The Specials were special

A reissue of three classic albums emphasizes the British ska group's musical legacy.

By GINA VIVINETTO, Times Pop Music Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 7, 2002

It's not difficult to see what an influence the Specials have had on today's pop music. Had the multiculti band of British ska freaks never gotten together in the late 1970s to make delightfully danceable music, we would have had to wait a lot longer to enjoy the similar sounds of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 311, No Doubt, Fishbone, locals Magadog and scores of other acts today that root their sound in the fresh, bouncy beats and horn blasts of Jamaican ska.

Fusing the merriness of ska and rocksteady rhythms with the energy of punk rock, the Specials, in Coventry, England, 1977, instigated the second wave of ska pop. The first was during the 1960s heyday of Jamaican pop stars the Skatalites, but the Specials introduced ska to the mainstream.

Band leader and keyboardist Jerry Dammers created a grass-roots movement when he began his Two Tone record label, famous for booking bands that sported black-and-white-checked duds, skinny ties, spiffy loafers and porkpie hats. The look was a nod to Jamaica and the British mods circa 1960s.

Two Tone stood for racial diversity. The ska revival was very much a reaction to England's emerging skinhead scene, urban gang violence and the race riots of the time. The Specials were adamant about rejecting racism. Listen to the band's Doesn't Make It Alright and Racist Friend for the lowdown. The act's followers, and fans of other Two Tone acts -- the English Beat, Madness -- dubbed themselves Rude Boys, referring to the nickname of Jamaican street thugs. But the sound was one big happy party, even if the tunes were some of the most socially conscious to hit British clubs.

The Specials took ska from Jamaican streets to the British pop world and beyond. Indeed, fans in the United Kingdom happily recall the day ska reigned on Top of the Pops: In November 1979, the Specials, Madness and the Selecter filled three guest spots. Ska had arrived.

EMI/Chrysalis celebrates the Specials by reissuing and remastering three classic albums, complete with CD-ROM videos of some of the group's biggest hits, including Gangsters and Free Nelson Mandela.

THE SPECIALS, THE SPECIALS (EMI/CHRYSALIS) The 1979 debut, with perfect, unfussy production by Elvis Costello -- and for proof that Costello dug the ska beats, consult his Watching the Detectives -- was a groundbreaker, proving right out of the gate with bouncy gems such as A Message To You, Rudy and the pointed Gangsters that the Specials were innovators.

Nite Klub features guest vocalist Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders singing along with frontmen Terry Hall and Neville Staples. Another coup: Rico Rodriguez of the Skatalites, one of the band's heroes, plays trombone on several tunes. Try not to dance. You'll struggle more than those with two left feet. A-plus.

THE SPECIALS, MORE SPECIALS (EMI/CHRYSALIS) Some fans quibble that 1980's More Specials is less ska. True, the band went in a decidely loungier direction on the sophomore album. All of Britain by then had been immersed in the ska revival, with dance club denizens hopping and bopping in loafers and skinny ties to Caribbean riddims. The band had successfully toured the United States, and leader Jerry Dammers wanted to explore creatively.

Ska is still present on More Specials, especially on the cover of Prince Buster's Enjoy Yourself, but you also get a dose of rockabilly courtesy of guitarist Roddy Radiation. Dammers' obsession with old film soundtracks, Perez Prado and "mood music" inspired bachelor pad tunes such as Stereo Party for Two. The dazzling Stereotypes broke new ground, making a gorgeous hodgepodge of dub reggae beats and cocktail jazz sophistication. In other spots, rumba and cha cha grooves inspire foot shuffling. A.

THE SPECIALS A.K.A., IN THE STUDIO (EMI/CHRYSALIS) In The Studio marked a new era for the band, now billed as the Specials A.K.A., with the bitter departure of Hall, Staples and Lynval Golding, who left to form Fun Boy Three, and also Roddy Byers, who jumped ship to jump start Roddy Radiation and the Tearjerkers.

Such wear and tear can be heard on In The Studio, which is pretty much Dammers and a revolving collection of talent. Topics are still tough, but the songwriting grows woefully pedantic on War Crimes (The Crime Is Still the Same), the earnest Racist Friend and The Boiler, a chilling account of rape sung by Rhoda Dakar.

One gem: The magnificent Nelson Mandela (known stateside as Free Nelson Mandela), with all its glorious boy-girl singalong spirit, is a graceful plea for freedom for the most famous prisoner of the South African government. (The song features guest singing from the English Beat's Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, who went on to form General Public.) B.

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