuff that showed the direction headed towards Ghost Town, like Man at C&A.

Not special and unsettling. Play this in the backrooms and I'm sure I'll still off myself rather than finding a way out.

not normally a specials fan but this album was okay

A great album.

Don't understand all the hate this album is receiving, was a fun collection of songs that made my day more specials Can not hear the possible trip hop influence though

I’ve always been a Specials fan. This one is great.

Love enjoy yourself song

Super fun! I really like the bullocks song

I am just not a ska fan.

Specials är kul! Men känns som att det var noll av hit:arna på den här

Riktigt bra vibes!

Spännande! Det här vill jag lyssna mer på.

Lots of different and fun sounds, but not my thing.

What a fun and positive album. The dub/island vibe makes it even more chill and completely sets the mood to simply enjoy life while we can and not let the glooms of life bring us down too far. I’ll be revisiting this one in the future.

This was a very fun and cool album to listen to. I gave it 3 solid 'back-to-back' listens. It's like a time capsule for the early 80s. Ska is such a funny/odd genre. It's all a load of bollocks, and bollocks to it all! Loved it!

The songs I liked I really liked! and the songs I didn't like sucked. Overall pretty fun and silly album - glad I listened to it, very different from my usual music taste. Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink

More chill than the st, but good on its own

Starts off how you'd expect, and just gets weirder. Some solid Ska and a great dancehall track on the front half. A couple tracks that sound almost mariachi that don't really do it for me. The muzak/lounge inspired pieces were interesting but crude compared to the jazz they pull from.

Other than track 1, not that special.

Another head scratcher as to why it was included in this list. Tough to listen to, and loses all the edge and freshness of their much more deserving debut which I hope makes the list. Nothing special at all here.

Hmm despite track 1’s insistence, I did not enjoy myself

Not for me dog.

Didn’t do anything for me. Nothing else to say. 2/5

I had a relatively positive experience with them the last time. But this time it’s not something I would enjoy. The political satire is fun but the music is mid. 3.5/5

Kind of groovy

What the?? This was totally unexpected. Coming off of a hit and miss debut that featured a track that became a radio staple on both sides of the Atlantic, they managed the rarest of feats. They avoid cliche (ignoring the inevitable directives from the suits to “crank out more Messages to Rudy and you kids will have it made!”), leaned into and encouraged one another’s creative instincts and produced a sophomore album that is both far more interesting AND more focused (somehow). The songs are consistently engaging, the production is lush and gorgeous, and - the really incredible part for a band at this stage of their career - it neither drifts off course nor becomes monotonous. I was all set to complain that, 450 albums in I’ve now gotten twice the number of Specials albums as albums by Jamaican bands (paralleling this lists curious preference for mediocre Brit-kid-blues over the American originals). But goddamn, this album 100% belongs.

Ok

Not as good as their self titled, but still a great album from a great group.

This was fun but not quite consistent enough to get to a 4.

This is a 1/2 borderline that I didn’t finish. Some of it felt meh, which is maybe 2-ish, but I was actively repelled by some of it, which is more 1. With apologies to the band, sometimes it’s just more fun to take an extreme stance, so I’m going 1.

No ska

Nothing Special here This album wasn't as good as the other one I heard. Extremely repetitive and annoying at times A few good songs I enjoyed, but the rest of the album really brought it down 2 ⭐️

The second album I've had from them in about two months. Surely this has to be the last one, I can't imagine that 3 out of the 1000 albums everyone needs to hear are The Specials.... Yeah this is not really for me. I don't hate it but I would never listen to this again. As with their other record from this list, I liked some things about it but not enough to make me want to listen again or even listen to anything else they've done. I'll politely declined if offered. 2.5/5

Sophomore slump.

Enjoyable but missing some substance.

Proudly raising the freak flag. I loved this madhouse of an album. Why have I never heard "International Jet Set" before? Can't listen without dancing awkwardly around the house.

Decent, but a little silly for my tastes.

Different and kinda fun.

Some fun ska. Not sure how they alluded me this long.

Not so special if you ask me amiriteguys?

The specials is a great band but one album is audience.

Jerry Dammers, an interesting guy. Caught in the difficult second album conundrum he makes a valiant attempt to break away from the strictures imposed by the first album, while keeping the vibe going. You could argue he achieves that when the Fun Boys leave and he puts out In the Studio, maybe. But I remember loving this when it came out and on a deadbeat listen it is really good. There some cracking definitive Specials tunes on this: Do Nothing/International Jet Set/Rat Race/Stereotype and Enjoy Yourself and the weird Go Go's collaboration on the reprise. All are all smashingly good. Imagine if Jerry had put Ghost Town and its B side Friday Night Saturday Morning on the record, it would be a match for the first album. I get why it is here, it's a lot of fun and very cool.

...in which Jerry Dammers, grasping for artistic growth, destroys the band. It's a cautionary tale, and as old as the music industry itself. After a fantastic first album, cut essentially live in the studio highlighting the band's amazing live chemistry and energy, and a whirlwind of touring, they rush back into the studio to self-produce a more 'experimental' record. The band can't agree on a new direction. They ditch playing live in the studio for extensive over-dubbing. They take wild swings at new styles (rockabilly, northern soul, lounge music!) but the different songwriters are going in different directions. Is it an eclectic album or just disjointed? The exhaustion and infighting comes through in a cynical and often weary sounding record. The album is released to some acclaim, but the band splits on the subsequent tour. The end. Dammers himself later said that the band tried to go from Meet the Beatles to Sgt Peppers without any of the steps in between. I honour and respect their desire not to become trapped in a genre pigeonhole (a la Bad Manners). And this is by no means a Dexy's Midnight Runners-scale disaster -- the singles (including the non-album singles, like Rat Race and Ghost Town) are wonderful, and the creepy, cynical vibe was influential on trip hop. There are terrific moments here, even if the album as a whole is inconsistent and fragmented. Really, you can see that the record company needed to give the band a bit more time. With some rest and a more considered approach, this could have been a masterpiece, rather than a divisive experience that ultimately broke up the band.

Ska is ska is ska. Idk it’s fine and not bad to listen to.

Never been a ska guy, but this album won me over with its restless genre-hopping through lounge, dub, music hall, and even a James Bond tribute that felt more adventurous than gimmicky.

I like the specials but this wasn’t my favorite album of theirs. Interesting experimentation but I thought the straightforward 2 tone tracks were the strongest ones. The lounge-y stuff really turned me against the album.

SKA IS NOT DEAD

This was hard to get through. It’s not that it’s actually bad, exactly, but it’s the sort of thing that’s easier taken as individual songs - a full album becomes grating (personally, I’d even say “maddening”). I also just have a very low tolerance for unrelentingly upbeat music. 2.5

‘More Specials’ is an exceptional name for this album because that’s all it is. not sure we needed more than one entry from these guys in the list. they’re pretty fun but seems weird to be here

Yaaaah. Now we’re talking. If you spin this absolute gem and don’t have a great time….well, I don’t know what else to tell you.

‘Does it get the toddlers dancing?’ Is a useful guide to music quality. This one got the toddlers dancing

Enjoy Yourself - Great advice. Like the horns across the tracks. Don't know about the groups origin but they sound like from Caribbean British colony (bless them). Sock it To Em JB (an ode to James Bond) was just strange. Listened before? N Saved tracks? N Favorite tracks? Sock It To 'Em, JB; Enjoy Yourself, ⭐️⭐️ Couldn't get into it

I had never listened to The Specials from beginning to end on any album and I really enjoyed this. Had the British Jamaican music combo going and it worked and was a enjoyable to listen to.

Solid but chaotic. Not for me.

Typical bouncy reggae. Nothing Specials.

This album got me Skanking

Hm, war erstmal skeptisch als ich bei Wikipedia "Ska" gelesen habe, ne Musikrichtung die ich eigentlich null ausstehen kann. So schlimm war es dann nicht, aber die Lieder klangen alle gleich. Ein Punkt Abzug wegen der langen stillen Phasen am Ende der meisten Songs, wo man anfängt zu denken der Player wäre abgestürzt und sich fragt wann es denn endlich weitergeht

Gutes Album, eingängige Melodien, witzige Texte. Stereotype hat am besten gefallen.

Ich finde Ska leider grandios scheiße

Believe it or not, I don't think that More Specials is all that special. Apparently, this album influenced a lot of trip-hop artists in the 90s but i just don't really see the influence they took from this album. I only really see this album as a ska album with a few electronic elements but not enough to be the influence for a lot of trip-hop records. As for the album, it's not bad but it is very forgettable as many of these songs just blend together and just don't have all that much to keep them interesting (except for International Jet Set, i actually rather enjoyed that one) It's not bad but it is something that makes me question the band's name. Best Song: International Jet Set Worst Song: Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)

das ende einer unterdurchschnittlichen woche mit 1001!

Ska, etwas verstaubt heutzutage.

3/5. A pretty solid collection of laid back reggae, ska and blues with some unique and smart lyrics to make it stand out from stuff like the Police. I love the diverse songwriting style, very British at times and then quickly transitions to world music and then right back. It's an expansive record that I feel will be more enjoyable the more I listen to it but for now this was fairly enjoyable. Best Song: Do Nothing, Man at C&A, International Jet Set

Some albums can manage a slightly disorganised nature - Cornershop seem to have mastered this, for example. This album doesn’t. I get why The Specials are Important and generally enjoy a bit of 2 Tone. But this moves a bit far away from that core sound for me. It’s fine, but no better. I’m glad I listened to it, but I doubt I’ll listen again.

"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)" is a great fun song. I really like the phrase as well. "Pearl's Cafe" is a hilarious song, and also a jam. "Stereotype" was pretty depressing. "Holiday Fortnight" has me doing some moving in my chair. I feel like I'm on a funky tropical island in Mario Sunshine (or somewhere on a real tropical island, I just haven't been to those). The horns on this entire record were exquisite. 8/10, very fun album.

I guess I didn’t listen to this back when I loved Ska so much because I couldn’t afford it. Say what you want about Spotify, it sure beats working three hours to buy one album.

10/10 aw man, their first album has such a special place in my heart, it’s great hearing this :)

Not special

Lots of fun! Fun lyrics, fun sounds, fun music.

The Specials is best een leuk bandje hoor, maar dit is al de tweede plaat van ze in deze lijst. Ik wacht nog steeds op de eerste plaat die daadwerkelijk uit Jamaica komt. Ik wacht volgens mij ook nog steeds op de eerste soulplaat uit Amerika, maar heb al wel Amy Winehouse gehad. Op de B-kant zakt de boel ook behoorlijk in. Vreemde keuze.

This is not doing much for me. Pretty boring, but at least not annoying. Looking forward to not listening to this anymore though.

It's a nice blend of reggae with a touch of that Spanish, Gipsy Kings vibe. Overall, it's a feel-good album—I really can't complain. It's definitely one I'll come back to whenever I'm feeling down, like I am right now. It came in clutch when I needed it most.

Got lots of classic The Specials on here. Enjoy Yourself is a great, full of that very specific The Specials twang.

Cool for Ska… but it’s skill ska

Cool ska

More of the same meh 2/5

I am reaching the point in this daily project where I realized it’s not useful to force myself to listen to the entirety of a project once I know it’s not working for me at all. This is the first album I gave a minute to each song before deciding to skip (if I didn’t like it) rather than forcing myself to listen to it all the way through. I don’t know what it is about ska, but I think it’s just a genre that you either love or hate, like jazz and classical. I really tried my best but could not bear it. That said, it wasn’t offensively bad, just not my taste. Gave it an extra point for the one instrumental song, which I did enjoy.

How could you not like the Specials?

The first album is a classic. This one not so much.

i can’t fucking do it mate. this is clown music. for clowns.

I was admittedly imagining ska-punk when I initially reacted poorly to today's album description, forgetting that ska used to be much more obviously a reggae offshoot. I still didn't like this and it got annoying to me after a few songs, but it wasn't as goofy as I was expecting.

Not really

In this house we respect every wave of ska

weird reggae, ska music from the 80's..not my cup of coffee

a little 2 Tone, can’t go far wrong. That very British sound of mixing everything up musically and humour wise, even when addressing some social and serious subject matter. 4 Star

It’s a joke. Right?

It’s hilarious how all over the place the reviews are for this one. More than usual for this site IMO. Whatever the case, this is perfectly fine ska. Not the genre’s pinnacle, but good.

Habe schon Schlimmeres gehört, aber diese Art von Musik ist so gar nicht meins.

This just seemed unnecessary. Their debut was great, this is unfocused, needed some hits but was just a mess.

My first exposure to two-tone! Punk/ska/reggae fusion. Immensely jam-able album. Favorites: Man at C&A, Pearl's Cafe, Sock It to 'Em J.B., International Jet Set, Rat Race. (Actually hadn't put together that I'd heard Rat Race before.) Great start to this project!

Great album, I can see how heavily 'life won't wait' was influenced by this

Yeah, it is special, but not in a positive way.

I mean it’s ska, but I can appreciate the work and depth of the music here I guess. Love that some songs sound like they were recorded at an indoor pool.

There are three albums from The Specials on this list. There are only two albums from The Clash. The conclusions you'd draw from that are not the conclusions you should draw.

𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 is an album full of unexpected turns, where ska collides with lounge, dub, and even easy-listening influences. The mix is intriguing and at times surprisingly bold, though the results are uneven. Not everything works, but its eccentric charm makes it an interesting listen.

I was listening to this in the car, so not as much attention as it probably deserves. I liked the poppier ones but not the dubby ones quite as much! I guess I'm just not ready to be a ska fan yet

Great album - gritty, bleak social commentary, but full of energy and fun. A strong 9 out of 10, but as out of 5 giving it the full 5 stars

This was an odd album. Some of it enjoyable, some of it annoying af, none of it to be revisited by me.

I like the horns. The vocals? Not so much. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Holiday Fortnight

2/5

3.5/5

I like the A-side. The B-side is almost unlistenable

neat

Not really bad, but also not something I want to listen to.

Rating: 4/10 Nah.

The specials and Ghost town was the song that started my love for music. I was around 10-11 when I first heard it. At a butlins disco in Rhyl in wales.

Solid 3 star

'Hello, I'm Terry, and I'm / Going to enjoy myself first'; 'Hey little rich girl / where did you go wrong?'; 'New pair of shoes are on my feet / Cos' fashion is my only culture.' More Specials is an improvement on the first record in terms of production quality and songwriting variety, but wanting is the raft of rawness Elvis Costello secured for their debut. The band plays around w/ ska, obviously, but also American soul and funk on 'Sock It to 'Em J.B.' (James Brown, no?), the basis of the northern soul sound. I welcome the inclusion of assorted genres, and tho the record wilts a bit on 'Pearl's Cafe' and the seven-minute 'Stereotype / Stereotype, Pt. 2,' More Specials is mostly more of the same, not unrefined, but still rejuvenating, special even.

Sounds like elevator music on acid. Maybe 1 or 2 songs I would consider replaying but for the most part this is mostly skips to me

English 2 tone/ska revival band. Instrumentally, they verge on punk at points… They have that punk ska feel. This is the kind of stuff that influenced Mighty Mighty Bosstones and that whole U.S. ska revival scene

I thought I knew what The Specials were. I was not correct. This had a couple of good tracks, but much was left to be desired.

again

Ska is cool. This was unmemorable. Doubt I'll ever listen to it again.

2.5

really really good. don't miss the james bond song

Interesting snapshot of some of the musical influences that were around in 1980, and at least they sometimes seem to be having fun, but it's not a sound or album that does anything much for me. 2.5

such a fun and influential album

I wrote about the first album: "ska funny". However, theres nothing More Especial on this one. By the way, nothing justifie three albuns from this band on the list. One was enough. For this and another reasons this list completely lost his credibility.

Enjoyed. Hey Little Rich Girl. Crazy mashup of sounds. Never was a ska fan. They would be real fun to see live and dance to in small club.

The first ska band? I get it, but it's not great. I imagine this is what a live band poolside at a Florida resort sounded like in the '50's. Interesting concept, but not something I'm listening to voluntarily.

Eh. I'm alright

Ska/two-tone isn't something we get often on the list, and this is the second Specials albums I've gotten. I'm not sure how much I notice is different between their two albums. I do appreciate a cute album title, and The Specials picked well for their second album. If I remember right from 250 albums ago, this album still has whimsy and fun as their debut. It takes a rare band to write political lyrics on whimsy tones. I'll give the same rating as before: 3.5.

This ska album by "The Specials" didn't really resonate with me as much as the last one I had, which I gave a 3 (a feat for me, as someone who doesn't really enjoy ska). I still found this to be listenable and approachable as far as ska music goes, not nearly as obnoxious as a lot of modern ska.

enjoy yourself is a great tune. the album is one dimensional but fun. first half of the album is considerably better than the 2nd. its fine. sterotype is shit and too long. holiday fortnight is fun. but i cant stand i cant stand it. overall a mixed bag

Ska, Reggae. Klingt ein wenig amateurhaft. Aber ganz nett.

Not a huge fan of this album, but loved Ghost Town. Wouldn’t listen to the whole album again though

Bloody marvellous. Enjoy yourself.

I am not sure where these guys fit into the Ska genre but they definitely have to be on the forefront. The band sounded like the Clash was attempting to be the Buena Vista Social Club. I have to say that the recurring opportunity for a trombone solo was a needed change of pace in my life. Enjoy Yourself grabs you as a pool party anthem from the get go. I think the struggle I had was there was some reggae mixed in, and some jazz, and some punk, but it didn’t feel fully cohesive, like eating a soup that hadn’t simmered yet. From a historical lens, it was a must listen but being spoiled with spectrum of late-90s ska bands that had them to pave the road, this would not be my “go-to” for ska. If you grew up in this time, wow! Otherwise, it’s okay.

Random thoughts: * I don't know much about The Specials but I've always enjoyed ska music. It's nice to have more ska music in my life. * This was a fun listen, I'd definitely seek more Specials in my life. * I just realized I am familiar with some of their more popular songs not on this album (Message to You Rudy and Ghost Town). * Enjoy Yourself was a fun track for both the opener and the reprise. I swear I've heard this covered in a pub before. Or maybe it just gives off "this should be played by a band in a pub" vibes. * Overall good listen, will break out more ska and The Specials, specifically.

Playful and fun, I get a sense of later Beatles albums with some of their whimsical tones. Obvious different composition and musical style but some definite influence. Wouldn’t listen again

I like Ska. This strays a little too far, while not doing anything that impressive. It does have some real good moments. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again

Det er rimelig ringe musik

It’s alright. It’s quite perky and upbeat at times, and relatively inoffensive. It’s not wowing me. It’s a ‘sit gently in the background’ kind of album. 2.5 rounded up.

Nope.

Mange gode låter, og litt ymse

not too bad, easy on the ears

When your band has, along with your friends, revived ska music and brought it to a whole new generation, what do you do next? What do you do when you've helped invent a whole new subgenre of music that would go on to influence underground music for nearly the next five decades? Why, you get weird and you make this record. Standouts are "Enjoy Yourself", "Rat Race", "Do Nothing", "Sock It To 'Em, J.B.", "Stereotypes/Stereotypes Pt. 2", and "I Can't Stand It".

21/1001 The Specials - More Specials Heard before? ✅ Revisit? 🫳 It's hard to deny the influence that the Specials had infusing ska, reggae, music hall, lounge and often times biting social commentary. Whilst their debut had the majority of the hits, their follow up feels more experimental and whilst I can appreciate it, it never lives up to the highs of the debut. I still had fun listening to it.

Some special variety mixed into this, not what I was expecting

a fun reggae inspired album with some great horn parts, pretty relaxed and spacy instrumentation, and just good vibes

Yuck

Rude boys get in here! This was fine. Saying this a lot lately but no need for this when we already had their big album on the list.

This was fine but felt a little repetitive to me

Fine ska. I thought it was cute that the album started and ended with different versions of the same song but otherwise could have lived without hearing this.

Wasnt for me

Goofy ahh music. Goofy ahhh album. Who the fuck wakes up and actively wants to listen to Ska? Specifically white British guys performing reggae? There are a couple vibes, and it moves quickly enough but...boof. Fave songs: - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) - Pearl's Cafe - Sock It To 'Em J.B. - I Can't Stand It

quite boppy and upbeat

Unpredictably wacky and unexpectedly insane, colorful and, I guess, very maximalist for a ska band, they were gracing 1980 with a brand new experience and I appreciate it. The party does not sleep Maybe won't stick to me that much musically, and some parts lull a bit, but listening through it was pretty wild Holiday Fortnight Battle Royale

Interesting but not enough to return to

A little uneven but good at times. 3.5

Different and fun styles with the band coming up with some pretty catchy earworms. 6/10

3 1/12 stars A good introduction to ska. .

A fun listen. PICK IT UP!

Idc

It's like the Beach Boys decided to do bad pop.

5/10… ska / reggae

Excited to see this one today

This reggae too white

Remember the weird time in the 90's when Ska showed up some of us were confused and others tried to swing dance? This has more reggae tones and weirdness than that time. It's musically upbeat and danceable as Ska tends to be, but the weirdness over it all adds to it. Interesting album. OK I'm not a ska guy, I wasn't in the 90's I was one of the, "Where did this come from?!" people. So this album growing on my is not what I expected. It's getting added to my library and I can see me putting this on at times I need to move as it just makes you want to bop around the house.

Really really fun album. I'm maybe predisposed for this genre due to my later likes, but I definitely enjoyed myself here!

I have no idea what to make of this one. Were there good tracks? Absolutely. But this album was so all over the place. Very very weird one. I am glad I listened to it, though! This would be a 2.5 if we had half stars

Super fun listen! These guys were the OG 2 tone band, mixing ska with new wave, and they show their chops on here with some delightful proto-reggae romps, saxophone and trumpet workouts, and generally quirky and energetic songs.

Had more fun with this than I thought I would, though I don’t think I’d listen again

There's a bit of everything on this album, lots of different moods and genres. It's clear the band was having a hell of a time, so even though I didn't love all of it, the vibes were consistently good. Fun listen! Standouts: Do Nothing, Holiday Fortnight

It's possible that I just don't "get" it, but in my mind this is an album that doesn't know what to be. I feel like it never settles on an idea, but instead of being a cool album with a lot of experimentation it feels confused, lost, and like a bunch of people throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. There was a lot of really annoying instrumentation and vocals going on here and it definitely felt too long. With all the great music out there I can't imagine picking this up again.

Nothing special with the specials

When they are good, they are good. But this was mostly bad. Very cheesy, very silly. Not great.

Much more expansive than their debut, some excellent songs and great grooves, but let down by the gleeful misogyny of "Hey, Little Rich Girl". By 1980, everyone knew better than that - it would have been 4 stars for the wide range of influences, and how well they are integrated, without that.

♫ Listening to "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)" by The Specials (More Specials (Remastered), 1980) ♫

Listened to this on the home stretch of a looong journey from the Yukon to the Bay of Fundy, without context or forewarning. Battling exhaustion and fog so thick you could eat it with a spoon, I asked myself "what the fuck is this music" before proclaiming, "this music is on drugs, I feel like I'm on drugs", and "we're going to die". Spoiler alert - we didn't die

It's just okay

Everything just feels a little mismatched and incoherent. 2 stars for reminding me of C&A and Enjoy Yourself.

Fun experimental b-side, great vocals and horns!

Mis Grossmami het mer au immer gseit ich seg special. 2 chlöpferli uf de hinderchopf für die spezielli spezialiste

De start isch sehr the no special gsi. Nachher hends mi defür mit ‚do nothing’ abgholt, aka the special chill sound. Denn wieder biz verlore. Jänuu 3 meerschweinli für das

wott mi ja nöd z'wiit us'm fenster lehne aber ich han's gfühl das isch eis für de neduzen gsi ich persönlich han's no intressant gfunde & au 1-2 lieder gspeicheret wirdi die jemals wieder lose? probably not

A bit of a fever dream, innit?

I've never been a fan of ska/reggae, so i couldnt get through it. I'm sure i great for people who like the genre, but not for me

This one had major Madness vibes — jumpy, cheeky, and full of British eccentricity, but with a darker, more cynical edge underneath the ska beat. Most of the tracks blended together in a quirky, toe-tapping way, though Man at C&A totally lost me. I liked it, didn’t love it… but I’m glad I experienced this weird little detour into dystopian lounge-ska.

As deep as a puddle.

Nothin special about this album

A fun, energetic, eclectic album. Enjoyed every track.

..

Back when this type of music was at the forefront of Britain's pop scene, I hated The Specials and other bands of their ilk. Listening to this album has highlighted for me how much more open-minded I have become, because I really enjoyed it, and will add it to my Tidal library. That's something I could never have imagined back in my high-school years.

This was nice, always been a fan of ska, it is such good music to dance to. I’ve never listened to any album by the specials other than their self titled album. Great listen

Ghost Town is just hovering in the wings here. Between a 3 and 4, memorable enough to round up.

This leans way too much into the Jamaican vocals, which gives it the sense of trying too hard. That’s especially true for when this gets all psychedelic, which doesn’t really suit the album. One Specials is plenty for this list.

The two-tone genre is, unfortunately, not my style. It felt a little too noisy for my liking. What stood out to me throughout the album was the reggae influence with the more rocky-y guitar/drums, that is not something I have ever heard before! The creativity in pioneering a new genre is freeing, I imagine, and I got that sense from this album. While the music and vocals didn't scratch my brain how I'd like, this was a listen outside of my comfort zone which I appreciate.

The first four songs are great but it kinda falls off after that. Female backing vocals are pretty terrible tbh, but the sax was cool throughout. Favs: Enjoy Yourself Man At C&A Holiday Fortnight Least Fav: Sock It To 'Em J.B.

I like this stuff. Always have. Doesn’t blow me away. But it hits me just right.

Please. No more specials.

Ok

Huh?

2.5

Surprisingly varied album with a lot of R&B sound I did not expect

It’s fun and the lyrics are quirky and interesting. I almost feel bad giving this a 3 but it’s not something I would choose to sit down and listen to again:

Nah

Ya Mon! Good record that with some ska music that can be sometimes a tad repetitive. I get it…less is more.

Aika erikoinen. Kuuntelin kyllä mielellään, mitä kaikkea he keksivät levyn aikana, mutta lopulta kolmen ekan biisin jälkeen ei juurikaan uutta.

Biisimateriaali on lajinsa vahvinta suunnilleen B-puolen alkuun saakka. Tämän jälkeen bändin jäsenet kokevat olevansa oikeutettuja heittäytymään jammailun ja hitaiden tempojen vietäviksi. Ei edes haittaa, koska LP:n uudelleenkuunteluarvo on pelkästään A-puolen vuoksi harvinaisen kovalla tasolla. Entä mitä mieltä tulisi olla bändin nautintoon tähtäävästä imperatiivista? No, kyseessä on tietenkin koukku.

This album is a bit of a head trip. Going in without any knowledge, it was hard trying to decide if this was going to be ska, or reggae, or rock and roll...and it turns out it's a bit of a mix of all of the above. A "second wave" ska band out of the UK from the 80s. They start the album off with their strongest song in my opinion, and the rest is either mildly interesting or flat. Neat to hear once, don't think I'd need to listen to it again though. Definitely the type of album that has to be "your thing".

Felt average.

perus hommaa

Enjoyed it.

1.82

It was okay.

Possibly the most disappointing follow up in the history of albums. Creatively exhausted and not nearly as well recorded as their debut.

What a strange and somewhat schizophrenic album. I haven't yet heard their debut album in this collection, which is kind of a shame, as I could have perhaps had the experience that many of their early fans must have had when they heard what had happened to their ska-rocking band, especially the dramatic and undoubtedly alarming shift from side A to B as "Sock it to 'em J.B." transitioned to an almost unclassifiable and immeasurably schmaltzy "Stereotypes/Stereotypes Pt. 2". It's hilarious to read so many anecdotes that their peers all assumed that the album was a product of them touring and traveling too much, and all that exposure to Musak in hotels, bars and airports (curious that this seems to be attributed as a distinctively American phenomenon, as I naively assumed elevators and airports the world round had adopted weak loungey music at the same time). Sad, though, that the widely divergent visions among the band members for the future direction of the band, universal exhaustion from touring, and Jerry Dammers' militant insistence that Muzak was the future of interesting music, led to a clearly talented and functional band breaking apart not long after the album was released. I enjoyed reading about the context of this album perhaps more than I enjoyed listening to it (this is especially true of the second side's goofy tracks), but I have to say that the unremittingly bleak lyrics set to often upbeat and/or kitschy music was pretty engaging at times, especially "Man at C&A", "Pearl's Cafe" and the two renditions of "Enjoy yourself" (and "International jet set" sets itself apart with the Coen-Brothers-like macabre story set to vibraphones). It's interesting that the Wikipedia article connects this album to later trip-hop bands like Massive Attack and Portishead, as I see a lot more influence from The Specials (or maybe just this album) on bands like Fishbone and to some degree The Clash's Joe Strummer's solo work.

enjoyed this but doesn't wow me.

Softer side of ska. Reggae and poodle skirt vibes

The Specials have a sense of being very important to the UK's music story, but actually, there's not a great deal special (LOL) about it really. It feels fairly paint-by-numbers to be honest, and very samey indeed. Not bad, but I think I was expecting a little more.

hab iwie is gfühl i kenn alles schon... 2.5.

Not the biggest ska fan. Lots of this was fine. Lots didn't do much for me. Odder than I expected.

Great opening track and then it all started to blend

I don't like this. That first track, is it used on jools Holland or something? Or a radio jingle? I dunno. Maybe when it came out it was fun, but my head associates it with a bored middle aged drunken booze up where everyone is wearing a suit and trying to explain how they're more successful that you. Ick. After that the other songs are worse. That one near the end that was a bit 60s is alright - I can't stand it (ironic title there). But then I lost interest at the keyboard solo. I really like ghost town what they did and I expected that I might find some gems in here, but it was like playing the epitome of "not my sort of thing". Nope

Didn’t think there was anything too special about The Specials. Pretty average tbh

Surprisingly good for some reason

This album is Special? YES

I'm not convinced we needed more than one album from this band. Their first is a classic, this is largely forgettable. Free Nelson Mandela is legendary though.

This album is quite eclectic, but I liked it! It seemed like they were having fun exploring all the different genres that they do in the album. Favorite Track: Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)

not sure i get it 🤔

Meh

Never knew ska could be that varied, really liked it

Reggae punk, was a tough listen. It gets better towards the end, but not much

The Special Eds

Honestly wasn’t all that special. Not the biggest ska fan in the world, but there were some quality songs in the album and overall meaningful/fun lyric writing. 3 stars, feeling generous

So this is ska… huh. I like it. In fact, one might even say I enjoyed myself. It was not a load of bollocks. ALSO COVENTRY REPRESENTS LETS GOOOOO!!!

4/5

I was actually very excited when this album popped up. The follow up to their debut album, which I had ranked quite highly on this project previously? Yes please. Let me start by saying it’s a good album. Musically it sees the band attempt to evolve their sound. Incorporating more moody sounds into their repertoire, lyrics that are almost more observational storytelling, and they maintain some of the protest elements that I liked a lot from their debut. But it reminds me of how The Beatles went from the energetic ‘Please Please Me’ LP to the more studio conscious ‘With The Beatles’. Some of the magic went away and growing pains were apparent. The difference here is that ‘With The Beatles’ was still a damn solid album. ‘More Specials’ losing that raw energy from their debut kind of hurts them more. It feels disjointed when it shouldn’t. You’re waiting for tracks to really pull you up and make you lose yourself in and it just… never happens. Not that the song selection here is bad in any way, but ‘More Specials’ feels like a lackluster sequel to their excellent debut. Like they raised the bar too high and just couldn’t quite reach it here. It’s a good album. It’s just… knowing what they’re capable of it’s just a bit disappointing.

A sharp left turn away from their brilliant ska debut, this one has a distinct feel of electicism all under the banner of muzak. Political and unexpected - sometimes the ideas just don't feel as smart or ironic as they may have felt they were. Best Tracks: Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think); Hey Little Rich Girl; Do Nothing

Well, I didn't really enjoy myself listening to this album. It has some better moments, but most of it drones along in a lounge or elevator music style.

Meh

This was incredibly boring

I liked this album, but couldn’t really get into a few of the songs. I like how the one song just lists 007 titles. Neat use of horns throughout. Favorite songs were Enjoy Yourself, Hey Little Rich Girl, and Sock It To ‘Em JB.

Sounded like a bunch of people jamming out in one of their father’s garages, amateur and nothing special

Ska is not a genre I've spent much time with. I generally liked this though. Some colt spots, but the passion was there and I love the song Enjoy Yourself. 3/5

Album 771 of 1089 The Specials - More Specials (1980) Rating : 2 / 5 Kind of sloppy and - at times - irritating. There were moments of promising musicianship.

Eine solide aber nicht außergewöhnliche Mischung aus Beat, Blues und Ska.

This album is actually really fun, ridiculous, short, and a good distraction. Though it does get repetitive I can zone out and phase out nicely. Sure it's giving background music I can listen to at work and not want to jump out a window but still. However I have a deep hate for extended deluxe remastered versions of albums on streaming services that get to a point where you can't even find the original track list on, I refuse to listen to an hour and thirty one minutes of a deluxe album version no one asked for.

Good stuff, very upbeat.

This band evokes fond recollections of my life when I was 17. Listening this vinyl masterpiece almost weekly. Got 3 albums, 1 of them still sealed.

Strange, inventive pop. Interesting enough to stay engaging throughout.

I enjoyed myself

Not a fan

An almost entirely new genre to me! Ska?! But a remarkable number of familiar melodies that I enjoyed jamming out to. Consider my mind opened.

1.5 - Bad

Admittedly, I know virtually nothing about the Ska subgenre, but this was a pleasant surprise. While it's nothing special, it was a fun album full of twists, and turns, with an obvious Caribbean influence. Favorite Track: "International Jet Set"-The long lost Gorillaz song?

A very nice album. Like it

Was a nice album to listen to while going on a walk.

1.6 I never want to hear that shite again. One Specials album was more than enough. Can't stand Ska. Get in the bin.

I didn't actively dislike it but it just felt very derivative and unpolished at times (although that might be part of the point with Ska). Stereotype is a stand-out, but several other songs could've used some polishing (eg. I can't stand it). Overall, just not my cup of tea.

noki

Feels like a fever dream. Makes me want to go on holiday. Reggae vibes. A bit all over the place. Monotonous, whiny vocals that don’t really match the rhythmic, funky instrumentals.

Sounds ok, songwriting is weak

I like the Specials and I like Two Tine ska. This album is not a great example of either. There's some highlights but there's too much other genres thrown in and it becomes dull and lacking continuity

TERRIBLE

I enjoyed this. Very catchy. 3.5

yeah ok sure, i'm just glad we stopped recording vocals that sound like they were in the bathroom

ska isn't really my thing, every song on this album kind of had the vibe of a painting that got ruined by not knowing when to stop, but there were elements i liked in every song.

International Jet Set made me feel like I was high and paranoid. Other than that I enjoyed getting a different type of music on here for once (not British, not Neil Young, etc.) but for someone who played trumpet for...8? 10? years I don't really like ska or 2tone.

This sounds like if a ska band had a baby with the Defiant Jazz episode of Severance. Confusing sonically. Weird and not in a fun way

I really am at a loss. I’m not sure what this is. I was glad to hear some trombone in the mix and was moderately horrified at the rest! It’s like a bad reggae group decided to listen to a bunch of Jonathan Richman and then take some dissociatives.