Login
Absolutely essential listening if you want the entire Specials story in one package. Every delicious piece of punk-fueled reggae is here and accounted for. From their first single, (“Gangsters”) to their most well-known hits (“A Message to You Rudy,” “Ghost Town”), there’s even a few rarities (“Maggie’s Farm”), live takes (“Too Much Too Young”) and B-sides (“Friday Night, Saturday Morning”) thrown in for good measure.
To hear it told through their three original albums, and in this condensed singles collection, the Specials had as much political fury as the Clash. Well, it’s true, they did. “Ghost Town” and “Stereotype” remain angry, spiked comments on then-current England’s economic and social states. But, they also knew how to thrown a good time while delivering their messages. “Too Much Too Young” goes by at a breakneck speed in the live version included here. “Rude Boys Outta Jail” shows that they knew how to transfer that kinetic energy from their live shows into the studio and eventually onto vinyl. My only complaint, and it is very minor, is that I would have replaced one of the songs. I find “Nelson Mandela”’s hyperkinetic, frankly – annoying, pop to be the wrong note to end the set on. I would have chosen something like “Bright Lights” or “Girlfriend” to help close the album and move “Racist Friend” to the end. But “Nelson Mandela” is a better known single, so I understand why it was chosen. It is a minor quibble, really.
The Singles Collection does what any greatest hits should do: presents an access point for the curious, a chronological overview of their entire catalogue and gives the die-hard fans reasons to seek it out. Their debut album remains the essential document of the 2-Tone records explosion, but this is a close contender for that title. DOWNLOAD: “Gangsters,” “Ghost Town,” “Friday Night, Saturday Morning”
