When the Specials announced their plans to reform in 2009, few band reformations have met with such heartfelt enthusiam. One of the most influential voices for their generation, the Coventry-based ska group and politically outspoken left-wingers formed in 1977. They released two albums, 'The Specials' (1979) and 'More Specials' (1980) and several classic singles, including 'Gangsters', 'Too Much Too Young', 'Rat Race' and 'Stereotype'. 'Ghost Town', their final single in their original line-up, addressed inner city violence, urban deprivation and unemployment. It became their only number one in July 1981, the same summer in which riots broke out across the UK and in Brixton in South London, Toxteth in Livepool, Leeds and also Birmingham. Within weeks of its release, the Specials, however, broke up when Terry Hall (vocals), Neville Staple (toasting, vocals) and Lynval Golding (rhythm guitar, vocals) left to form the Fun Boy Three. While another line-up of the Specials went on to have a Top 10 hit in 1984 with '(Free) Nelson Mandela', and a different line-up again with Staple at the helm toured between 1996 and 2001, this reunion has been seen as more authentic as six out of seven of the original members have been involved. Although founder member, keyboardist and main songwriter Jerry Dammers has not participated since the outset, and Neville Staple dropped out earlier this year due to ill-health, the Specials have attracted good reviews and large audiences since they got back together. These photographs from Darren Aston show the permanently deadpan Terry Hall, Lynval Golding, drummer John Bradbury and new recruit and keyboardist Nik Torp at a show at the Olympia in Liverpool on the 18th May.
Band Links:-
http://www.thespecials.com/https://www.facebook.com/thespecials
https://twitter.com/thespecials
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Darren Aston photographs legendary ska/two-tone group the Specials at a show at the Olympia in Liverpool
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Profile (2015) |
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| Jon Rogers examines the short-lived but influential career of the Specials, whose two albums, 'The Specials' and 'More Specials', have just been re-released in remastered double CD editions |
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Protest Songs 1924-2012 (2021) |
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| Ambitious collection of political covers from influential ska group The Specials |
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