The Specials - Rototom Sunsplash (14/08/2017)

Horace Panter / Interview (Idol Worship) 1980

Horace Panter - Interview by Devorah & Joey (01/05/1980)



It Was 1980! The Specials Were Doing Their First US Tour & We Were Publishing The First Issue Of Idol Worship: An Interview With Sir Horace Gentleman.

http://devorahostrov.blogspot.ie/2017/04/it-was-1980-specials-were-doing-their.html

The Specials / Interview (12/08/1981)

THE POP LIFE

By ROBERT PALMER
August 12, 1981, Wednesday

DURING the worst weeks of the inner-city rioting that flared up in Britain last month, that country's number one single was ''Ghost Town,'' an eerily prophetic song by the Specials. ''Why must the youth fight against themselves?'' the Specials asked, and they provided an answer: ''Government leaving the youth on the shelf. No job to be found in this country / Can't go on no more, people getting angry / This town is coming like a ghost town.'' (Plangent Visions Music, Ascap). Tonight, the Specials are playing at the Dr Pepper Festival on Pier 84, 12th Avenue and 46th Street. They flew into town earlier this week to finish planning a brief American tour that will take them across the country to Los Angeles and back again for a second New York performance at the Ritz on Tuesday, Aug. 25. On Monday, the three of them (there are seven in all) sat down to talk. ''When we recorded 'Ghost Town,' we were talking about last year's riots in Bristol and Brixton,'' said Terry Hall, one of the group's lead vocalists. ''The fact that it became popular when it did was just a weird coincidence.''

Nevertheless, the Specials, a multiracial band that has played numerous benefit concerts for antiracist and antinuclear organizations and recently performed in Britain to aid the Right to Work march protesting unemployment, have always been a cause-oriented group. ''Because we are multiracial, we want to see people live together the same way we work on our music,'' said Lynval Golding, the group's black rhythm guitarist and vocalist. ''Issues like racism and unemployment can't be pushed aside. One reason we aided the Right to Work march was that one in ten people in Britain are unemployed now, which is a lot of people, if you think about it. Most of the Specials are from working-class backgrounds. I know if I didn't have this job to do, I'd probably have been out there doing what those kids were doing during the rioting. You can't blame them for rebelling against the system, because it's the system that has caused the unemployment.'' 'They Aren't Helping Anybody'

''Our government leaders aren't interested in knowing the way people feel,'' Mr. Hall added. ''If they were, they'd just resign, because they aren't helping anybody. The kids can't go to the Prime Minister and say, look, 'We are unemployed, what are you going to do to help us?' There's no way they can approach people like that. So they express themselves by smashing things up.''

Neville Staples, the Specials' black lead vocalist and most manic stage performer, joined the conversation. ''Can you imagine leaving school and just going on the dole,'' he asked, ''with no hope of getting a job? Knowing that for the next 40 or 50 years you probably aren't going to be working? That's really depressing. It's very depressing in England now, and everyone is saying there's more of this to come and worse. I'm just wondering what my kids are going to do.''

The Specials have had a stormy history. They were the first British band to popularize a new kind of rock that was heavily influenced by ska, the Jamaican pop music of the 60's. Two Tone, the record label they started as a home base for bands with similar ska-related styles and similar commitments to racial harmony, eventually lent its name to an entire movement, encompassing popular bands like The Selecter, the English Beat, and Madness. After the Specials burst on the British recording scene at the end of 1979, Two Tone music became extremely popular there, but performances by Two Tone bands sometimes drew crowds that included opposing or hostile elements - blacks and Asians on the one hand, a few neo-Fascists on the other. Several Specials concerts were interrupted by shouts of ''Sieg Heil'' and Nazi salutes, and on more than one occasion, members of the band waded into the crowd to eject hecklers from the premises. A Second U.S. Tour

After more than a year of almost nonstop touring, including a swing through the United States in early 1980 that resulted in remarkably vivid and energizing performances at new-wave clubs like New York's now-defunct Hurrah, the Specials decided to take a vacation. They returned to action recently with their single ''Ghost Town,'' which included an antiracist song by Lynval Golding and a bittersweet partying tune by Terry Hall on its flip side. They also played some benefits before beginning their long-delayed second United States tour, which comes almost a year after the release here by Chrysalis records of their second album, ''More Specials.''

The British music press has been spreading rumors of a Specials breakup recently, but Terry Hall put these rumors in perspective. ''We've all been writing songs that might go on a third Specials album,'' he said, ''but right now we're thinking about Wednesday night's concert, which we've been looking forward to for a long time. When we get back to England, we'll decide what to do next. We learned long ago that planning things far in advance doesn't work for us; we have to plan things from day to day.'' That might help explain how the band managed, apparently without trying, to make a hit single that perfectly mirrored the perilous tenor of its times. Black and British

The Specials have helped create a brand of pop music that appeals to both blacks and whites in Britain. For the most part, British pop since the advent of their Two Tone fusion has either been variations on Two Tone, white rock and popular music, or Jamaican-derived black reggae. But recently, a few of Britain's black musicians have begun to create pop that is both overtly black and overtly British, rather than black and second-generation Jamaican or some species of blackwhite fusion.

The Specials / Honor Late Drummer John "Brad" Bradbury on Current Tour

The Specials Honor Late Drummer John "Brad" Bradbury on Current Tour.

By Jon Solomon

27/09/2016

The Specials, the renowned ska band that formed in Coventry, England, nearly four decades ago, finally got together again to record demos last November, after years of gathering material and ideas. According to founding member and guitarist Lynval Golding, it was drummer John “Brad” Bradbury’s idea to do a new tour with new material. But the following month, in December 2015, Bradbury passed away at the age of 62.

Golding says he’s still got the first demos of those songs, some of which were written by Bradbury, that they’d been working on — but he and Bradbury were very close, and the situation is still so emotional that he can't even listen to those songs.

“We did everything together,” Golding says. “He was like my right arm, and I was like his right arm.”

Bradbury, who replaced Silverton Hutchinson early on in the band’s career, first recording on the song "Gangsters," helped create the Specials' sound. “Brad came in, and he changed everything,” Golding says. “He created that rhythm, that beat. If you listen to the way he played, nobody has played like Brad. That’s why we made sure that when we get anyone to stand in we don’t want anyone to copy Brad. It’s impossible.”

Golding says they want Gary Powell, drummer of the Libertines, to be himself while on the current tour through the U.S. and U.K. The lineup also includes original members Terry Hall and Horace Panter, as well as keyboardist Nikolaj Trop Larsen, lead guitarist Steve Cradock (who’s also in Ocean Colour Scene) and a horn section. The lineup has undergone changes over the decades, beginning with co-founding keyboardist Jerry Dammers, who founded 2 Tone Records in 1979 and hasn't worked with the band in nearly two decades. Original lead guitarist Roddy Byers left the Specials in 2014 to concentrate on his band the Skabilly Rebels, and singer Neville Staples left to focus on his solo career.

“This tour is all about Brad,” Golding said before starting the U.S. tour. “We’re going to give 100 percent every night. After the tour finishes, we’ll see where we go from there. The only thing I got in my mind is to play these songs for Brad.”

But before Golding, who’s been living near Seattle in recent years, committed to the tour, he actually considered quitting the band. Then he remembered that Bradbury had wanted the band to do this tour.

“We were going to make new music and do this tour,” Golding says. “We were going to give you new music. I thought, ‘I can’t do it.’ But I waited and I talked to Terry. Terry is wonderful. Horace is a wonderful partner. Those two guys…. Me, Terry, Horace and Brad run this band — the four that did everything. The three of us talked. I said, ‘I don’t know if I can carry on.’ But this is what Brad wanted. He wanted this tour. Let’s do this tour for Brad. Just do it for him. I thought, ‘All right, yes. I will.’”

Although the Specials, whose last record of original material was 1998’s Guilty 'til Proved Innocent, had been working on new songs, actually releasing a new album under the Specials' name is another issue.

“We’re going through a situation where, legally, we’re going through a problem because we can’t release any music under our name, the Specials, without clearing certain issues that we’ve got right now,” Golding said. “I don’t want to go into it. So that is the reason why we have not released any new music. We’re still writing. We’ve still got material that we’re putting together, but we can’t officially release anything as the Specials until all legal issues [are resolved]. And you know what it’s like. This could go on for years. It’s been going on for the last seven years.”

While it might be a while before a new Specials album is released, Golding is releasing his very first solo recording with the Austin-based reggae group Contra Coup on September 28, the same day the Specials perform at the Ogden Theatre. Golding injects a reggae vibe into two different mixes of the Clash’s “Know Your Rights,” a song he says is as important today as when it was originally released on Combat Rock in 1982, and it's a very appropriate song for what's happening these days politically in the United States and England. The record was also a way to pay tribute to Clash frontman Joe Strummer.

“If it wasn’t for Joe Strummer, I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you today,” Golding says. “Joe Strummer was the one who gave the Specials the break.”

Strummer had seen the Specials, who were known as Special AKA at the time, and invited the band on the Clash on Parole Tour in the U.K. in 1978, helping expose the Specials to a wider fan base. And taking the Specials on tour with the Clash made sense, as the Specials were infusing their brand of ska and rocksteady with punk energy. It also brought different cultures together.

“When the band got together, I was the first member of the band with Jerry,” Golding says. “Obviously, there’s a black guy and there’s a white guy who come from totally different backgrounds. I was born in Jamaica and raised in Coventry. Multi-racial — so the two of us put that together. Because if you look at the musical background, where does the influence of the music come from? I was the one who brought that reggae sound into the band. It’s literally like putting two different cultures together.

“Working in a multi-racial band, at times we had to fight through racism," he continues. "Fight through the National Front. Fight through the British movement. It was pretty hard, because there was a divide in England. And we as a band tried to pull people together, and music is a very powerful thing. It did pull people together.”

While the Specials have endured a number of lineup changes and splits over the past four decades, the band is still pulling people together with its music, delving into hits like “Ghost Town,” “Gangsters” and their version of Dandy Livingstone’s “A Message to You, Rudy,” and deeper cuts while honoring Bradbury's life.

“We’re always going to be emotional on the stage when we don’t see Brad there,” Golding says. “I just hope that I’m strong enough. But he’s giving me strength. His memory. I look at him every day. I got his photograph, and every day I look at him. And I see him and think, ‘Why did he have to go?’ ...Very painful. Everything has got to be absolutely right, because we’re celebrating Brad’s creation, what he created for this band. An amazing drummer, he was.”

http://www.westword.com/music/the-specials-honor-late-drummer-john-brad-bradbury-on-current-tour-8340471

The Specials / list of live Bootlegs (2016-2017)

There are a few songs missing from The Fillmore live set, good quality and Good stage banter from Terry :)

Lynval Golding also pays tribute to the late Prince Buster during Gangsters :)



The Fillmore, Silver Spring (20/09/16)

http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/DU6vP4PM/file.html

The Warfield, San Francisco (23/09/16)



http://www18.zippyshare.com/v/A2WcTLRs/file.html

Rivermead Centre, Reading (08/11/16)
Troxy, London (16/11/16)
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood (18/06/2017)
Rototom Sunsplash (14/08/2017)

The Specials / live Bootlegs (2012 - 2015)

2012

Hyde Park, London (12/08/12)
Pinkpop Festival (28/05/12)
Festival Cruïlla, de Barcelona (07/07/12)
Argeles sur Mer les Déferlantes (08/07/12)
Lokerse Feesten (09/08/12)
Garorock (??/??/12)
BBC Studio (12/12/12)

On Film: 2012

Pinkpop Festival (28/05/12)

Official Releases: 2012

The Specials E.P. Live! (7" Vinyl)

More...Or Less. The Specials Live (Vinyl, CD, Download)

2013

Hype Hotel, SXSW (14/03/13)
House of Vans, SXSW (15/03/13)
Club Nokia, LA (18/03/13)
Showbox, Seattle (27/03/13)
Vogue Theatre, Vancouver (30/03/13)
Friars, Aylesbury (03/05/13)
Guildhall, Portsmouth (26/05/13)
The Fillmore, Silver Spring (12/07/13)

On Film: 2013

Hype Hotel, SXSW (14/03/13)
House of Vans, SXSW (15/03/13)

2014

UEA, Norwich (30/10/14)
Troxy, London (21/11/14)
Le Bataclan, Paris (30/11/14)

On Film: 2014

Le Bataclan, Paris (30/11/14)

Official Releases: 2014

(2 Disc Set, Download)

UEA, Norwich (30/10/14)

2015

Vive Latino, Mexico (13/03/15)
Lollapalooza, Chile (15/03/15)

On Film: 2015

Vive Latino, Mexico (13/03/15)
Lollapalooza, Chile (15/03/15)

Youtube: Paris, France (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUGxo8BqDIg

The Specials / list of live Bootlegs (2010-2011)

2010

Royal Albert Hall, Incomplete (29/04/10)
Club Nokia, Los Angeles (?) (15/04/10)
Terminal 5, New York (20/04/10)
Terminal 5, New York (21/04/10)
Rock Werchter, Incomplete (02/07/10)
Benicàssim, Spain (17/07/10)
Paredes de Coura, Portugal (31/07/10)
Lowlands Festival (20/08/10)
Sound Academy, Toronto (??/08/10)

2011

Official CD Releases

Belsonic, Belfast (27/08/11)
Paradiso, Amsterdam (14/09/11)
Paradiso, Amsterdam (15/09/11)
Cirkus Arena, Sweden (??/09/11)
Berlin (20/09/11)
Hamburg (25/09/11)
L'Olympia, Paris (27/09/11)
Ancienne Belgique, Brussels (28/09/11)
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (11/10/11)
O2 Apollo, Manchester (14/10/11)
SECC, Glasgow (18/10/11)
Cheltenham Racecourse (24/10/11)
The Brighton Centre (25/10/11)
Ricoh Arena, Coventry (29/10/11)
O2 Academy, Brixton (31/10/11)
Alexandra Palace (03/11/11)

On Film

Benicàssim, Spain Incomplete (17/07/10)
Lowlands Festival (20/08/10)

Info

Abbey Road Live Here Now Releases

29 2 Disc Sets, Downloads

Belsonic, Belfast 27/08/11 - Alexandra Palace, London (03/11/11)

Some of the live shows listed above may be Incomplete "Highlights" or I may not even have them.

Youtube: Lowlands (2010)

http://www.vpro.nl/buitenland/speel.WO_VPRO_033117.html

The Specials / list of live Bootlegs (2009)

2009

Carling Academy, Newcastle (22/04/09)
Academy, Birmingham (25/04/09)
O2 Academy, Glasgow (28/04/09)
Apollo, Manchester (04/05/09)
Academy, Brixton (07/05/09)
Oxegen Festival (12/07/09)
Splendour, Australia (26/07/09)
Palace Theatre, Melbourne (30/07/09
Enmore, Australia (??/07/09)
V Festival (22/08/09)
Empress Ballroom, Blackpool (04/11/09)
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (10/11/09)
Brighton Center (19/11/09)

On Film

Jools Holland, BBC Two (04/09)
Glastonbury, Festival (26/06/09)
T in the park, Festival (11/07/09)
Summer Sonic, Japan (08/08/09)
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (??/11/09)

Offical Releases

Academy, Brixton (Sunday Times CD)
Academy, Brixton (iTunes Download)
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (DVD)

Youtube: Wolverhampton (2009)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC0J9bgz0BA

The Specials / List of live Bootlegs (1979-1981)

1979

Aston University, Birmingham (27/04/79)
The Moonlight Club, London (02/05/79)
The Mayfair, Newcastle (09/11/80)
The Lyceum, London (02/12/79)
Paris Theater, London (15/12/79)
Concerts For Kampuchea, Various Artists (??/12/79)

1980

Markthalle, Hamburg (16/01/80)
Paradiso, Amsterdam (21/01/80)
Hurrah's, New York (25/01/80)
New Orleans, Warehouse (26/01/80)
Rainbow Theater, Denver (30/01/80)
The Showbox, Seattle (01/02/80)
The Whisky, C.A. (11/02/80)
U.C. Davis (14/02/80)
The Catalyst, Santa Cruz (16/02/80)
Speaks, Long Island (02/03/80)
Pavillon Baltard, Paris (14/03/80)
Pinkpop Festival, Holland (26/05/80)
Carnival House, Tokyo (02/07/80)
Montreux Jazz Festival (11/07/80)
Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam (18/10/80)

1981

Pier 84, New York (13/08/81)
Paramount Theater, Staten Island (21/08/81)
Liberty Bell Racetrack, Philadelphia (22/08/81)
The Grove Oakville, Canada (23/08/81)

On Film

Colchester Institute, Essex (21/01/1980)
Carnival House, Tokyo (02/07/80)
Pinkpop Festival, Various Artists(26/05/80)
Montreux Jazz Festival (11/07/80)
Jaap Edenhal, Amsterdam (18/10/80)
Dance Craze Various Artists (1981)

Official Releases

Aston University, Birmingham (27/04/79)
The Moonlight Club, London (02/05/79)
Paris Theater, London (15/12/79)

Unofficial, CD & LP Releases

Aston University, Birmingham (27/04/79)
The Moonlight Club, London (02/05/79)
The Lyceum, London (02/12/79)
Markthalle, Hamburg (16/01/80)
Paradiso, Amsterdam (21/01/80)
Hurrah's, New York (25/01/80)
Paradise Rock Club, Boston (30/01/80)
Carnival House, Tokyo (02/07/80)

Other Releases

The Coventry Automatics - Dawning of a New Era (1993)
The Specials & The Special AKA - BBC Sessions (1998)

Demo Recordings (1981)

01 96 Tears
02 Why (Dub)
03 Why (Part II)

Youtube: Rock Goes To College (1979)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWRGcCwqVu0

The Specials / Rare Unseen Photos, Rehearsals & Live (1978 - 1979)

I think it was some time in early 1978 that Mike Horseman asked me to go with him to Coventry one evening to photograph The Specials AKA rehearsing at the home of Jerry Dammers.

I started to photograph as the other members of the band arrived and brought in their equipment. Previously known as The Coventry Automatics, The Specials consisted, at the time, of Jerry Dammers (keyboards and songwriter), Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar and vocals), Neville Staple (vocals), Horace Panter (bass), Roddy Byers (lead guitar), and Silverton Hutchison (drums)



It was 1978, I think, and a short while after I photographed the rehearsal in Coventry that I photographed the Specials again. This time at Barbarella’s—the well known Birmingham nightclub. By now, Silverton Hutchison had left the group and had been replaced by John Bradbury on drums.



All Photos by: Bernard G Mills

Barbarella’s Gig - 21/05/1979)

http://www.bernardgmills.net/Specials_Barbs_Thumbs.html

http://www.bernardgmills.net/Specials_Thumbs.html

http://www.bernardgmills.net/home.html

Jerry Dammers / Ghost Town (BBC Four) 08/01/2016

From The Story of 1981 (BBC Four) 8th of Jan 2016




http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06v9fdp

John Bradbury / The Specials, dies aged 62

John Bradbury of the Specials dies aged 62


Bradbury, the multi-instrumentalist and key component of the 2 Tone sound, was drumming ‘powerhouse’ who played with the Specials for more than four decades.



John “Brad” Bradbury, the drummer with 2 Tone group the Specials, has died aged 62. The band announced the news of his death on 29 December via Twitter.

It is with deep regret that we say goodbye to our great friend, the world's greatest drummer, our beloved Brad. RIP

A statement released by the Coventry band’s spokesperson praised the musician’s influence on the 2 Tone scene. “Brad’s drumming was the powerhouse behind the Specials, and it was seen as a key part to the 2 Tone sound.”

The multi-instrumentalist and producer joined the Special AKA, who had a top 10 hit with Free Nelson Mandela, after the Specials’ original lineup disbanded in 1979.

“He was much respected in the world of drumming, and his style of reggae and ska was seen as genuinely ground-breaking when the Specials first hit the charts in 1979,” the statement continued. “He was an integral part of the Specials re-forming in 2008, and [he] toured with them extensively up to the present day. His contribution to the world of music can not be understated and he will much missed by family, friends and fans alike.”

During his career, Bradbury was also a member of soul group JB’s Allstars and Selecter. He performed with the Specials until his death.

John "Brad" Bradbury (16 February 1953 – 28 December 2015)

R.I.P.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/29/john-bradbury-of-the-specials-dies-ages-62

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35194738

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-12-29/specials-drummer-john-bradbury-dies-aged-62/

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/the-specials-drummer-john-bradbury-dies-aged-62-a3145646.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/john-bradbury-specials-drummer-dies-aged-62/

The Specials / Vive Latino, Mexico (13/03/2015)

Set List:

01 (Dawning Of A) New Era
02 Gangsters
03 Monkey Man
04 Blank Expression
05 Rat Race
06 Doesn't Make It Alright
07 Concrete Jungle
08 Friday Night, Saturday Morning
09 Ghost Town
10 Do Nothing
11 Stereotype
12 Man At C & A
13 A Message To You Rudy
14 Nite Klub
15 Too Much Too Young

Photos:

http://www.tono.tv/fotos-the-specials-en-el-vive-latino-2015/

Review:

http://gritaradio.com/resena-the-specials-en-vive-latino-2015/

Interview:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY71905PcwQ

The Specials / Special Edition CD Remasters (30/03/2015)

3 x 2CD SPECIAL EDITION REMASTERS OF THE ALBUMS:

“SPECIALS”, “MORE SPECIALS” & “IN THE STUDIO”

WITH ADDITIONAL RARE BONUS MATERIAL, NON-ALBUM SINGLES, EP’S & B-SIDES,
NEW EXTENSIVE SLEEVENOTES,
PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN CHALKIE DAVIES’ PHOTOS AND NEW ALBUM COVERS



CD 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “Gangsters”
2. “A Message To You, Rudy”
3. “Do The Dog”
4. “It’s Up To You”
5. “Nite Klub”
6. “Doesn’t Make It Alright”
7. “Concrete Jungle”
8. “Too Hot”
9. “Monkey Man”
10. “(Dawning Of A) New Era”
11. “Blank Expression”
12. “Stupid Marriage”
13. “Too Much Too Young”
14. “Little Bitch”
15. “You’re Wondering Now”

CD 2: EXTRA SPECIALS
Too Much Too Young EP (live) by The Special AKA:
1. “Too Much Too Young”
2. “Guns Of Navarone”
3. “Skinhead Symphony”
a) “Long Shot Kick The Bucket”
b) “Liquidator”
c) “Skinhead Moon Stomp”
BBC In Concert At the Paris Theatre (15/12/79) by The Specials:
1. “(Dawning Of A) New Era”
2. “Do The Dog”
3. “Rat Race”
4. “Blank Expression”
5. “Rude Buoys Outa Jail”
6. “Concrete Jungle”
7. “Too Much Too Young”
8. “Guns Of Navarone”
9. Nite Klub”
10. “Gangsters”
11. Medley:
a) “Long Shot Kick The Bucket”
b) “Skinhead Moonstomp”




CD 1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)”
2. “Man At C&A”
3. “Hey, Little Rich Girl”
4. “Do Nothing”
5. “Pearl’s Café”
6. “Sock It To ‘Em J.B.”
7. “Stereotypes/Stereotypes – Pt. 2″
8. “Holiday Fortnight”
9. “I Can’t Stand It”
10. “International Jet Set”
11. “Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)”

CD 2: MORE EXTRA SPECIALS
Singles, b-sides and rarities by The Specials:
1. “Rat Race”
2. “Rude Buoys Outa Jail”
3. “Stereotypes Pts.1 & 2″ (John Peel session)
4. “International Jet Set” (single version)
5. “Rude Boys Outa Jail” (version) (featuring Neville Staples aka Judge Roughneck)
6. “Do Nothing” (single version) (featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds)
7. “Maggie’s Farm”
8. “Raquel”
9. “Why?” (extended version)
10. “Friday Night, Saturday Morning”
11. “Ghost Town” (full version)
12. “Sea Cruise” (John Peel session) (featuring Rico)
13. “You’re Wondering Now” (Kid Jensen session)



CD1: ORIGINAL ALBUM
1. “Bright Lights”
2. “Lonely Crowd”
3. “What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend”
4. “House Bound”
5. “Night On The Tiles”
6. “Nelson Mandela”
7. “War Crimes”
8. “Racist Friend”
9. “Alcohol”
10. “Break Down The Door”

CD2:
Rarities by The Special AKA:
1. “The Boiler” (Rhoda and The Special AKA )
2. “Can’t Get A Break”
3. “Jungle Music” (Rico and The Special AKA )
BBC Peel Session 12/09/83 by The Special AKA:
4. “Lonely Crowd”
5. “Alcohol”
6. “Bright Lights”
Instrumentals by The Special AKA:
7. “Break Down The Door”
8. “Racist Friend”
9. “War Crimes”
10. “Theme From The Boiler”
11. “Bright Lights”
12. “Nelson Mandela”

Release Date: 30th March 2015

http://louderthanwar.com/the-specials-annoucw-3-x-2cd-special-edition-remasters-of-the-albums/

The Special AKA / In The Studio 180g 12" Vinyl LP (2014 Reissue)

True innovators of the punk era, The Specials began the British ska revival craze, combining the highly danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude, and taking on a more focused and informed political and social stance than their predecessors and peers. By October 1981, constant touring and differences over musical direction saw the original band line-up split but they soon regrouped and reformed as The Special AKA and released their third album In the Studio in 1984.

The album was over two years in the making and featured the hit singles "Nelson Mandela" and "Racist Friend." Newly remastered and reissued on heavyweight 180g vinyl.



The Special AKA - In The Studio

Side 1
1. Bright Lights
2. Lonely Crowd
3. Girlfriend
4. House Bound
5. Night On The Tiles
Side 2
1. Nelson Mandela
2. War Crimes
3. Racist Friend
4. Alcohol
5. Break Down The Door

Format: 12" Vinyl LP
Cat Number: CHR TT X5008
Release date: 27/10/2014

http://2-tone.info/2tone.pl?show151&

http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/prod/TheSpecialAKA-InTheStudio-Chrysalis-99904.html

Rhoda Dakar / Sings The Bodysnatchers (2014)

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Bodysnatchers, 2 Tone Records all-girl goup, lead singer and songwriter Rhoda Dakar will be recording (though not re-forming) a Bodysnatchers album for the very first time.

Formed in 1979 after Shane McGowan introduced Rhoda to bassist Nicky Summers, the band signed to legendary UK record label 2 Tone after only their second show. Nationwide gigs alongside Madness, The Selecter, The Specials, The Go-Gos and Toots & The Maytals followed, as did two UK chart hits; Let’s Do Rocksteady b/w Ruder Than You in March 1980 and Easy Life b/w Too Experienced (produced by label boss/The Specials founder Jerry Dammers) in July of the same year. These now much sort-after singles and their appearance on 2 Tone’s Dance Craze movie were to be The Bodysnatchers only commercial releases.

To celebrate the band’s 35th Anniversary, Rhoda is recording a very special Bodysnatchers album, which will feature previously unrecorded and unheard (outside of a few bootleg live cassettes) Bodysnatchers songs.



Easy Life
The Ghost Of The Vox Continental
Happy Time Tune
007
Private Eye
Too Experienced
The Loser
Mixed Feelings
Hiawatha

Rhoda dakar - Vocals
Mark Claydon - Drums
Horace Panter - Bass
Sean Flowerdew - Keyboards
Lenny Bignell - Guitar
Lynval Golding - Guitar
Karl Wirrmann - Sax

http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/rhodadakar

https://www.facebook.com/rhodadakarofficial

http://www.londoninternationalskafestival.co.uk/shop/

The Specials / Horace Panter & John Bradbury (Video Interview)

Good interview with Horace and Brad recorded for STV Glasgow 06/11/2014

Photos from the Glasgow gig are available below



Video:

http://clips.stv.tv/g/v/V1l1ORmCkxU

Photos:

http://entertainment.stv.tv/galleries/entertainment-music-specials/235928/

The Specials / Live at the Bataclan, Paris, France 30/11/2014

Born in 1977 in England, The Specials mix for decades the dancing aspect of ska to punk aggressiveness. Highly politically engaged, the British formation has risen several times at the top of the UK charts with hits like "Too Much Too Young" and "Ghost Town."

After dissolution due to the departure of three of its members at the end of the 80s, The Specials are reformed in 2009. Always the Devil in the Flesh, the musicians are preparing to blow a wind of rebellion on the Bataclan!

Filmed on 30/11/2014 (87 minutes)



Setlist:

Ghost Town
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
Do Nothing
International Jet Set
Stereotype
Man at C&A
Rat Race
Hey Little Rich Girl
Blank Expression
It's Up to You
Why?
Doesn't Make It Alright
Nite Klub
(Dawning of a) New Era
Do the Dog
Gangsters
Monkey Man
Concrete Jungle
A Message to You, Rudy
Little Bitch
Too Much Too Young

Encore:

Guns of Navarone
Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
You're Wondering Now

Video:

http://concert.arte.tv/fr/specials-au-bataclan

Photos:

http://soundofbrit.fr/2014/12/01/photos-the-specials-bataclan-paris-30-novembre-2014/

Jerry Dammers / Ivor Novello inspiration award (22/05/14)

Legendary keyboard player picks up one of music industry's most prized awards - and dedicates it to his mum

Legendary Specials songwriter Jerry Dammers has been named a music industry inspiration at a major awards ceremony.

The founding member of the Coventry 2-Tone group picked up the inspiration award at the 59th Ivor Novello Awards in London.

It came three decades after his song, Nelson Mandela, stormed the charts calling for the release of the anti-apartheid campaigner.

Dammers scored a top 10 hit with the track performed by Special AKA.

The song became an anti-apartheid anthem and Mr Mandela, who died in December, was eventually released in 1990.

The annual awards, known as The Ivors, are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and are highly prized because they are voted for by songwriters and composers.

Dammers was presented with his award by former Clash guitarist Mick Jones, who described him as “the Tsar of Ska”.

Dammers - who no longer performs with the reformed Specials - revealed that he had almost missed the ceremony because his mother is ill, and dedicated his win to her.

Speaking backstage, the Ghost Town songwriter said he thought the idea of protest music was still thriving.

“I don’t think protest music necessarily has to have lyrics even,” he said. “You can have instrumental protest music, you know - jungle, dub-step, all of those are kind of abstract but still protest music like jazz was before.”

Terry Hall / Sorrow "Live" (Fred Perry) 08/01/14

Terry Hall and Friends - Sorrow from Fred Perry on Vimeo.