Originally appeared at Albumism October 16, 2019
Happy 40th Anniversary to The Specials’ eponymous debut album The Specials, originally released October 19, 1979.
The 2 Tone era was one of the more influential and important movements in music during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Originating in Coventry, a city in the West Midlands of England, it was formed as a way to address the heightened racial tensions in the time of Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister. Eventually, 2 Tone not only became a movement, but a record label as well with most of its bands being comprised of black, white and multiracial members. The sound was a fusion of traditional ska, reggae, rocksteady, punk and new wave that became a part of the second wave of ska music.
The 2 Tone Records roster featured acts such as The Selecter, The (English) Beat and Bad Manners, but the band that stands above all others is The Specials. Their self-titled debut album is just as fun and relevant today as it was upon its release back in 1979.
The Specials was a great counterbalance to the rise of right wing groups, which were becoming more prevalent in England at the time. In addition to merging a few styles, the album’s fifteen tracks are an interesting mix of originals and cover songs that are witty, humorous and unapologetically political. Produced by Elvis Costello, the album features Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, Jerry Dammers, the band’s leader and chief lyricist, on keyboards, John Bradbury on drums, with guest musicians Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez making up the horn section.
The Specials had already earned a reputation for being an energetic live act and producer Costello successfully helped transfer that energy into the studio and onto the record. The LP comes out of the gate with three songs that offer a social commentary on the state of life in England. The opening track, “A Message to You, Rudy,” is a cover of Dandy Livingstone’s 1967 hit “Rudy, A Message to You.” The song serves as a warning to all the rude boys (rudy for short), to clean up their act with lyrics like, “Stop your fooling around / Time you straighten right out / Better think of your future / Else you’ll wind up in jail.” The aforementioned Rodriguez has the distinction of playing trombone on both versions. “Do the Dog,” loosely based on Rufus Thomas’ “The Dog,” addresses the rise in violence in the UK and in the music scene (“All you punks and all you teds / National Front and Natti dreds / Mods, rockers, hippies and skinheads / Keep on fighting ’till you’re dead / Who am I to say? / Who am I to say? / Am I just a hypocrite? / Another piece of your bullshit / Am I the dog that bit, the hand of the man that feeds it?”) “It’s Up to You” rounds out the opening three songs a simple call for racial harmony (“It’s up to you, up to you, black / It’s up to you, up to you, white / It’s up to you, up to you, unite / It’s up to you, up to you, or fight”). By the time you get to this song, you feel like you’re in a pub listening to The Specials and you’re digging every minute of it.
That leads us into the next track, “Nite Klub,” which opens up with the sounds of clinking glasses, muffled conversations and some of the best Jamaican patois I’ve ever heard on vinyl. It even features Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders on backing vocals. At this point, the band is clicking on all cylinders, giving us bursts of energy while telling tales about someone we may know or maybe even ourselves. The bottom line is most of us can relate to the sentiments conveyed in “Nite Klub,” such as “Nite Klub, is this the in place to be? / Nite Klub, what am I doing here? / Nite Klub, watching the girls go by / Spending money on…”
As you continue listening to this album, it becomes very clear that the Specials aim to address topics like racism, teen pregnancy and just trying to figure out how to exist day to day. The album could have come off as heavy-handed and preachy, but the Specials make it work by mixing in humor with sharp observations on life in Thatcher\’s England. An essential track from this album is “Concrete Jungle,” written by Roddy Radiation, which again addresses racial violence in England (“I have to carry a knife / Because there’s people threatening my life / I can’t dress just the way I want / I’m being chased by the National Front”
The Specials’ debut album clearly paints a very vivid picture of late 70’s to early 80’s England. It is like a newscast delivered through a hybrid of ska and reggae with a punk attitude, all from the confines of a small pub in Coventry. Even when the subject of one of their songs is packed with information and astute observations, you never lose sight of the fact that it has been one hell of an enjoyable ride thus far. Songs like “Gangsters,” “Monkey Man” and “Too Much Too Young” are the highlights of the second half of the album and only reaffirm what has already been established.
This is a great record that checks off so many boxes when determining what a debut album should sound like. The album ends with the perfect sendoff, “You’re Wondering Now.” There have been many interpretations about what the meaning of this song is, but I can’t help but think that it is indeed the perfect sendoff. I think this album’s purpose was to entertain and inform us without sending us into a spiral of doom and gloom. The Specials set the bar very high, not only for first albums, but for what a socially conscious record should sound like. The Specials’ debut LP is a must have in your record collection.
