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The Best Of The Specials
 
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The Best Of The Specials

~ Specials
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Price: £8.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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Frequently Bought Together

The Best Of The Specials + You Just Can't Beat It: The Best of the Beat + Greatest Hits
Price For All Three: £17.94

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Product details

  • Audio CD (31 Mar 2008)
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Label: EMI
  • ASIN: B00133QSY0
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 313 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Music > Indie > Ska
    #2 in  Music > Rock > Indie Rock & Punk > Greatest Hits
    #3 in  Music > Reggae > Ska

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Track Listings

Disc: 1
1. Gangsters
2. Message To You Rudy, A
3. Nite Klub
4. Concrete Jungle
5. Too Much Too Young
6. Blank Expression
7. Doesn't Make It Alright
8. Rude Buoys Outta Jail
9. Rat Race
10. Man At C And A
See all 20 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Gangsters
2. Message To You Rudy, A
3. Too Much Too Young
4. Rat Race
5. Do Nothing
6. Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)
7. Ghost Town
8. Bright Lights
9. Lonely Crowd, The
10. Housebound
See all 16 tracks on this disc

Product Description

CD Description
Formed in Coventry in 1977, The Coventry Automatics went on to become The Specials, one of the most influential British bands to emerge from the punk-era and talisman for the ska revival. This compilation of their best moments includes the spooky and atmospheric "Ghost Town" and "Concrete Jungle", a brooding portrayal of inner-city life. A DVD is included, with a mixture of videos and live footage of the band throughout their illustrious time together, which included seven consecutive top 10 UK hits.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Listening, 15 April 2008
By Jimbo "thenamesbojimbo" (Manchester) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
The Specials (or The Special AKA as they were known occasionally) 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) and turn them into something immesely enjoyable which endeared them to their legions of fans, couple this together with a message of racial harmony and anti-establishment sentiments and 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 and 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, all with something to say to the youth of Thatcher's Britain. Hence, 'Two Tone' was born.
This album puts together the obligatory singles and tracks from the first three Specials albums (Specials, More Specials and In The Studio) together with a DVD of videos for singles and 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 all the other tracks on the digitally remastered albums, but for this price the DVD on it's own is a bargain.
If you are interested in The Specials and want to grab a cross section of their work then this is a great starting point and it does contain a number of album tracks which deserve to be heard (e.g. Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Stereotypes etc.)
All in all a fantastic cross section of The Specials' work and a great way to brush up before the hugely anticipated tour in the autumn of 2008 with all the original band members(fingers crossed that it goes ahead).
Buy It!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Compilation, 13 Jun 2008
By Curmudgeon "grantc" (West Australia) - See all my reviews
Comprising an excellent greatest hits collection with a dvd of live performances and 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 and 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.
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5.0 out of 5 stars the specials, 7 Jun 2009
By Mrs. Tracy A. Cliffe "tracyred" (dorset uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
a must for any specials fans. great to hear all their hits on one album.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the specials
Bought as a gift, have been informed that the collection of songs is good and includes the favorites
Published 1 month ago by Lost in the far east

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Brilliant
This album shows just how good the Specials are / were - has all the classics on Ghost Town as relevant today as it was then - took me right back to the eighties - a must have for... Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. M. Egglestone

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