Anyway, the 2001 remasters of the first three Specials CDs has (over?-)corrected a lot of the production issues of the original CD issues -- minus the unlisted bonus single tracks. (The Specials now lacks "Gangsters", More Specials now lacks "Rat Race", etc.) The original LPs, UK and US, still sound ace. The new CDs sound really nice.. almost too nice. :-/
But for novices, it's worth noting that the 2001 remasters simply restore the albums to their original UK release tracklistings, and the "missing" tracks - including alternate single versions of "Do Nothing" (etc) are all on the triple CD, which pretty much collects all the non-LP specials tracks from beginning to end with only a couple of tracks in the same versions as their album counterparts.
― deedeedeextrovert, Thursday, 15 January 2009 20:48 (fifteen years ago) link
Recession, unemployment - now is surely the time for a major revival of this group
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Thursday, 15 January 2009 21:01 (fifteen years ago) link
i heard Free Nelson Mandela on the radio just this morning. (why? i hate that song. luckily it was the bbc's iplayer and i could hit ffwd)
― koogs, Thursday, 15 January 2009 22:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Nice. I've been listening to a bunch of second-wave ska stuff this morning, and christ the sound on the specials records is SOOOOOO bad. almost unlistenably so. i mean, yes, i like Madness and The Beat more, but not that much more. Glad to see I just need to make sure I have the 2001 remasters.
― mitya, Sunday, 5 April 2009 08:44 (fifteen years ago) link
they are down as being on Jools Holland this tuesday(?) and (longer repeat) friday
― koogs, Monday, 6 April 2009 08:55 (fifteen years ago) link
cool. i have a ticket for them in may but am wondering if i should sell it on ebay or not. spent 40 quid on it. i miss the days when concert tickets were cheaper.
― Yellow Carded (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, 6 April 2009 09:17 (fifteen years ago) link
my son was singing along to "Doesn't Make it Alright" tonight, felt a kind of glow
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 6 April 2009 20:46 (fifteen years ago) link
"(What I like most about you is your) Girlfriend" has been stuck in my head for weeks. Perfect blend of menacing and ridiculous, and the video's great too.
― Telephone thing, Friday, 26 June 2009 17:52 (fourteen years ago) link
one of the upcoming glastonbury broadcasts on BBCx is listed as 'The Specials'...
BBC4 Fri 26 Jun 2009 21:00http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lc8ms
― koogs, Friday, 26 June 2009 17:59 (fourteen years ago) link
oh, that was good. a field full of people dancing to Rudy in the sun.
― koogs, Friday, 26 June 2009 21:22 (fourteen years ago) link
it wasnt bad. those songs are all still so good but it seemed like they were just kinda going through the motions. not really doing anything with the songs - just getting them out one after the other.
― titchy (titchyschneiderMk2), Friday, 26 June 2009 21:36 (fourteen years ago) link