More Specials

by The Specials

Overview

Less frenzied than its predecessor, but more musically adventurous, More Specials was nearly as popular in its day as its predecessor, falling just one chart place below their debut. It kicked off in similar fashion as well, with a classic cover, this time with an exuberant take on Carl Sigman and Conrad Magidson's 1940s chestnut "Enjoy Yourself." A slower, brooding version with the Go-Go's in tow brings the album to a close, taking the place of the set-sealing "You're Wondering Now," which brought the curtain down on their first set. But there the similarities come to an end. The rest of the album is comprised of originals, including a pair of instrumentals -- the Northern soul-esque "Sock It to 'Em JB" and the Mexican-flavored "Holiday Fortnight" -- as well as a duo of minimally vocalized pieces, the intriguing "International Jet Set," and the overtly apocalyptic "Man at C&A." But fans had already been primed for the band's changing musical directions by the release the month before of "Stereotypes," its spaghetti western aura filled with the group's more mournful mood. It's an emotional despair taken to even greater heights on "Do Nothing," as the group futilely searches for a future, but musically stumbles upon a cheery, easygoing rhythm more appropriate to the pop styles of the English Beat than the angrier sounds the Specials had made their own. But to prove it's no fluke, there's the equally bright and breezy "Hey, Little Rich Girl," boasting fabulous sax solos from Madness' Lee Thompson. However, it's an immortal line from "Pearl's Cafe" that Terry Hall and the guesting Bodysnatchers' Rhoda Dakar deliver up in duet that best sums up their own, and the country's pure frustration: "It's all a load of bollocks, and bollocks to it all." It was an intensely satisfying set in its day, even if it wasn't as centered as their debut. The group seems to be moving simultaneously in too many directions, while the lyrics, too, are not quite as hard-hitting as earlier efforts. ~ Jo-Ann Greene

Product Details

Release Date:	06/28/2024
Label:	Chrysalis
UPC:	0840401701485
Rank:	22097

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Specials   Primary Artist
Judge Roughneck   Primary Artist
Neville Staple   Primary Artist,Vocals,Percussion
Neville Staple aka Judge Roughneck   Primary Artist
Roddy Radiation   Primary Artist,Guitar
Rico Rodriguez   Guest Artist,Horn,Vocals,Featured Artist
The Go-Go's   Guest Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Rhoda Dakar   Guest Artist,Vocals
Paul Heskatt   Saxophone
John "Brad" Bradbury   Drums
Rico   Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Kix Thompson   Saxophone
Dick Cuthell   Horn,Cornet,Flugelhorn
Lynval Golding   Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jerry Dammers   Organ,Piano,Keyboards
Terry Hall   Vocals
Ice Rink String Sounds   Strings,Featured Artist
Horace Gentleman   Bass
Rhoda Daker   Vocals

Technical Credits

John "Brad" Bradbury   Producer
Conrad Magidson   Composer
John Collins   Producer
John Rivers   Engineer
Clayton Dunn   Composer
Huey Smith   Composer
Pete Holman   Composer
Herb Magidson   Composer
Bob Sargeant   Producer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Clement "Coxsone" Dodd   Composer
Lynval Golding   Composer
Roddy Radiation   Composer
Jerry Dammers   Composer,Producer
Jeremy Allom   Engineer
Neville Staple   Composer
Dave Jordan   Engineer,Producer
Carl Sigman   Composer
Terry Hall   Composer
Huey "Piano" Smith   Composer
Nick Gomm   Engineer
Rex Garvin   Composer
Herbert Magidson   Composer
Rod Byers   Composer
Horace Panter   Composer
Roddy Byers   Composer
John Vincent   Composer
Horace Gentleman   Composer