#41

Both 4/5

1 Like
#42

I knew it would appear at some point!

2 Likes
#43

There we are

1 Like
#44

Ha ha, Iā€™ve never quite understood the DiS thing about that band.

#45

Donā€™t like Ska. Like Prince Buster. Iā€™m complicated like that.

#46

Complicated is one word for it I guess

#47

Thatā€™s a brilliant record.

2 Likes
#48

I was amazed no-one else had done it.

Now. Stand for the national anthemā€¦
:smiley:

4 Likes
#49

5 from me.

I would add that only the first two studio albums are the band proper though. There was something, um, special - about them and even as a kid you could sense a real darker mood in their records as a flip side to the more upbeat Madness, etc.

More Specials has arguably the birth of Trip Hop somewhere within its extended sprawl of Stereotypes - and Ghost Town, when that was Number 1 in the charts you could feel it reflecting the state of the nation. It remains the best UK Number 1 single of all-time for me. A fantastic signing off.

4 Likes
#50

I know Bamā€™s got previous for being controversial in these threads and possibly over-egging his points a bit which gets some peopleā€™s backs up, but I think thereā€™s a bit of a contradiction in the backlash he received for (in a largely fair fashion imo) criticising the Beach Boys sound and style, whereas in this thread thereā€™s far more blanket criticism of an entire wide-ranging genre which has largely passed uncommented upon.

1 Like
#51

When they were good they were really good, the first two records perfect for the time and place, top singles band too. Really it ended there, or should have - I am unsure how they carried on as they needed to change their name somewhere along the line. I think half that discography is from the 90s and beyond, not sure that really counts in my mind. 4 please.

#52

Still canā€™t believe the Beastie Boys are fifth. Fifth best hip hop act of the 80s, maybe.

2 Likes
#53

Oh, as for The Specials, just donā€™t really enjoy ska. That said, even then, some of the big hits are undeniable. Therefore, Iā€™ll bump them up to a generous ā€œnot my thing butā€ 3/5.

#54

Youā€™re right, they didnā€™t do anything in the 90s.

#55

Aye, but there was a renaissance in hip hop in the 90s, so they wouldnā€™t get close to a top 5. Plus their best album by miles was released in the 80s.

#56

Yeah, this. I mean people can like what they like, up to them. Just weird to me when a bunch of people go out of their way to tell everyone how much they dislike an indigenous form of music from another country (with the exception of any Jamaican posters on here, obviously)

#57

I think most folks donā€™t realise itā€™s an indigenous form of music from another country. The perception these days is that ska is just white dudes awkwardly playing reggae. Itā€™s actual history isnā€™t all that widely known (I donā€™t know the half of it myself tbh). So when they say they hate ska theyā€™re really slagging off a very narrow band of ska. Really just Madness and 90s Warped Tour pop-punk-with-a-brass-section.

5 Likes
#58

Had a big Specials phase when I was around 14 or 15. Iā€™ve spoken about it before on here, but in the North East of England, thereā€™s a really big ska-punk scene so American second/third-wave ska was always popular. As a teenager, I never had more than a passing interest in Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake etc - i couldnā€™t get on board with the crazy hairstyles and goofy image at all.
One day, i got a mega cheap CD of the Specials greatest hits from HMV. It kind of blew my mind. Thinking about it, this was a time when I wasnā€™t into the first few Arctic Monkeys albums, Jamie T, The Streets - so I guess there was this underlying thread of social commentary in pop music. Hearing the Specials do the same kind of thing 20/30 years prior, and led me down lots of rabbit holes - who is Margaret Thatcher? what is C&A? what are all the cultural references about?
The deal was basically sealed when I watched a couple videos on YouTube of them performing, looking like absolute miserable bastards - the same kind of people I saw and was around every day, not the baggy-shorted, Hawaiian shirted Americans. Spent a lot of time combing charity shops for Ben Sherman shirts during that period, and definitely wore my trousers too high to show off my white socks.
To be honest, Iā€™ve never really explored beyond that greatest hits CD. They strike me as a singles band, so I donā€™t know if Iā€™m missing out on too much gold. I dunno why i stopped listening to the Specials - maybe I outgrew them when they started seeming tame cos they werenā€™t shouting and shredding. Lots of good memories though.
3.5/5

#59

Yeah maybe, who can say. Tbh, I would say the fact that ska is a form of Jamaican music is fairly entry level knowledge, but maybe thatā€™s just me. Plenty of people on here canā€™t wait to profess their hatred of reggae music either so itā€™s also a kind of running theme with Jamaican music.

Just think that if anybody waded into the Wu Tang HGATR (for example) saying something along the lines of ā€œwell I hate all hip hop, so itā€™s a 1 from meā€, theyā€™d probably get pulled up. Not happened at all in this one

4 Likes
#60

Absolutely love this track and often have it playing in my head when I feel like I might have a particularly blank expression on my face

2 Likes