I was listening to one of their greatest hit albums today and it reminded me of how excellent they were.

I especially love the song "Ghost Town" and "Too Much, Too Young"

They sort of reminded me of Prince a bit with the eclectic, two-tone nature of the band. And their kick-ass attitude.

I thought they were just the right balance of musicians with something to say, great beats, and also melodic at the same time.

What da you think ?

I'm not a SKA or Reggae expert so I wondered if anyone had any tips ?
[Edited 2/10/06 18:58pm]

At one time I was a pretty big fan. For whatever reason, I don't listen to them the way I still listen to Wire or the Undertones, but I'd still rank the first Specials record as one of the best albums to come out of the UK new wave era.

I also really liked the records Terry Hall released as part of the Fun Boy Three, though the acts sounded absolutely nothing alike. There's not a hint of ska to be found on a Fun Boy Three record - they basically sound like a classically melodic UK pop act with a slight world music influence in their rhythms. Picture a wimpier stop making sense era talking heads with a British accent, maybe. I'd rank their first album as highly as the Specials' debut. I'm not even sure if it's ever been issued on CD, but if you ever do come across it I'd really recommend picking it up.

I like the line "stop your messing around"

I like that 'Enjoy Yourself' song. It reminds me of being young.

My babysitter, Jackie French, used to have parties as soon as my my mother and father left the house, evey Saturday. There'd be all these teenagers drinking beer and dressed in black. Me, my brother and sister used to love it! I must have been around six to nine years old. They used to play ska music all night: The Specials; Madness; Bad Manners: The Selector...

Cool, that's 5 of us who like "The Specials" then.....
[Edited 2/12/06 7:33am]

Make that 6.

damosuzuki said:

I don't really care for Terry's side projects.....there are only a couple of songs with Fun Boy Three that were alright. I like his stuff with Tricky,"Castles In The Air" with Colourfield.....and this song he did with Mushtag, but as a whole I could've done without all of his side project. I wish he would've used that time to make more Specials albums instead.

I like the Specials, but I never think of Prince whenever I hear them.

One of my favorite bands of all time.

I love Pressure Drop

Stax said:

Toots

AnckSuNamun said:

Stax said:

oh, I was just sayin' I liked Toots better. Pressure Drop's been covered by other ska bands too

AnckSuNamun said:

It's more the energy and vibe of the band.

It reminds me of the Uptown Dirty Mind era.