Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Gangsters
2. Message To You Rudy - Specials & Rico
3. Nite Klub - Specials & Rico
4. Too Much Too Young
5. Guns Of Navarone
6. Skinhead Symphony Medley
7. Rat Race
8. Rude Boys Outa Jail
9. Stereotype
10. International Jet Set
11. Do Nothing - Specials & Rico
12. Maggie's Farm - Specials & Rico
13. Braggin' And Tryin' Not To Lie - Specials & Roddy Radiation
14. Rude Boys Outa Jail (Version)
15. Ghost Town
16. Why
17. Friday Night Saturday Morning
18. Concrete Jungle
19. Racquel

Disc 2:

1. Boiler - Specials & Rhoda
2. Theme from the boiler - Specials & Rhoda
3. Jungle music - Specials & Rico
4. Rasta call you - Specials & Rico
5. Easter Island - Specials & Rico
6. War crimes (the crime remains the same) - Specials
7. Version - Specials
8. Racists friend - Specials
9. Bright lights - Specials
10. Nelson Mandela - Specials
11. Break down the door - Specials
12. What I like most about you is your girlfriend - Specials
13. Can't get a break - Specials
14. Nelson Mandela (1) - Specials & Friends
15. Ghost dub '91 - Specials
16. Let us unite - Specials

Disc 3:

1. Ghost town (1) - Specials
2. Why (1) - Specials
3. War crimes (the crime remains the same) (1) - Specials
4. Rascist friend (1) - Specials
5. Bright lights (1) - Specials
6. Nelson Mandela (2) - Specials & Friends
7. Break down the door (1) - Specials
8. What I like most about you is your girlfriend (1) - Specials
9. Can't get a break (1) - Specials
10. Nelson Mandela (4) - Specials & Friends
11. Ghost Dub '91/Let us unite - The Specials

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23879 in Music
• Released on: 2000-08-21
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .41 pounds

Customer Reviews

A bit of a mixed bag, but still fine....
The Specials were a band of two halves. The 'classic' Specials were one of the most exciting bands to emerge in the post-punk period. Then they split and Dammers continued with what was left, his now departed creative rivals replaced by various guests.

The first CD covers the 'classic' period and is pretty much flawless. From Gangsters to the import only Concrete Jungle/Raquel they simply didn't put a foot wrong. All the singles (a's b's and a few odds and ends) are here.

The second and third CDs cover the post-split band (except for longer versions of Ghost Town and Why?) They only recorded one album, but left behind many more 'remixes' and 'alternative' (sometimes only just) versions than the original band. It has to be said, however, that the consistent brilliance that marked the first CD goes here. The distinct identity of the band is also lacking, and at times it's like listening to a various artists collection. There are some classics here (Nelson Mandela, War Crimes, The Boiler, Can't Get a Break) but there's also too many versions of the first and the three attempts to blend Ghost Town with new song 'Let Us Unite' (with a bit of the already over worked 'Nelson Mandela' thrown in) in '91 don't quite come off... 'What I Most Like...' is, frankly, best skipped over, a classic case of a decent song ruined by an almost unlistenable vocal performance. The 2CDs are rather patchy but, as a whole, still rather good.

The booklet is built around a excellent essay by Adrian Thrills.

Obviously it's best if you like both incarnations of the group, but this is a good value collection.

A must have for all fans of The Specials or Special AKA
Whilst this triple CD Collection has 46 Songs on it it is well worth buying, okay so you may not like every one of them, they are worth listening to, whether you like the early raw power of Rat Race, Concrete Jungle, Nite Klub, or the later stuff like Nelson Mandela, The Boiler, Racist Friend etc. it is well worth purchasing this collection.

I personally would have cut some of the remixes out ie there are 4 versions of Ghost Town, etc. The first CD is in my mind Brilliant, however I would have cut down the Second and Third CD's and made them into one CD and packaged it as a double.

Sometimes More is Less Special
`Stereo-typical' expands on the previous Specials collection `Singles' by adding `A's, B's & Rarities'.

Disc one is the best disc of the set containing all of the singles of the original Specials from debut pot boiler `Gangsters' through to epoch number one band closer `Ghost Town'. The chronological order also gives all of the b-sides and the whole of `The Special AKA Live EP' which also hit the number one spot. Also contained is the very rare Dutch only Release `Concrete Jungle (live)' b/w `Racquel'.

Disc two chronicles the band after Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding leave to form Fun Boy Three and the group continued under the revitalised name The Special AKA whose first release was the uncomfortable `The Boiler' with ex-Bodysnatchers Rhoda Dakar. Next up they recorded a three track with legendary Jamaican Trombonist Rico `Jungle Music'. After that the pop that was definitely un-easy listening was back with vengeance with `War Crimes' and `Racist Friend'. `Nelson Mandela' took a crusade every one could get behind back into the public eye and the band back into the charts but it was short lived with their final 45 `Girlfriend' b/w `Can't Get a Break' fail to chart. Disc two closes with the poor 1988 re-make of `Nelson Mandela' and two unfortunate mixes of `Ghost Town' which were released to promote the 1991 `Best of Two Tone' LP.

Disc Three contains all the extended 12" versions of both bands which with the notable exception of the heavily dubbed Trombone sols on `Ghost Town' are all poor `versions' with possibly a slightly longer into or fade created in the mix.

So the first disc is excellent and everyone should own a copy, the second disc for completists only and the third disc makes for a nice coaster.