The Specials

[vinzclortho]

are frickin cool.

I had never heard of them until I got Absinthe's "More" and "Gangster" is Gigi Ruff's song. Actually their song "Ghost Town" is in the movie Snatch but I didn't realize it was them. Money Brit Ska band,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWZzsxgH2gY

edit: what the hell? how come when I embed the youtube video it just comes up as a white square. what am I doing wrong?

[you tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0sVcWbqpug[/you tube] but without the spaces no?

object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zWZzsxgH2gY&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zWZzsxgH2gY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

[willywhit]

put zWZzsxgH2gY where link is.
specials are great- a must have for the ipod on the hill;)
rock on....:cool:

[PNWbrit]

here you go

zWZzsxgH2gY

Congratulations on discovering Two Tone. Ahhhhh those were the days.

Presume you are also familiar with pre '83 UB40? Not to be confused with the popish pap they produced later and still.

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[willywhit]

biggest fan
ska rules
embed this one for practice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0sVcWbqpug

[El Chupacabra]

Early Madness is great:

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[bio-smear]

I didn't know UB40 was ever that good. I really like the song from that clip. What album is the from?

[El Chupacabra]

I didn't know UB40 was ever that good. I really like the song from that clip. What album is the from?

From Signing Off; their first album IIRC.

http://www.amazon.com/Signing-Off-UB40/dp/B000000WJY

I used to have this on vinyl (still might). The cover is the UB-40 unemployment benefits form from which the band took its name.

[/music geek]

[PNWbrit]

Their first three albums are incredible - Signinng off, Present Arms (there's also a dub version of this one) and UB44. (El Chupacabra - I still have them all on vinyl :FIREdevil)

Labor of Love in '83 was the start of the decline. Overly poppy, badly chosen although well intended cover versions.

Great story behind the formation of the band, wouldn't surprise me if they made a film out of it, since 70s and 80s British music seems a popular movie genre at the moment

[The AD]

Their first three albums are incredible - Signinng off, Present Arms (there's also a dub version of this one) and UB44. (El Chupacabra - I still have them all on vinyl :FIREdevil)

I really like their early stuff, too, but I also thought "Geoffrey Morgan" was good when it came out (it was after Labour of Love). I haven't listened to it in ages, though.

edit: here's the video for "If It Happens Again" from that album:
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In retrospect it might have a little too much "eightiesness" to it with the electronic drums, etc., but still a catchy tune.

[willywhit]

impress us and actually embed one

[vinzclortho]

I'm not drunk enough yet to try.

I'll start a few more threads about it when I make the attempt this afternoon after some sales calls. and a lunch beer.

[yogachik]

I dated one of The Specials for over a year in the 90s. Traveled all over with Roddy, Neville, Adam, Lynval, Aitch, etc - had a blast back then. I still get random phone calls from Neville.

[The AD]

Please tell me it wasn't Jerry Dammers! And if it was I hope he got his teeth fixed.

[yogachik]

This was post Jerry, in their 90s incarnation. It was still fun, they still sounded great and put on a fantastic show. But the Elvis Costello produced album, The Specials, when Jerry was the core, is one of my desert island discs.

[PNWbrit]

This was post Jerry, in their 90s incarnation. It was still fun, they still sounded great and put on a fantastic show. But the Elvis Costello produced album, The Specials, when Jerry was the core, is one of my desert island discs.

Weren't they the Special Beat by then?

[yogachik]

Weren't they the Special Beat by then?
No. They were The Specials. Whole line-up minus Terry (who is necessary to the band, it's true). This is what they were recording at the time -- I had lots of fun in that recording studio. Great group of guys.

[Tunco]

Man, now I gotta go see if my Fred Perry's still fit.

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[PNWbrit]

No. They were The Specials. Whole line-up minus Terry (who is necessary to the band, it's true). This is what they were recording at the time -- I had lots of fun in that recording studio. Great group of guys.

An old high school friend of mine used to play various sax types with them. It would have been before that Album, I think. Recollection of exactly when is hazy.

Where abouts was the studio - London? Sounds like fun times.

[yogachik]

Great memories from those YouTube links. I remember being at a House of Blues show c. 1996 and thinking the entire balcony (or second floor) was going to collapse from all the dancing/jumping.

You'd all be proud of me - I taught them all how to snowboard, when they played Big Bear (in an El Nino year), some KROQ show they did there - they headlined, No Doubt was just starting, and was early in the line-up. Anyway, seeing them on snow was a kick, one of my all-time great days in life.

Studio was in the valley, Sun Valley, to be exact. Outskirts of LA. It was a schlep. They were put up in Van Nuys at some long-term apartment complex and were here about 6 months, maybe less. Fuzzy days.

[scoober]

What is this ska day in music books video? Love it, love it all. This stuff was much better for dorky misaffected high school youth than all this bullshit emo boys kissing boys stuff out today.

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[Tippster]

I didn't know UB40 was ever that good. I really like the song from that clip. What album is the from?
Dude. UB40 was a real band before their cover of "Red Red Wine" came out. "Food for Thought" (the tune in that vid,) "King," "One in Ten" are fucking classic. There's a "Best of 80-83" album out there that's very worthy of acquisition.

Speaking of Ska (UB40 is actually Dub Raggae, technically) you should check out The Selecter and the Skatalites.

[The AD]

or the movie "Dance Craze," if you can find it...

[PNWbrit]

Bump for Yogachick

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/20/specials-reforming-interview-2-tone

[The AD]

Oh my God does Terry Hall look old.

[OSECS]

The Specials, UB-40, English Beat, Madness, Thomson twins, Fishbone, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Ska and reggae mixes.