The Specials (Deluxe Version)

‘The Specials’ is the debut album of The Specials and is seen as one of the most defining moments in the UK ska/two-tone scene.

Many of the songs on the album describe the state of England at the time; The choice to be unemployed and to party everyday, living off of welfare, was often chosen because people didn’t want to work in a shithole – They’d rather drink to forget the shithole they live in. This is further emphasised by the track ‘Concrete Jungle’, describing how the surrounding area (Coventry) is full of large, mundane, and depressing buildings – They would go on to use the same imagery in the ‘Ghost Town’ music video.

Several tracks on this album are also covers of older Jamaican songs, such as ‘A Message to You, Rudy’ being a cover of Dandy Livingstone’s ‘A Message to You, Rudy’, ‘Monkey Man’ being a cover of Toots & The Maytals‘ ’Monkey Man‘, ’You’re Wondering Now‘ being a cover of ’You’re Wondering Now‘ which was later covered by, ska band, The Skatalites, etc.