The Specials Overview

Any band that brings together Jamaican ska and British punk and actually makes it fun should indeed be called the Specials. Their music was certainly an exciting mix. The ska movement was born in Jamaica and based on traditional reggae with... [more]

Any band that brings together Jamaican ska and British punk and actually makes it fun should indeed be called the Specials. Their music was certainly an exciting mix. The ska movement was born in Jamaica and based on traditional reggae with subtle hints of R & B and jazz. The punk scene, on the other hand, was an explosion of brash, grinning, sneering sounds epitomized by a certain penchant for loud apparel. So when the Specials grabbed onto the rebellious, high-energy punk and fused it with upbeat ethnic dance music, a new musical maturation seemed on the horizon. The common thread between these two colorful comrades was their shared rebellion against societal constraints. One was trying to overrun bourgeois complacency, the other trying to overcome racial boundaries. Formed in 1977, the Specials were the innovators of this renegade alliance. While other multicultural bands emerged within the English scene, not many produced music that was so blatantly political. Backed by its own 2-Tone recording label (named for the band's multiracial agenda), the Specials became a major player in the "Rock against Racism" movement of the late 1970s. The popularized "two-toned" look, which was comprised of a black tonic suit and tie with a white shirt and porkpie hat, became a symbol of both '60s-era slickness and racial unity. But it was the infectious music that kept things going. The Specials retained punk's intensity and fast tempo, but tempered it with a bouncy, bobbing guitar. And the band's horn section filled out the nervous crunchiness, blaring energized challenges to the ears with the bright resonance of trombones and trumpets. This was music that grooved all the way to its black-loafered toes. The Specials released a multitude of chart-topping singles and a couple of solid LPs during the band's prime in the late '70s and early '80s. As the 1980s saw a waning interest in punk, the Specials moved towards a more lounge-act personality that was stripped of the aggression. (The band's 1980 album, "More Specials," is a good example.) But the social commentary remained intact -- even as the band's break-up loomed on the horizon, songs like "Free Nelson Mandela" showed a continuing commitment to protest. In the mid-1990s, the Specials reunited to take advantage of a renewed wave of ska enthusiasm (dubbed by ska historians as the "Third Wave"). Although American teenagers may respect the band as some kind of holy vintage icon, it remains to be seen whether the social message is getting through. But as racial strife has rekindled in both Britain and America in later years, the Specials' reissued call to dance in unity couldn't be more timely. [show less]