More Specials

I didn't enjoy it then and I didn't think I'd enjoy it now. But actually it's not terrible.

I like ska, but this isn't my jam. It's basically reggae modified to be watered-down. Pass.

Not a lot to add for this one. Enjoyed the first two tracks but that’s all…

This is pretty garbage. Worst song is the aptly named "I Can't Stand It".

Sounds like a circus. Didn't really like it.

Didn't like it.

Thought I would enjoy this. But all the tunes seem to be on their other albums.

ну чот какой-то посредственный ска, может повлияло то, что белых много в коллективе ...хотя я не шарю...но чего-то не хватает в нём

It gets better, a bit grittier, the longer you leave it on. Heading towards their signature, downbeat, negative sound they were most noted for. Perhaps harshly.

Not very interesting, just didn't groove with it.

I enjoy ska quite a lot, but these vocals are too grating for me to really get into this album.

Based on reviews I had read prior, I expected something more eclectic and interesting. Its not terrible, but I found it very dissapointing, and I dont think it needs to be on the list.

High energy Ska. Singing not very melodic. Not for me.

Madness was much better band.

Decent album but nothing special (no pun intended), some good songs, some bad. I would give it 2,5/5 if possible.

It was alright. I tried to like it more but couldn’t. 2 stars lol

Ska is not my thing it turns out.

Not my style

My only familiarity with The Specials is from their appearance on Saturday Night Live back in 1980, which I really enjoyed at the time--it was fun and high energy. So, on to More Specials, the Specials' second album. I loathe pub singalongs, so album opener Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) left me cold with it's overly busy, fumbling arrangement and belted choruses. Fortunately, the Specials are more competent than the opening tune would indicate. Man At C & A demonstrates their mastery of the dub style, with some spaghetti western affectations. With Hey Little Rich Girl, they're back to ska. The vocals and lyrics are very punk -- it's an interesting combination. For me, the Specials' version of ska is a little clumsy and on the nose compared to the Jamaican original, but I understand the appeal. Clearly The Specials love, love, love Jamaican music and have made a real effort to understand it. It's an extension of Britain's appreciation of Jamaican music, exemplified by the absolutely fantastic Tighten Up series, which I highly recommend if you have even a passing interest in Jamaican popular music of the late 60s and early 70s. The rest of More Specials proceeds along the same lines, a British working class take on ska and it's variations. For me, it's largely superfluous. I'd rather listen to the real thing.

Not horrible, but noy really that good. The music tries to be upbeat for the most part, but it’s a bit of a ska, reggae, pop- rock mess. 2.5 stars, and rounding down because there isn’t one song or riff that I want hear again.

Old ska sounds. Not that great. 3/10.

Ca ne ma pas vraiment marque, un peu reggea un peu funk je ne sais plus trop. 2.75

Some songs I moderately enjoyed, while others were horribly obnoxious. I still pray that there will never be a fourth wave of Ska.

This is corny. It’s try hard and “edgy”. Not for me

I am not a fan of this one. They sound like their competent musicians(especially the keyboards, which sound amazing and the horns were good too) but it seems like this is a bunch of friends jamming in a dive bar for the free drinks.The singing isn't too good (and is washed out at times " do nothing" by the instruments)and the whole Ska idea is lost on me. I mean it's not terrible but it seems the song all pass through me as backround music and there isn't anything of note for me here.

For me there were no familiar songs on this album

2

Kind of strange, not really my cup of tea, kind of goofy and bouncy.

Not my cup of tea. Went in all sorts of directions and I would've liked to turn around a time or two. The music is alright.

I never thought I would be bored by a ska album but here we are

didnt finish it. Annoyed me

Horrendous, 1⭐️

Not for me

Specially annoying

Second album propos par le générateur, après 'The Specials' que j'avais détesté (noté 1/5 - Reggae). Celui-ci est dans le même style, je n'ai pas pu aller au bout. =>1/5

Are we doing reggae? Or mariachi horns? Or none of the above? Not sure

This album is all a load of bollocks

Years ago, I was telling someone that I loved ska. A friend interrupted me and said, ”You don’t like ska, you like ska punk.” Now I see what he was saying

Its the first time ever i have heard typical dutch music in english. I hate it.

Some truly terrible vocals on here

Using a private session for this one because I don't like ska and I don't want Spotify's already weak algorithms to get any ideas. I don't know how many people are in this band, but I would say 20 -33% too many. I suffered through this mess of a record and the song "I Can't Stand It" really resonated with me.

Utterly unremarkable. I bet people don't agree with me.

Ein bisschen albern

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.

irredeemably boring

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

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.

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

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

oh HELL NO

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

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.

The not so specials

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.

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

no

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

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

it's not for me

But if a weird vibe

More special needs.

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.

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

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.

Kingston rock?

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

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

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

Det er rimelig ringe musik

Yuck

Wasnt for me

Nothing special with the specials

Nah

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

The Special Eds

1.5 - Bad

noki

TERRIBLE

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.

A SKA band that is BRITISH??? Literally I would rather you just stab me. I can't believe this band has (at least) two records on this list when I could think of five records from the past 6 months that deserve it more. The first track is 3:41 in length and I was checking how much time is left before it was half over.

👎🏻

The music was fine, but the singer was absolute trash. Ruined anything enjoyable about the album. By song 3 I was done hearing him and hit stop. No fucking way should this be listened to before you die.

You either love it or…

I would have preferred Less Specials

tried to be open minded but turned it off on the 2nd song

Non l’ho ascoltato, vado sulla fiducia

Not my genre

What are y’all doing to me here?

Fuck ska

‘I can’t stand it!’ She warbles. Yes, agreed. Special - not.

Much like most ska music, it’s proper shit

Did not like. Cheap cider in a park at the age of 15 type music

Dislike

I just really don't like Ska. I also really don't like whatever else this is.

Fuck this album

Meh

Never liked Ska

An ironic name for a not very good album. Kind of ska/reggae but pretty forgettable and I like the genre well enough.

No

I was in a bad mood all day and was hoping for a good album to help fix it. I heard the first second of the first song and it immediately made it 100x worse. I didn't get any better as it went on. I did not enjoy myself. I wish I could give it a 0.

Nope

Ngl I just thought this was kinda bad

Remember Julia Stiles character in “10 Things I Hate About You?” She used guitar to start a band. It was terrible.

No dude

Woof. It's possible that I'm just not in the right headspace to appreciate this today...but it's more likely that I'd still hate it if I tried it again tomorrow. Luckily we'll never know.

That voice does sound pretty special. How dare they tell me to enjoy myself right before showing me the most obnoxious near hour of my life. Maybe if we tell them to like it they'll like it? "It's all a load of bullocks," Yeah I'd be inclined to agree. Who let the most stereotypical British chaps into a kindergarten music room anyways? They sound like they're trying to mock a British accent yet be even more disappointing. The tunes are fairy-tale like, but not the fun ones. Not the ones with cute dogs and rainbows. The ones where the child gets horrifically eaten because they didn't eat their vegetables but with the veneer of troubled kid's play music. A fate better than listening to this album. You do have to get give them props for being so daring to stray away from what makes music good though. It's a solid 1/5 and if I could give it lower I would. Giving themselves a 2 in the corner is pretty generous I think. Less Specials please.

First listen Saved 2/11 Top track: Man At C&A

wasn't in the mood for it. felt up beat. Ska type album but it wasn't for me.

Yikes, who actually listens to this? Are all the stupid stereotypes of soul patched fedora-wearing nerds skankin' on the dance floor true? Shit's unlistenable. Musically, there's nothing special about the Specials. They sound like countless high school bands around the world.

Same thing as the previous "The Specials" album on here - the album is well made, but it just isn't my style at all

A horrible take on ska and humor that absolutely nobody other than the band itself think is funny. Luckily the production is always boring. It’s no wonder most of the band decided to quit after releasing this.

I found this album incredibly boring. Lyrically and instrumentally it felt very repetitive. I felt like I listened to this album for 3 hours even though it was only 40 mins and was only interested by it at the song switches

I heard "It's all a load of bollocks" too many times to take this album seriously. It was fun, so it gets some brownie points, but nothing can change its rating from a deserved 1.

This was a thoroughly annoying album, but I did think it was kind of funny when they just listed James Bond movie titles.

What is this shit?

In my top 10 most hated albums on this list I think.

Ik haat alles hiervan. Ik kan er niet naar luisteren, na twee nummer afgezet

Fucking ska. Holy hell is there anything worse. This is awful in every way.

Nope

ONG. This was awful.

English does (tries) mariachi, Caribbean style music. No thanks

This feels completely all over the place. One song he's just listing James Bond movie titles

I was expecting to like this more than I did- I think ska can be fun, and had heard The Specials talked about as a more "serious" ska band. I can see how it was influential for the time, but it didn't click with me

Did not add any for keeps.

Liker ikke ska :(

Iemand stak laatst de loftrompet tegen mij over deze band, terwijl ik ze eigenlijk niet ken. Ik weet niet meer wie dat was en dat is maar goed ook.

хуета

only song i really liked is ghost town which sounds like its by a completely different band is only on the second disc of the deluxe edition.

Album kinda was a mess, and ska just usually isn’t good

More Specials? No. No more Specials.

I hate ska almost as much as reggae and bad hip hop

I’ll file this under “head scratcher”. I’m left wondering if it’s intentionally bad and that’s why it’s considered great art? 1/5

I ALREADY RATED THIS YOU IDIOTS

I liked reading other people’s reviews so I will try to start leaving one. But I feel bad because I haven’t liked a lot of them lol. This one included

i dig

Can't say I "enjoyed myself". Kinda bland with no real direction (reggae-ish attempt tempo-wise??)

Had a really hard time getting through the album. I felt the recording quality was poor and the music was just not my taste.

"International Jet Set" was, at the very least, an interesting listen. "Enjoy Yourself", along with its reprise, are like the song "It's a Small World After All": songs that will drive one to insanity if played on a loop. This album could go on the list of albums that I could have gone a lifetime without hearing. Ladies and gentlemen: The Mundanes!

Ska is just not for me. I tried

I put up with the first Specials album (gave it 3 stars, when I probably should have given it 2). I'm currently four songs into this album, and I hate it. And it never got better. Pearl's Cafe is a war crime.

Ass

super dumb christmas reggae ska or something like that? seriously, it goes full on xmassy at times. yucko.

There are quite a few words one could accurately use to describe this album. The last one I'd use is special.

no

No thank you

Reminds me of shitty Christmas songs

The music is fine but the vocals are AWFUL and the mixing seemed to be done by an amateur. Half the songs sounded "muddy", the music overwhelmed the vocals (which may have been a blessing) and the other half the vocals and the music didn't blend together and sounded like a bad demo tape. Also the female voice that did "harmony" on some of the tracks was just horrendous.

This was a particularly bad album. The songs were pretty bizarre and it felt that they were unpolished. All this makes sense when I read they were an early ska style band. Ingenuitive to some they may be but to me this was pretty tough to get through. 3.3/10

03/30/2022 Nope. Absolutely not for me, and a struggle to even finish.

Couldn’t finish, really bad. Ska mix of horror music.

A enjoy yourself é boa, o resto é mto ruim

Eccentric album, a song about James Bond? Reggae? Feels very British, sounds semi-Caribbean. Not particularly my cuppa.