Customer Reviews
Essential Compilation - By: Curmudgeon, 13 Jun 2008 
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances & promo videos, this compilation is essential. Unless you're a big fan or completist this package contains everything you could want from The Specials' enduring legacy. Much of their music still sounds vital & contemporary. Along with The Beat's recent 2 cd compilation, You Just Can't Beat It (and maybe The Selecter's greatest hits), you have a capsule history of the late 70s/early 80s ska revival. Recommended.
Essential Listening - By: Jimbo, 15 Apr 2008 The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionallly) were arguably the most influential band of the late 70s/early 80s. Formed in 1977, two years prior to Thatcher's government, it was the bands ability to mix diverse musical styles (ska, punk, reggae, rockabilly) & turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony & anti-establishment sentiments & you are just scraping the surface of the power this band had.
The Specials were the brainchild of Jerry Dammers, who formed his own record label & managed to recruit other, like minded bands (such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter) with a view to forming a 'collective' of musicians, alll with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles & tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials & In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles & footage of live performances. If, like me, you are an avid fan then this is only worth buying for the (as far as I am aware) otherwise unavailable DVD as I have alll the other tracks on the digitallly remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials & want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point & it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in alll a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work & a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with alll the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!
