The Specials

I loved this album but I also couldn't wait for it to end.

One of the best albums ever recorded. Huge loss of Terry Hall got me to listen again.

Absolutely magnificent album. Had the pleasure of seeing the Specials live in 1979 at Loughborough uni on the Two Tone tour with The Selecter and Dexy's. One of the best gigs of my life.

One of their great album. Not sure it's my favorite, but definitely really good. Also, if anyone can see them live, totally worth it (whenever we'll have live shows again, and hopefully they're not dead by then)

It’s the Rude Boys ‘Abbey Road’, innit? I can see why.

I had heard of The Specials for years and never gave them a try. Now I wish I gave them a chance sooner. Amazing album front to back. Felt ahead of its time. Not a single song on the whole record that I disliked. I know I'll be coming back to it in the future and it has me interested to check out the rest of their work. Amazing. Favorite Song: A Message To You Rudy

if the voting structure was out of 10 then most of my 5 star reviews would be 9s. this however would be a big fat 10. i fucking love this album almost as much as a SHACK loves lamb chops.

Iconic album that offered more than the superb tracks it contains. Part of a force that was challenging endemic racism, acceptance of unemployment and community disintegration all done with musicality and energy that would blow your porkpie hat off!

Absolutely love this. One of my favourites as a teenager, I loved this flavour of ska-punk, reminds me of skanking wildly to the local ska punk bands at gigs in dingy basements. Disillusion and hopelessness mixed with funky bass lines and upbeat horns. Deluxe version also has a live disc which is fun, wouldn't normally like live albums but you can feel their live energy. Favourites: A message to you rudy too much too young Monkey Man

I found The Specials quite intimidating as a nipper, their pork pike hats and two tone outfits carrying a faint whiff of violence; all the bad kids in school seemed to have the checker logo on their bag. I'm not scared anymore, this is a great debut and was hugely influential on the British music that followed. I'm a big fan of Terry Hall's vocal style and can handle ska skanking much better than reggae snoozing.

It's incredible that a bunch of kids with learning difficulties can deliver music of this quality.

There are two things I know to be true about ska. 1. The Specials are the greatest ska band of all time. 2. Even the greatest ska band of all time cannot make me like ska. That said, I am adding a full star in recognition of "Do the Dog" because it is an all time banger. A generous 3 stars

Contrairement à ce qu'en a dit eltrapeze, cet album n'est pas nul, il est simplement mauvais.

Rarely has a band emerged with its first album with such a clear vision statement. The look, the sound, the politics and the voice of this band is clear and strong on this record. The Specials were an integrated band, with equal influences from black (ska, reggae, soul, r'n'b) and white (punk, rock) forms. Politically engaged in the new Thatcherite England, they were both protesting and ready to party. Elvis Costello did a great job of capturing the live feel of their performances, although some contemporaneous reviews bemoan how much slower the record is than their live shows. Listening to live tracks on the deluxe edition, I can kind of see the point of the criticism. But, as an Australian listener who only heard the studio album and never had the chance to see the Specials live in 1979, the album is still fantastic on its own merits. Smart, political, and above all fun, this is such a great record. It makes me wanna take to the streets in protest _and_ dance.

A supreme vibe, some timeless bangers, and redolent of a genre that was stacked with cool bands. Only downside is that there isn't a scene half as cool as this anymore. Cheers for reminding me, lads!

Amazing album, an all-time classic. I love the punk energy and the ska attitude working together. I find the whole thing very moving, reminiscent of a time when music tried to change things (if only peoples’ minds) and be a force for good. Hard to pick a standout track, but have always loved the closing time feel of You’re Wondering Now.

Ska baby! Debut album produced by Declan. As good as it gets. And what it begat…the opening of the door for other great ska acts. Rudy didn’t fail.

A message to you Rudy is superb. Actually the album is superb. Concrete jungle another banger. 2 tone launched a lot of great bands and the specials might have been the best. Ska music is fun and serious.

I was going to do a my one track mind episode with a woman originally from england about this album. Wish I had gotten to that one before I threw in the towel. I would have loved to hear her more firsthand account of this album's significance. Having an interest in punk music inevitably leads you to it's intertwining with reggae/ska/rocksteady. Jamaican music was sort of the equivalent of HipHop to a certain segment of British youth at the time. I'd also say reggae/dub is the most significant precursor to hiphop in many ways but that's a whole nother conversation. Anyway, The Specials are pretty much THE archetypal British ska/two tone band that set the pattern for so many others to follow in their wake. It might sound formulaic now, but at that time they were creating that formula. Anyway, I like this album but don't love it. I find it very enjoyable and it would probably have been a great live show back in the day. It's fun and has the right amount of punk attitude in flashes so as to not spoil the party.

No thanks, I can 100% say this will never get listened to again

If you love spending time after work down at your local drinking lagers with the lads, or chanting club songs in a group on your way to the weekend football match...then this albums for you. I don’t particularly see the enjoyment in either of those activities, hence I didn’t get much out of listening to this music. It’s dated yobbo English reggae and it’s ugly. The whole album reminded me of the tv show Minder and the song from the same era ‘Ullo John! Got New Motor?’ by (I think) Alexei Sayle...both of which should never be allowed out of the late 70s/early 80’s and definitely be kept there under lock and key. I found listening to these tracks utterly annoying and would describe them as sloppy, crass & an insult to my senses. 1 Star

Loved it, will definitely come back to this again.

Rarely has a band emerged with its first album with such a clear vision statement. The look, the sound, the politics and the voice of this band is clear and strong on this record. The Specials were an integrated band, with equal influences from black (ska, reggae, soul, r'n'b) and white (punk, rock) forms. Politically engaged in the new Thatcherite England, they were both protesting and ready to party. Elvis Costello did a great job of capturing the live feel of their performances (although some contemporaneous reviews bemoan how much slower the record is than their live shows). Smart, political, and above all fun, this is such a great record. It makes me wanna take to the streets in protest _and_ dance.

Thanks for introducing me the two tone genre. As a punk fan, I absolutely love this fusion with ska. It's jazzy, danceable, and full of punk energy. Lots of diversity in these tracks, setting the standard for later ska bands to follow. They don't repeat the same trick twice; it's full of surprises. Although all the tracks are good, I feel like it fell short starting with "Too Hot", but picked up again with "Blank Expression." Favorite tracks: Gangsters, A Message to You Rudy, Doesn't Make It Alright, Stupid Marriage, Too Much Too Young, You're Wondering Now

The New Jersey underground scene in the late 90’s was a crazy melange of punk, hardcore and ska and it wasn’t uncommon that you’d go to show at your local VFW hall or whatever and see a show that featured a bunch of bands playing any one of those styles played in one night. Hell, you’d probably end up seeing a band that combined two or more of those styles. One of our local places to see punk/hardcore/ska shows was a Chinese buffet, the King Buffet. Once a month on a Friday night, the King Buffett would open its doors to the punks of Hunterdon County, NJ for 3 or 4 hours, charging $5 bucks entry and local bands would play in a make shift stage area in the restaurant. It was really just a large open area not far from the buffet servery that had the tables cleared out for the night. It couldn’t have been more than 25 feet wide by 50 or 60 feet long, but it was the place to be in our podunk county on those Friday nights. You’d see your friends there and you would go and see your friends bands playing there, too. Everyone got along and I don’t think I ever witnessed a fight or anything too untoward go down there.* I mean, there would be teenagers smoking cigarettes in the parking lot off to the side of there restaurant and there were definitely kids who showed up stoned or maybe a little drunk, but to my knowledge there were never any serious incidents or injuries that would have jeopardized the shows from happening.** I’m not sure what it took for Richie, the guy who organized the whole thing, to convince the owner of the King Buffet that he should host punk and hardcore shows at his restaurant, but I’m willing to bet he pulled in some decent extra income on those nights - the place was always packed, probably beyond official capacity for the restaurant. Just think about your local Chinese buffet and then picture people skanking or a most pit going on in the middle of the dining area. These shows were a ton of fun, but I’m still shocked, 25 years later, that a restaurant owner was willing to take on the kind of insurance risk that these shows presented. God bless him, though, he did. My band played there a few times, but one show in particular stands out. We were a hardcore band, or maybe “metalcore” would be a better descriptor. There were four bands scheduled to play that night. We were playing third and the fourth band, Stick Figure Suicide, was slated to play some dates on the Warped Tour later that summer. I don’t think it was ever discussed within our band, but I think subconsciously we were primed to show them up. Not because we had any beef with them or anything like that, but more like “Oh, you’re going to be playing on the Warped Tour? Well, we should be the ones playing on the Warped Tour and we’re going to prove it tonight.” It was the kind of hubris that only a bunch of 18 year olds with a chip on their shoulders could muster. In truth, we probably took that approach to any show we played, but I think there was a little more of it that evening. It was a hot summer night and the buffet was packed. There was a kid who, for some reason, brought one of those giant stuffed animals that you win at the boardwalk or at a carnival if you can pop three balloons with a dart. It was like three feet tall and I think it was a monkey or gorilla, but it might have been a bear. The intent, I think, was have it in the pit as a joke or for humorous photos or something. When we played our show, the audience was ready for us, our past performances there might have given us a reputation. Our shows got wild, and we did get kicked off stage during our high school’s Battle of the Bands for starting a mosh pit once, but they were never actually out of control and the pits were usually pretty lively. We played with a focused intensity that night and crowd responded in kind: the undulations of the pit would frequently push people into the makeshift barrier of chairs in the front of the stage. Towards the end of our set, the aforementioned stuffed monkey/gorilla/bear/whatever did indeed make it into the pit. It was promptly torn to shreds and its stuffing was strewn about, littering the floor of the buffet. After we finished our set and moved our gear off the stage, I helped clean up the detritus from the stuffed animal while Stick Figure Suicide set up for their show. By the time they started playing a few minutes later, the buffet had cleared out significantly from the 120 or so people who had attended, to the point where I was standing in the middle of the dining room/pit area holding a garbage bag full of stuffed animal guts and the band was pretty much fully visible to me with maybe only 20 people in front of them on the floor watching. I kind of felt a little bad for them in the moment, they were supposed to be the headliners and we straight up stole that show from them. However, they did get to play the Warped Tour and we never did. Now, I realize this somewhat self-congratulatory story has nothing to do with The Specials, but I associate their music with shows in that place and the people I remember from those days. They were sort of a backing soundtrack to a lot of those shows and friendships. While ska was never really for me, that is where this record took me today. *The King Buffet would stop hosting shows shortly after the events told here. They unknowingly sold alcohol to a minor with a fake ID, which may or may not have been a setup by the local police department in order to put a stop to the shows - I wouldn’t have put it past them. **A friend of mine fell off a chair while filming the show I describe here and broke his arm. He was quickly taken to the hospital by another friend of ours and no emergency services were called, as that would have surely put an end to punk rock shows at the King Buffet.

No. 283/1001 Gangsters 2/5 A Message to you Rudy 3/5 Do the Dog 2/5 It's Up To You 3/5 Nite Klub 3/5 Doesn 't Make It Alright 3/5 Concrete Jungle 2/5 Too Hot 2/5 Monkey Man 2/5 New Eea 2/5 Blank Expression 3/5 Stupid Marriage 3/5 Too Much Too Young 3/5 Little Bitch 3/5 You're Wondering Now 2/5 Average: 2,53 Just not my taste.

I loved this album musically, the real blueprint for 2-tone. Massive shame about the adolescent views on relationships and the misogyny on Side B.

I liked this more than I expected, scattershot in a beguiling way. The often volcanic rockabilly guitar surprised me, and while some of lyrics are dated mansplaining, they are interesting, unusual (to me) dated mansplaining - the character and the conceits in the singer’s mode of address hold the attention. The vocals are also pleasingly fey when Hall lets his guard down.

Ouais ça fait changement un ska reaggea.j'ai bien aimé. Ça date en plus mais ça a un bon son 3.75

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4KCB3-UZqM Favorite tracks: A Message to You Rudy, Blank Expression, Stupid Marriage. Album art: Really dig this layout, with the track list and everything framing the band photo. 3/5

I liked some of the songs, but the overall effect of this left me a bit cold. It's all within the same register for the most part. Doesn't feel too dynamic as an album, even if I didn't hate listening to it. I'd give it 2.5 if I could.

Кринж не прошедший время

Are they called “The Specials” because they’re special? I don’t know and frankly I don’t care- I could barely get through this album once. This may be my least favourite album so far, so in a sense they are special.

I hate ska

Je suis à deux doigts de devenir particulièrement vulgaire pour écrire cette review, comment peut on servir un album aussi minable, mais pire, comment peut on considerer cet album comme "à écouter avant de mourir"? Là Robert, permet moi de te dire que c'est la honte, et que tout le générateur est déçu de ce choix, on pensait que tu valais mieux que ça. Autant en emporte le vent donc.

No. Just no. It sounds like this research that was conducted about the most unlikeable song.

Still the best 2tone album for me!

Perfect album!

The Specials, Bad Manners, Madness, The Beat etc.. I was around when this was all happening. It was incredible. I didn't appreciate at the time that many of these songs were covers. I imagine that my kids, and their kids, would not enjoy this album, but to me it evokes so many memories that I can't do anything other than give it 5 stars!

Absolutely love this album. The influence in blur is so obvious

I love The Specials. I haven't listened to this album in years. Totally brings back nostalgia

Best ska album ever, sorry Desmond, sorry Skatalites. Not sorry.

Classic

The Specials are AMAZING - I loved their music.

One of my all time favourite bands and album. Followed them on the two tone tour in 79. Every song is a hit.

Reviewing with a huge heap of nostalgia as it’s right up there amongst my favourite albums from my teens. Great fun and thoroughly enjoyable. The albums not bad either 😅

Cheese? Bacon? Mayonnaise?!

Hitching a lift on the back of Alessio's scooter up north, the warm surroundings and non-stop laughter, lying face down to breathe in the dew from the earliest morning grass, launching ourselves off the pier to reset, culminating in drinking a blend of teas in the morning haze having, with any luck, escaped the threat of an antiquing. All that was left was wondering how to get home....this album is its soundtrack and even then, is still a classic in its own right.

I instantly thought i'd be giving this 5, and a listen yesterday confirmed it. Brimming with absolute bangers, so much variety. Some is genius, some is dumb fun, so many different moods and energies captured, such iconic production (like the weird different mic sounds on do the dog). Every little skit adds to the overall product. Truly a legendary album. Should have been in my top 5 of all time.

They had the sound, the look, and started the label that was ska in late 70s/early 80s England. Now don't turn your nose up at "ska." This isn't AFV theme song ska. This is stripped-down ska. It's aggressive. It's political. And it's amazing. This album in particular. I'm still on the fence about their second album, "More Specials." But there isn't a weak tune in this collection. It's mind blowing.

This was such a fun listen! This is a band that I didn't actively pay attention to back in the day, but I'm glad I get to appreciate them now. I'm definitely coming back to this album.

Love this album. Was definitely a fun revisit. I still play a lot of these songs on the regular.

Wow, the memories that have just come to me whilst listening to this. The smells of a smokey dance floor, the bass thumping through the speakers & the talc on the dance floor to help the dancing - BLISS!

All hail the combination of The Specials and Elvis Costello.

Fuck yeah 1st wave british ska. 5 stars always. If you hate Ska, I hate you.

Excellent album, have loved it for a long time

Starker Ska

Sixteen Candles the movie had a great soundtrack with "Little Bitch" being a highlight.

A classic for so many reasons, and when Too Much Too Young and Message are the standout singles you forget that the rest of the album really goes hard too! Not only a great snapshot of working class anger in the 70s, but also just very danceable :) Faves: Monkey Man (always), Concrete Jungle, A Message to You Rudy

This brings me back to 1982 and my little punk 14 year old self

Brilliant, absolute classic!

From the first off beats off ‘Message…’ it’s a perfect and fun record. Not only does it put one in a good state of mind but it’s also a strongly well written political album at times. It makes you dance, pogo, laugh, think and fires you up against racist behaviour.

Full of exuberant energy, this has been a favorite for a long time. Rico Rodriguez is a legend and takes "Message" to the next level.

5/5

In what turned put to be a banger I was very surprised by this really really good album. Probably top SKA ever. The special influence is undeniable and so many of the newer ska and punk bands have so much of their material that its insane. save ferris, no doubt, sublime, even the beastie boys. This album is a 5 star for me. Didnt even think it would be a 3 but here I stand corrected.

One of the founding fathers of the 2-tone movement of the late 70s in England. Their debut ranks just behind The Beat in quality but IS the most influential and important release of a mini cultural revolution. Stylistically bold, musically accomplished and culturally at the forefront. It is definitely of a particular time and place but it's one thing to be of a time and place but when you define that time and place...well that makes it a 5 ⭐ album

I KNOW YOU AND YOURE JUST A LITTLE BITCH

és én még azt hittem, hogy a punkba oltott reggaet a Police találta ki! és Elvis Costello volt a producer, ami mondjuk megmagyarázza az eklektikát meg a csodálatosságot is 🤣 love it love it love it

Brutal

Brilliant record. A reminder of those 6th Form parties. The 2015 remaster has a second disc of live tracks - awesome.

Just great. Lovely album, I've been listening to it (on and off) for probably nearly thirty years. I still find the bass mesmerising, however I also love the Hammond, I love the drums, I love the horns, I love the vocals. Straight up 5 star classic.

of the Americanized "Ska"; enjoy it, check out the original artists, and be astounded.  Then, circle back and check out the American Moon Ska scene.  Then, track down Cincinnati, OH's own Erector Set, and their best Specials song not written by the Specials "Inside Out".    Above all, listen to more ska! 

I enjoy Ska and Two-tone quite a bit, so I love this album. It is probably the height of that revival wave. Great debut. Considering the biggest songs of 1979 were mostly disco hits, this would have been a breath of fresh air.

Interesting combination of genres. Energetic and great fun. Reminded me of Madness at some points. Really good sound. Loved it. I'd definitely love to hear more. Highlights: A Message to You Rudy Do the Dog Nite Klub Concrete Jungle Monkey Man

Ska! These reggae infused songs lift the heart and spirit.

Great album. Ska music at its best The album is just full of bangers. absolutley brilliant. Favourite song: Gangsters, what a track that is!! Do the dog is also a little favourite and great live. Least favourite: They are also classics. Album artwork: Iconic cover

It’s a 5-star classic great from beginning to end

I own a compilation to 2-tone ska on vinyl, and it is no surprise how much of this is dominated by The Specials. They were masters of the genre and I’ve yet to hear anything by them that I didn’t love. This album is no exception. I was already familiar with a fair few tracks here, and anything new to my ears sounded as good as the rest. It’s hard to be sad while listening to ska, and that’s why I love it.

the first few songs were so good that i think the rest felt disappointing even though it was also very fun

So much fun and energy! Loved it!

Absolutely magnificent album. Every single track would have been a hit single.

Classic Specials, five stars

The Specials Another one I listened to a lot at uni but have only intermittently put on over the intervening years, although through cultural osmosis it feels like I hear A Message to You Rudy and Too Much Too Young pretty frequently. It’s been fun listening to it today though, reminding myself why I used to listen to it so much and also thinking I might appreciate it even more than I did then - it’s great! And through better headphones it sounds much better now than it did 25 years ago. It always sounded quite thin on CD to me, but now the drums and bass seem much fatter and fuller and I feel I can hear more instrumentation. That might be my mind playing tricks - I remember the jewel case and booklet felt quite cheap lightweight and and I don’t know about you but if the packaging on a CD felt quite lightweight and cheap I often thought the music sounded thin too. The ska rhythms and bass playing with the more prominent lead guitar, the punk tempo and attitude with the lyrical social commentary is a winning combo. And 45 years after it was released the energy and enthusiasm is remarkable, you can still feel the sincerity and intent. Beside the deceptively skilled playing each song is brilliantly arranged, whether its an original or an ‘inspired by’ cover. I assume Elvis Costello had a hand in that alongside Jerry Dammers, but there’s a fair bit of instrumental texture and tone that isn’t always that obvious. I think each song stands on it’s own, but aside from AMTYR and TMTY I’ve always loved Nite Club (particularly the horn arrangement), Concrete Jungle, Monkey Man (superb keyboards), Blank Expression and You’re Wondering Now. And today Doesn’t Make it Alright, Too Hot and Blank Expression stood out After the first listen this morning I thought 4, but on repeat listens it’s definitely a 5 for me. Aside from the quality of songs and playing it’s just a brilliant, exciting listen - danceable but also lyrically interesting, of it’s time but also timeless. I think it’s one of those albums that everyone says is a classic so you either just assume it is or find it underwhelming, but listening to it, it’s clear its a genuinely brilliant bit of musical synthesis and overall a superb album. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great album, nothing else needs to be said.

superb!!!

Excelent.

V good

OH HELL YES. The purveyors of 2tone ska! I still spin this one regularly so it’s hard to critique in any meaningful way lol. It is impossible to overstate how important this band and this record are. The resurgence of ska and honestly the skinhead movement (skinhead was born in Jamaica, remember) are directly related to this band. How I wish I was in London in the late 70’s to witness it. And honestly? It’s just a fun fucking record. You can’t help but move around a little bit! Remember how Thatcher and Reagan were actively dismantling the economy in the US and UK so bands turned to political action? You can’t remove that from the creation of this record. It was tumultuous but bands like the Specials made it… special. Everyone knows the hits like A Message To You Rudy (a cover of a rocksteady song from the 60’s!) but anti racist songs like Do The Dog and Concrete Jungle highlighted what was really going on. Fun ass songs you can dance to AND get radicalized by? Fuck yeah. Both for history and for being a solid record you gotta give them the ol 5 star. RIP Terry Hall!

Very cool

Yes! Thank you! Ska Punk era! RIP Terry Hall. 5

It’s the Specials. What’s not to like? Had me dancing all afternoon.

Just brilliant. I gave More Specials a 4 because it wasn’t their best album. This is the best album. They capture an era and a feeling so evocatively. Terry Hall was a towering talent and The Specials were fantastic live. Not one dud song…

I am a big fan of the specials. Was into funboy three too. And the colour field. Terry hall had a great voice.

An absolute classic! This record is full of hits.

Klassiker. Intet mindre

Albums are always the most worthwhile when I learn something, and that was an awesome peak into music history and the origins of ska, and the blending of styles.

I really loved the vibe of this album! Some fun, funky, retro ska that I really enjoyed.

yeah this album was pretty sick. i really enjoyed listening to it. just some really fun ska. i particularly enjoyed elvis costello's production and the energy that the album had. good stuff!

A classic! Incredible!

One of my all time favorites. The variety and the infusion of punk with ska will forever be copied for years to come after this album. Others have done this to great effect but nothing tops the originals.