The Specials

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For other uses, see Specials (disambiguation).
The Specials
The Specials.JPG
Chicago 2013
Background information
Origin Coventry, England
Genres 2 Tone, ska, New Wave, Reggae
Years active 1977–1984, 1996–2001, 2008–present
Labels 2 Tone, Chrysalis, Virgin, Kuff
Associated acts Fun Boy Three, The Spatial AKA Orchestra, The Specials MK2, The Skabilly Rebels
Website www.thespecials.com
Members Lynval Golding
Horace Panter
Terry Hall
Roddy Radiation
John Bradbury
Jon Read
Adam Birch
Tim Smart
Drew Stansall
Nik Torp
Past members Jerry Dammers
Neville Staple
Silverton Hutchinson
Tim Strickland
Dick Cuthell
Rhoda Dakar
Garry McManus
Stan Campbell
Egidio Newton
John Shipley
Nigel Reeve
Caron Wheeler
Claudia Fontaine
Aitch Bembridge
Mark Adams

The Specials (sometimes called The Special AKA[1] ) are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England.[2] Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers)."[3] In 1980, the song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP, reached number one in the UK.[4] In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart.[2] After seven consecutive UK Top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, the band broke up.[2] Their 1984 song "Nelson Mandela" was a No. 9 UK hit.[2] It contributed to making Mandela a cause célèbre in the United Kingdom, and became popular with anti-Apartheid activists.

Afterwards, founder and songwriter Jerry Dammers dissolved the band and pursued political activism.[5]

Contents

Career [edit]

The group was formed in 1977 by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, with Tim Strickland (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals), Silverton Hutchinson (drums), and Horace Panter, a.k.a. Sir Horace Gentleman, (bass). Strickland was replaced by Terry Hall shortly after the band's formation. The band was first called The Automatics, then The Coventry Automatics.[6] Vocalist Neville Staple and guitarist Roddy Byers, a.k.a. Roddy Radiation, joined the band the following year, and the band changed its name to The Special AKA, The Coventry Automatics, and then to The Special AKA. Joe Strummer of The Clash had attended one of their concerts, and invited The Special AKA to open for his band in their On Parole UK Tour. This performance gave The Special AKA a new level of national exposure, and they briefly shared The Clash's management.

The Specials began at the same time as Rock Against Racism which first gathered in 1978. According to Dammers, anti-racism was intrinsic to the formation of The Specials, in that the band was formed with the goal of integrating black and white people. Many years later Dammers stated, "Music gets political when there are new ideas in music, ...punk was innovative, so was ska, and that was why bands such as The Specials and The Clash could be political."[7]

In 1979 shortly after drummer Hutchinson left the band to be replaced by John Bradbury, Dammers formed the 2 Tone Records label and released the band's debut single "Gangsters", a reworking of Prince Buster's "Al Capone". The record became a Top 10 hit that summer.[2] The band had begun wearing mod/rude boy/skinhead-style two-tone tonic suits, along with other elements of late 1960s teen fashions. Changing their name to The Specials, they recorded their debut LP Specials in 1979, produced by Elvis Costello.[5] The album led off with Dandy Livingstone's "Rudy, A Message to You" (slightly altering the title to "A Message To You, Rudy") and also had covers of Prince Buster and Toots & the Maytals songs from the late 1960s. In 1980, the EP Too Much Too Young (credited to The Special AKA) was a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart,[2] despite controversy over the song's lyrics, which reference teen pregnancy and promote contraception.[8]

Reverting once again to the moniker The Specials, the band's second album, More Specials was not as commercially successful and was recorded at a time when, according to Terry Hall, conflicts had developed in the band.[9] Female backing vocalists on The Specials first two studio albums included: Chrissie Hynde, Rhoda Dakar (then of The Bodysnatchers and later of The Special AKA), Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey (of The Go-Go's). In the first few months of 1981 the band took a break from recording and touring, and then released "Ghost Town", a non-LP Specials single, which hit number one in 1981. However, shortly afterwards, Staple, Golding and Hall left the band to form Fun Boy Three.[2]

Dammers then drastically revised the line-up of the band, adding vocalists Stan Campbell and Rhoda Dakar, and began working again under the group name The Special AKA.[5] The resulting album from the new line-up, In the Studio, was less successful, although the song "Nelson Mandela" was a No. 9 UK hit.[2] The latter contributed to making Mandela a cause célèbre in the United Kingdom, and became popular with anti-Apartheid activists in South Africa. Dammers then dissolved the band and pursued political activism.[5]

Later developments [edit]

Since the breakup of the original line-up, various members of the band performed in other bands and have reformed several times to tour and record in Specials-related projects. However, there has never been a complete reunion of the original line-up.

Upon their departure from The Specials, Hall, Staple and Golding founded the pop band Fun Boy Three and enjoyed commercial success from 1981 to 1983 with hits such as "Tunnel of Love", "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)". The group ended with Hall's sudden departure, leading to a fifteen-year rift with Staple.[10]

After Fun Boy Three, Staple and Golding joined Pauline Black of The Selecter in the short-lived band Sunday Best, releasing the single Pirates on the Airwaves.

In 1990, Staple, Golding, Bradbury, and Panter teamed up with members of The Beat to form Special Beat,[8] performing the music of the two bands and other ska and Two Tone classics. The group, undergoing many line up changes, toured and released several live recordings through the 1990s.

Moving into production and management, Neville Staple "discovered" and produced Johnny Zee, who became a huge star in the UK East Asian population, creating bhangra pop fusion in the process. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, Staple would stay active producing and guesting with a variety of artists, including International Beat, Special Beat, Unwritten Law, Desorden Publico, The Planet Smashers and others, as well as leading his own bands and starting the Rude Wear clothing line. He sang with the 1990s Specials line up, and again from 2009 to 2012.

Bass player Horace Panter went on to join with members of The Beat and Dexy's Midnight Runners to form General Public, and then Special Beat. He joined the 1990s Specials before training as a primary school teacher at the University of Central England in Birmingham. He continued to play with later-day Special Neol Davis in the blues outfit Box of Blues. However, he rejoined the band for their 2009 reunion and continues as a member.

Lynval Golding teamed up with Jerry Dammers for a brief spell of DJ'ing in the clubs, and then worked with Coventry band After Tonight. After Special Beat, he went on to lead the Seattle-based ska groups Stiff Upper Lip, and more recently Panama International, as well as many collaborations with other ska bands. He has also toured with The English Beat. He joined the 1990s Specials line up, but left in 2000. He rejoined in 2009 and continues with the group.

Roddy Radiation fronted and worked with several bands including The Tearjerkers (a band that he had begun in the last months of The Specials), The Bonediggers, The Raiders and Three Men & Black which included of Jean-Jacques Burnel (The Stranglers), Jake Burns (Stiff Little Fingers), Pauline Black (The Selecter), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), Dave Wakeling (The Beat, General Public) and Nick Welsh (Skaville UK). He also fronts The Skabilly Rebels, a band that mixes rockabilly with ska. He joined the 1990s Specials line up and again in 2009, continuing to the present.

Drummer John Bradbury continued through the Special AKA era, then formed the band JB's Allstars, before moving into production. He joined Special Beat for several years, then a reformed Selecter before retiring from music to work as an IT specialist.[11] He rejoined the band for their 2009 reunion, and continues to perform with them today.

From 1984 until 1987, Terry Hall fronted The Colourfield, with some commercial success. After they disbanded, Hall pursued a solo career, working mostly in the New Wave genre. He co-wrote a number of early Lightning Seeds releases. He also performed some vocals for a Dub Pistols' album. He joined the band for their 2009 reunion and continues to permorm with them.

Reunions [edit]

The first reunion under the Specials name occurred in 1993, when producer Roger Lomas decided to use The Specials as backing band for a new album by ska legend Desmond Decker. Only Staple, Golding, Radiation, and Panter were willing to participate. They were joined in the studio by former Selecter drummer, Charley Harrington Bembridge. Bembridge had also played in the 1970s with soul singer Ray King, who mentored and worked with Jerry Dammers, Neville Staple, Lynval Golding and Silverton Hutchinson in their days before The Specials.[12] A group of studio muscians, including keyboard and horn player Mark Birch filled out the band. The album, released by Trojan Records as King of Kings was credited to Desmond Decker and The Specials.

This led to an offer from a Japanese promoter to book a tour for the band. Retaining Bembridge and Adams and adding Adam Birch on trombone, the line up began rehearsing and playing live using the names The Coventry Specials andSpecials but shortly reverted to The Specials after accepting that was the name promoters were using anyway,[11][13] although the line up was referred to as Speicals MkII by those involved.[14] This line up would go on to tour internationally and in 1996 released the studio album Today's Specials, a collection of mostly reggae and ska covers.[15] In 1998, the band released Guilty 'til Proved Innocent!, a collection of original compositons featuring guest vocals by Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen of Rancid. The band toured heavily in support of both releases - including headlining the prestigious Vans Warped Tour - receiving positive reviews of their live shows.

Despite the live success, the band fizzled out after a 1998 Japan tour - which Panter missed due to illness[16] - although limited touring with a different line up continued into 2000.

After their 1993 project backing Desmond Decker, the band had been brought back into the studio by producer Roger Lomas to record a number of classic songs from the Trojan Records back catalogue. Two weeks before this project, Golding left the group to concentrate on domestic life in Seattle.[11] Once again turning to a Selecter veteran for help, the band replaced him with Neol Davies. Davies, Staple, Radiation and Panter, joined by a group of session musicans, recorded a wealth of tracks that eventually saw release by Trojan as Skinhead Girl in 2000 and Conquering Ruler in 2001. This would be the last heard of The Specials for some time.

In 2007, Hall teamed up with Golding for the first time in 24 years, to play Specials songs at two music festivals. At Glastonbury Festival they appeared on the Pyramid Stage with Lily Allen to perform "Gangsters". In May 2009 Golding claimed that Allen's reuniting him with Hall played a "massive part" in the groups later reformation.[17] Later the same day they played on The Park Stage, with Damon Albarn of Blur on piano and with beatboxer Shlomo providing rhythm, to perform "A Message To You, Rudy". At GuilFest, Golding joined the Dub Pistols to again perform "Gangsters". In 2007, Golding regularly performed concerts and recorded with Pama International, a collective of musicians who were members of Special Beat.

The Specials performing at Brixton Academy, London, May 2009 as part of their 30th anniversary tour.

On 30 March 2008, Hall stated that The Specials would be reforming for tour dates in Autumn 2008, and possibly for some recording.[18] This was officially confirmed on 7 April 2008.[19] On 6 September 2008, six members of the band performed on the Main Stage at the Bestival billed as the 'Surprise Act'. By December 2008, the band had announced 2009 tour dates to celebrate their 30th anniversary. It was announced that founder member Jerry Dammers is not set to join the band on the tour.

Hall was quoted as saying "The door remains open to him".[20] However Dammers described the new reunion as a "takeover" and claimed he has been forced out of the band.[21] Around that same time, longtime Specials fan Amy Winehouse joined Jerry Dammers on-stage at Hyde Park, singing the song he wrote for the Specials, "Free Nelson Mandela" for Mandela's 90th birthday concert, dubbed 46664 after Mandela's prison number, and also the name of his AIDS charity, which allegedly received money raised by the birthday bash.[22][23]

On 10 April 2009, The Specials guested on the BBC Two's Later... with Jools Holland. The following month, Golding and Bradbury expressed their intentions to release further original Specials material at a later date.[24] On 8 June 2009, it was announced that The Specials would embark on a 'second leg' of their 30th Anniversary Tour - taking in the locations and venues that they missed earlier in the year.[25] In July and August 2009, The Specials toured Australia and Japan. In October the band picked up the Inspiration Award at the Q Awards.[26] In 2010, they performed at the Dutch festival Lowlands.[27]

In an interview at the Green Room in Manchester in November 2010, Terry Hall confirmed that there would be further Specials dates in the Autumn of 2011, and confessed to having enjoyed playing live again; "It's a celebration of something that happened in your life that was important, and we're going to do that again next year, but then maybe that'll be it."[28] In late 2010, the band re-released 'Message To You Rudy' as a Haiti Special Fund available to download from iTunes in both the U.K. and the U.S. with proceeds going in aid of the UNICEF effort to help children in earthquake-striken Haiti.[29]

In February 2012, it was announced The Specials would perform at Hyde Park with Blur and New Order to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[30] Specials bass player Horace Panter said the Coventry ska legends were excited to be involved in such a momentous event and said, "We have been keeping it under our pork pie hats for a month or so now. I think it is going to be the only chance people get to see the Specials performing in the UK this year.".[31] The Specials' performance was said to have remained synonymous with Britain's political and social upheaval of the late Seventies and early Eighties.[32]

In August 2012, The Specials released their brand new live album called More ... Or Less The Specials Live on CD and vinyl, featuring "the best of the best" performances from their 2011 European tour - selected by the band themselves on a double-disc CD and double vinyl LP.[33]

It was in January 2013 that The Specials announced the departure of Neville Staple with the following message on their web site: "We are very sad Neville cannot join us on The Specials UK tour in May 2013 or indeed on the future projects we have planned. He has made a huge contribution to the fantastic time and reception we have received since we started and reformed in 2009. However, he missed a number of key shows last year due to ill health, and his health is obviously much more important. We wish him the very best for the future."

The Specials completed a wildly successful American tour in 2013, performing to sold-out crowds at Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver BC.[34]

Members [edit]

Current members
  • Lynval Golding – rhythm guitar, vocals (1977–1981, 1996–2001, 2008–present)
  • Horace Panter – bass guitar (1977–1981, 1996–2001, 2008–present)
  • Terry Hall – vocals and songwriting (1977–1981, 2008–present)
  • Roddy Radiation – lead guitar, vocals (1978–1981, 1996–2001, 2008–present)
  • John Bradbury – drums (1979–1984, 2008–present)
  • Jon Read – trumpet (1996–2001, 2008–present)
  • Adam Birch – trumpet (1996–2001, 2008–present)
  • Tim Smart - trombone (2008–present)
  • Drew Stansall – saxophone (2008–present)
  • Nik Torp – keyboards (2008–present)
Former members
  • Jerry Dammers – keyboards, principal songwriter (1977–1984)
  • Neville Staple – toasting, vocals, percussion (1978–1981, 1996–2001, 2008–2013)
  • Silverton Hutchinson – drums (1977–1979)
  • Tim Strickland - Vocals (1977)
  • Dick Cuthell – flugel horn (1981–1984)
  • Rhoda Dakar – vocals (1981–1984)
  • Garry McManus – bass guitar (1981–1984)
  • Stan Campbell – vocals (1981–1984)
  • Egidio Newton – vocals, percussion (1981–1984)
  • John Shipley – guitar (1981–1984)
  • Nigel Reeve – saxophone (1981–1984)
  • Rico Rodriguez - trombone (1979-1984)
  • Caron Wheeler – backing vocals (1981–1984)
  • Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals (1981–1984)
  • Aitch Bembridge – drums (1996–2001)
  • Mark Adams – keyboards (1996–2001)

Discography [edit]

Main article: The Specials discography

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Special AKA, The". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 4 November 2012. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 519. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  3. ^ Woodstra, Chris. "Allmusic.com". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  4. ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 201. ISBN 0-85112-250-7. 
  5. ^ a b c d Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 914–915. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
  6. ^ The Specials.com[dead link]
  7. ^ Sarfraz Manzoor The year rock found the power to unite guardian.co.uk, 20 April 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  8. ^ a b Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 409. ISBN 0-85112-072-5. 
  9. ^ "Dave Haslam, Author and DJ - official site". Davehaslam.com. Retrieved 2011-07-19. 
  10. ^ Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to The Specials by Neville Staple with Tony McMahon; Chapter 9: Bhangra House
  11. ^ a b c Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to The Specials by Neville Staple with Tony McMahon; Chapter 10: The Third Wave - America Revives Ska
  12. ^ Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to The Specials by Neville Staple with Tony McMahon; Chapter 4: The Specials - The Rude Boys Arrive
  13. ^ You're Wondering Now - The Specials from Conception to Reunion, by Paul Willams; Part Two: More Specials - Roddy Radiation
  14. ^ You're Wondering Now - The Specials from Conception to Reunion, by Paul Willams; Part Two: More Specials - Roddy Radiation
  15. ^ name="The Great Rock Discography"/Today's Specials
  16. ^ You're Wondering Now - The Specials from Conception to Reunion, by Paul Willams; Part Two: More Specials - Horace Panter
  17. ^ "The Specials reunion all down to Lily Allen Coventry Telegraph". Blogs.coventrytelegraph.net. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  18. ^ On Air Now: 07:00 - 10:00. "6 Music - The Specials reunion". BBC. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  19. ^ "BBC.co.uk: ''Ska band confirms reunion plans''". BBC News. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  20. ^ "''The Specials reunite for 2009 tour''". Nme.com. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  21. ^ "''Jerry Dammers Damns Specials Reunion ''". Thequietus.com. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  22. ^ "''London rocks for Nelson Mandela ''". FoxNews.com. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
  23. ^ "''London rocks for Nelson Mandela ''". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
  24. ^ "''Muso's Guide Interview With The Specials''". Mymusos.com. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  25. ^ "''The Specials confirm more 2009 UK dates''". Thespecials.com. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  26. ^ "''The Specials pick up Q Inspiration Award 2009''". Thespecials.com. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  27. ^ "The Specials". Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
  28. ^ "Dave Haslam, Author and DJ - official site". Davehaslam.com. Retrieved 2011-07-19. 
  29. ^ "Haiti Special - The Specials Re-release 'Message To You Rudy' To Raise Money for Haitian Earthquake Relief". Marco On Bass (MarcoOnBass). 12 May 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010. 
  30. ^ "London 2012: Blur to headline Olympics closing show". BBC News (BBC). 21 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012. 
  31. ^ "The Specials join Blur for London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony". BirminghamPost.net. Retrieved 2012-02-21. 
  32. ^ "The Specials join Blur for London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony". RollingStone. Retrieved 2012-08-13. 
  33. ^ "‘More…Or Less. The Specials Live’ Live compilation of the legendary band’s 2011 tour Release date: 6th August, 2012". thespecials. Retrieved 2012-08-13. 
  34. ^ "The Specials begin rolling out dates for first leg of North American". slicingupeyeballs.com. Retrieved 2013-01-29. 

Further reading [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Specials
The Specials
Studio albums
Live albums
Extended plays
Singles
  • "Gangsters"
  • "A Message to You, Rudy"
  • "Too Much Too Young"
  • "Rat Race"
  • "Stereotype"
  • "Do Nothing"
  • "Ghost Town"
  • "The Boiler"
  • "Jungle Music"
  • "War Crimes"
  • "Racist Friend"
  • "Free Nelson Mandela"
  • "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend"
  • "Free Nelson Mandela" (re-release)
  • "Ghost Town Revisited"
  • "Hypocrite"
  • "It's You"
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