The Specials - Specials

Specials is the debut studio album by British ska band The Specials, originally released in October 1979 via 2 Tone Records.

The Specials are an English ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable line-up of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns.

Produced by Elvis Costello, this album captured a disaffected mood amongst the youth of Great Britain in the late 1970s blending the anger of punk music with the sound of 1960s Jamaican ska. The album features a mixture of original material and several covers of classic Jamaican ska tracks.

"Monkey Man" had been a hit for Toots & The Maytals in 1969, "Too Hot" was a Prince Buster original from 1966, and the opening track, "A Message to You, Rudy" was a Dandy Livingstone single in 1967. "You're Wondering Now" was originally performed by duo Andy & Joey and later covered by The Skatalites.

The album was released to mixed reviews, however is now regarded as a classic album from 1979, capturing the mood of an unhappy Britain at that time. New Musical Express ranked Specials in their Top 10 albums for 1979, and Rolling Stone Magazine rank the album at #68 in their list of 100 Best Albums of the Eighties.

This album is the 40^th Anniversary reissue on 2LP 180 gram heavyweight vinyl at 45 RPM, featuring half speed remastered audio, with plain black poly lined inner sleeves and an OBI strip, pressed in Europe via 2 Tone Records.