The Specials

[Satchmo Distel]

To what extent was Jerry Dammers the 'Brian Wilson' of The Specials, the creative heartbeat? Fun Boy Three were pretty good and the non-Dammers Specials put on a great show, but the songs on The Specials classic albums seem to be Dammers creations in the main.

[Sits]

Based on the new one they just did on Graham Norton, you may be right.

[Furtho]

I note they’re doing three shows in the ruins of Coventry cathedral in July.

[Jah Womble]

What they're doing now is fine, but obviously nowhere near the stratosphere of those early tunes.

[Greenlander]

The new stuff is alright. It sounds like a band that are forty years older to me. I'm not sure they could top Specials and More Specials however hard they tried.

I saw them a coupke of weeks back and the new stuff fitted in pretty well.

[Satchmo Distel]

I'm going to see them in Chicago on June 8. Very excited.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Saw them in Carlisle a couple of weeks ago, good show and a big deal locally (although it reportedly only just failed to sell out, there were still balcony tickets available on the day). The new stuff wasn't hugely out of place but it did annoy me how they very pretty much sampled Ghost Town on that single (Vote for Me) - at the gig when they started it there was a noticeable buzz when people thought it was Ghost Town, which subsided when they realised it wasn't. I prefer the other single (Embarrassed by You).

[Satchmo Distel]

Yes, very weak first single, which makes the album's success (#1) all the more surprising.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

I'm not not an expert, and I've always been nervous sharing my views on music in here (there was a time when you couldn't throw a brick without hitting an MM journo) but to me Jerry Dammers was the beating heart of The Specials. The first three albums (up to 'In The Studio') are just fucking awesome. The current incarnation are just a tribute/covers band trying to sound like The Specials. IMHO, of course

[Satchmo Distel]

Terry Hall gives it some authenticity, being the original lead vocalist. There are also two members of the Windrush generations who give it an authenticity to the ska sources (Golding also has an autobiographical spoken word song on the album). Where it falls down is the fact the 1979-81 songs are at least 50% Dammers creations, so it's like Mike Love's band doing Brian Wilson's songs (IMHO too, of course).

[Greenlander]

Terry Hall gives it some authenticity, being the original lead vocalist. There are also two members of the Windrush generations who give it an authenticity to the ska sources (Golding also has an autobiographical spoken word song on the album). Where it falls down is the fact the 1979-81 songs are at least 50% Dammers creations, so it's like Mike Love's band doing Brian Wilson's songs (IMHO too, of course).

Which has been the case for both the 90s Specials and the present version. Thing is, of all the old 2-Tone bands their gigs are such a joyous celebration, everytime they play Plymouth I bump into folk I haven't seen for years. So for that, coupled with a boat load of killer tunes, they get a free pass from me at least.

[Jah Womble]

There has been no Jerry Dammers for some good while, so one's expectation should at least incorporate that fact.

(Irrelevant factoid: One of my exes used to go out with him years before she met me. Obviously she liked our [real] shared first name.)

[Nefertiti2]

Irrelevant factoid 2- Jerry Dammers' dad was Dean of Bristol Cathedral

[ad hoc]

This video by Neil Kulkarni about Coventry is great. There's a really interesting bit about Dammers and the Specials from approx 7 minutes in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTRDxWkolQg

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Yes, very weak first single, which makes the album's success (#1) all the more surprising.

They have a loyal fanbase and gave it a big push through social media (and through media media, they hit a lot of mainstream TV and radio shows around the launch), and in the first week of release had a BOGOF offer on the album to push it over to #1 (which is how I got it,, I got someone's +1). Saying that reaching #1 isn't a massive achievement these days provided you time it right.

[Satchmo Distel]

This video by Neil Kulkarni about Coventry is great. There's a really interesting bit about Dammers and the Specials from approx 7 minutes in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTRDxWkolQg

Awesome. Thanks for reminding me of it.

[DPDPDPDP]

A couple are in a fancy restaurant and the waiter comes over and asks if they would like to hear the specials.

”oh yes please” they reply

waiter sings “This town is coming like a ghost town....”

I’ll get my coat.

[Jah Womble]

The husband then orders 'Oasis soup'...

Etc.

[Satchmo Distel]

Keeping it ska: Beat root salad