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Biography
other uses|Specials (disambiguation)Infobox musical artist| name = The Specials| image = The SpecialsBrixton2009.jpg| caption = The Specials performing at Brixton Academy , London, May 2009 as part of their 30th anniversary tour.| landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| origin = Coventry , England| genre = 2 Tone , ska , New Wave music|New Wave | years_active = 1977–1984, 1996–2001, 2008–present| label = 2 Tone Records|2 Tone , Chrysalis Records|Chrysalis , Virgin Records|Virgin , Kuff| website = URL| http://www.thespecials.com/|associated_acts = Fun Boy Three , The Spatial AKA Orchestra | current_members = Terry Hall (singer)|Terry Hall Neville Staple Horace Panter Roddy Radiation|Roddy Byers Lynval Golding John Bradbury (drummer)|John Bradbury | past_members = Jerry Dammers The Specials (sometimes called The Special AKA ) are an England|English 2 Tone ska revival Musical ensemble|band formed in 1977 in Coventry , England.cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 519 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 group was formed by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers , with Terry Hall (singer)|Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals) and a rhythm section. The band wore mod (subculture)|mod -style "1960s period rude boy outfits ( pork pie hats , tonic and mohair suits, and loafers)."cite web|last=Woodstra |first=Chris |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5495|pure_url=yes |title=Allmusic.com |publisher=Allmusic.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-29 In 1980, the song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! Extended play|EP , reached number one in the UK.cite book | first= Jo | last= Rice | year= 1982 | title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits | edition= 1st | publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd | location= Enfield, Middlesex | page= 201 | isbn= 0-85112-250-7 In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart . After seven consecutive United Kingdom|UK Top 40|Top 10 single (music)|singles between 1979 and 1981, the band broke up. In 2008, it was announced that the band would reform and embark on a 30th anniversary tour in 2009. http://www.nme.com/news/the-specials/41400 The Specials reunite for 2009 tour www.nme.com In 2010, they toured America and Europe.cite web|author=Up for DiscussionPost Comment |url= http://www.billboard.com/news/the-specials-to-make-u-s-return-on-fallon-1004061469.story |title=The Specials To Make U.S. Return On 'Fallon' Show |publisher=Billboard.com |date=2009-09-14 |accessdate=2010-04-29 In 2011 , they are again touring the UK with a new 2011 Tour . cite web|url= http://www.thespecials.com/ |title=The Specials |publisher=The Specials |date= |accessdate=2011-11-04
Career
Formed in 1977 by Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter (also known as Sir Horace Gentleman), the band was first called The Automatics, then The Coventry Automatics. http://www.thespecials.com/history.php The Specials.comdead link|date=April 2010 Terry Hall and Roddy Byers (also known as 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."Sarfraz Manzoor http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/apr/20/popandrock.race The year rock found the power to unite guardian.co.uk , 20 April 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
In 1979, Dammers formed the 2 Tone Records record label|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. The band had begun wearing mod (subculture)|mod / rude boy / skinhead -style two-tone tonic suits, along with other elements of late 1960s teen fashion s. Changing their name to The Specials, they recorded their debut album|LP Specials (album)|Specials in 1979, record producer|produced by Elvis Costello .cite book | first= Martin C. | last= Strong | year= 2000 | title= The Great Rock Discography | edition= 5th | publisher= Mojo Books | location= Edinburgh | pages= 914–915 | isbn= 1-84195-017-3 The album lead off with Dandy Livingstone 's " Rudy, A Message to You " (slightly altering the title to "A Message To You, Rudy") and also had cover version|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 List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK)|number one hit in the UK Singles Chart , despite controversy over the song's lyrics, which reference teen pregnancy and promote Cervical cap|contraception .cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 1998 | title= Guinness Rockopedia | edition= 1st | publisher= Guinness Publishing Ltd. | location= London | page= 409 | isbn= 0-85112-072-5
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.cite web|url= http://www.davehaslam.com/control.php? _command=/DISPLAY/170/50//6000/6008 |title=Dave Haslam, Author and DJ - official site |publisher=Davehaslam.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-19 Female backing vocalist s on The Specials first two studio albums included: Chrissie Hynde , Rhoda Dakar (then of The Bodysnatchers (band)|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 .
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. The resulting album from the new line-up, In the Studio , was less successful, although the song " Free Nelson Mandela " was a #9 UK hit. The latter contributed to making Mandela a cause célèbre in the United Kingdom , and became popular with anti- History of South Africa in the apartheid era|Apartheid activists in South Africa. Dammers then dissolved the band and pursued political activism .
Later developments
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. In the 1980s, Hall, Staple and Golding founded the pop music|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)". From 1984 until 1987, Hall fronted The Colourfield , with some commercial success. After they disbanded, Hall pursued a solo career, working mostly in the New Wave music|New Wave genre. He co-wrote a number of early Lightning Seeds releases. He also performed some vocals for a Dub Pistols ' album.
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 (band)|The Beat , General Public ) and Nick Welsh (Skaville UK). He currently fronts The Skabilly Rebels , a band that mixes rockabilly with ska.
In the early 1990s, members of The Beat (band)|The Beat teamed up with members of The Specials to form Special Beat . The band toured and released some live album s. In 1996, with ska enjoying a resurgence in mainstream popularity on North America n radio and MTV , several members of The Specials reunited to record '' Today's Specials , a studio album mostly of reggae and ska covers. This was followed in 1998 with an album of originals, Guilty 'til Proved Innocent! , featuring guest vocals by Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen of Rancid (band)|Rancid . The band toured heavily in support of both releases. These albums were followed by Skinhead Girl in 2000 and Conquering Ruler in 2001. Notably absent from these records and tours were Hall, Bradbury and Dammers. In 1992, ex-Specials bassist Panter quit the music industry to train as a primary school teacher at the University of Central England in Birmingham. He later resumed his musical career.
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.cite web|author=|url= http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/passtheremote/2009/05/the-specials-reunuion-all-down.html |title=The Specials reunion all down to Lily Allen Coventry Telegraph |publisher=Blogs.coventrytelegraph.net |date=15 May 2009 |accessdate=2010-04-29 Later the same day they played on The Park Stage, with Damon Albarn of Blur (band)|Blur on piano and with beatbox er Shlomo (human beatbox)|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.
Reunion
On 30 March 2008, Hall stated that The Specials would be reforming for tour dates in Autumn 2008, and possibly for some recording.cite web|author=On Air Now: 07:00 - 10:00 |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080330_specials.shtml |title=6 Music - The Specials reunion |publisher=BBC |date= |accessdate=2010-04-29 This was officially confirmed on 7 April 2008.cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7335284.stm |title=BBC.co.uk: '& #39;Ska band confirms reunion plans'& #39; |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-04-07 |accessdate=2010-04-29 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".cite web|url= http://www.nme.com/news/the-specials/41400 |title='& #39;The Specials reunite for 2009 tour'& #39; |publisher=Nme.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-29 However Dammers described the new reunion as a "takeover" and claimed he has been forced out of the band.cite web|url= http://thequietus.com/articles/00862-jerry-dammers-slams-specials-reunion |title='& #39;Jerry Dammers Damns Specials Reunion '& #39; |publisher=Thequietus.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-29
On 10 April 2009, the reactivated band 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.cite web|author= |url= http://mymusos.com/part-one-of-our-exclusive-chat-with-the-specials/4515 |title='& #39;Muso's Guide Interview With The Specials'& #39; |publisher=Mymusos.com |date=2009-05-13 |accessdate=2010-04-29 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.cite web|url= http://www.thespecials.com/grapevine/? p=50 |title='& #39;The Specials confirm more 2009 UK dates'& #39; |publisher=Thespecials.com |date=2009-06-08 |accessdate=2010-04-29 In July and August 2009, The Specials toured Australia and Japan. In October the band picked up the Inspiration Award at the Q Awards.cite web|url= http://www.thespecials.com/grapevine/? p=130 |title='& #39;The Specials pick up Q Inspiration Award 2009'& #39; |publisher=Thespecials.com |date=2009-10-26 |accessdate=2010-04-29 In 2010, they performed at the Dutch festival Lowlands.cite web|url= http://www.lowlands.nl/blokkenschema.php? dag=vrijdag#1091|title=The Specials|accessdate=2010-08-21 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080822215005/ http://www.lowlands.nl/blokkenschema.php? dag=vrijdag#1091 |archivedate = 22 August 2008
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."cite web|url= http://www.davehaslam.com/control.php? _command=/DISPLAY/170/50//6000/36015 |title=Dave Haslam, Author and DJ - official site |publisher=Davehaslam.com |date= |accessdate=2011-07-19
On a side note, the 90's ska/punk band Sublime has a brief cover of "A message to you rudy" in their song "DJ's"
Members
Original Specials line-up
Terry Hall (singer)|Terry Hall - lead vocals and co-songwriting
In 1994 they toured with the original line-up without Terry Hall, John Bradbury and Jerry Dammers. Terry and John were asked if they wanted to be involved with The Specials again, but they both refused. John stated in an interview that he would only join The Specials if Terry was on board, whereas Terry didn't see any interest in reforming The Specials at the time. Roddy sang Terry's parts.
Live at Brixton -Sunday Times Live album free giveaway (2009)
References
reflist
http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/image_galleries/specials_ricoh_gallery.shtml BBC Coventry & Warwickshire - The Specials at the Ricoh
Further reading
Paul Williams (author)|Williams, Paul (1995) ''You're Wondering Now - A History Of The Specials , ST Publishing. ISBN 1-89892-725-1
Horace Panter|Panter, Horace (2007) ''Ska'd for Life - A Personal Journey with the "Specials" , Sidgwick & Jackson, ISBN 978-0283070297
Chambers, Pete (2008) 2-Tone-2: Dispatches from the Two Tone City, 30 Years on , Tencton Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0954412562
Neville Staple|Staple, Neville (2009) Original Rude Boy , Aurum Press . ISBN 978-1-84513-480-8
Paul Williams (author)|Williams, Paul (2009) ''You're Wondering Now-The Specials From Conception to Reunion , Cherry Red Books. ISBN 978-1-901447-51-4
External links
commons category
http://www.thespecials2.com/history6.php The Specials history
http://www.thespecials2.com/ The official Specials fan forum
http://www.thespecials.com/ The Specials official website
http://2-tone.info/artists/the_specials.html The Specials profile Unofficial 2 Tone website
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5495|label=The Specials
The SpecialsDEFAULTSORT:Specials, The Category:English punk rock groups Category:Music in Coventry Category:Musical groups established in 1977 Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:Second-wave ska groups Category:British ska musical groups
