"The Specials" Vs. "More Specials"

There are actually a lot of songs on "In the Studio" that sound oddly timeless or at least very ahead of their time ("Free Nelson Mandela" aside, as great as that song may be), more so than on the debut or follow-up.

I love the first one too, also that while they were going, there was a new album to look forward to.

("In the Studio" was not that record)

Like I say, it's just a shame that the next four Specials albums went and explored more from the home base that was the first album.

.. and returned to the base camp on the odd occasion too.

Essentially what we're saying is that The Specials was their Dissensus album and More Specials their ILM album.

'More Specials' was a funny little record, but it was just the same kind of worse than 'The Specials', like 'Wha'ppen' was worse than 'I Just Can Stop It', or 'Seven' was worse than 'One Step Beyond' or 'Absolutely'.

I meant Holiday Fortnight, of course - not International Jetset, which is a thing of beauty and 100% fromage-free

I love "I Can't Stand It". Keep getting it stuck in my head - especially the very last few chords that kind of linger incomplete.

good night, dog latin..

realise I've done a complete one-eighty on this record in the intervening 5 years since last posting to this thread.

I'd like to know of other records that pull off this surreal broken-down seaside ride feel. The Great Escape's definitely one (Albarn was definitely referencing More Specials on songs like Fade Away), certain Madness moments too (Return of Las Palmas 7). Anything else?

'More Specials' was a funny little record, but it was just the same kind of worse than 'The Specials', like 'Wha'ppen' was worse than 'I Just Can Stop It', or 'Seven' was worse than 'One Step Beyond' or 'Absolutely'.

I have the exact opposite opinion there. I find that "Seven" is much better than the first two by Madness while "More Specials" is better than "Specials". And of course those albums do have a lot in common in that they are somewhat more sophisticated and less "nutty" and, basically, less ska than earlier works by the act.

I also love "The Rise And Fall", which went even further than "Seven" when it came to toning down the ska influences.

xposts good night Mark G ;-)

http://alliedracing.org/Smileys/AR/smiley.gif

perhaps even more relevant than Fade Away was this forlorn little tango from the Charmless Man EP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwWAP5Cpd8Q

I loved this record when I was about 11 (mainly for the swearing). The whole Two Tone thing had enormous currency for young boys at my primary school. Listening now, it's the bleakness that strikes me (also of other stuff such as "The Boiler"). The route from here to Massive Attack/Tricky (via Fun Boy Three) is pretty clear to my ears.

Any love for "Special Beat Service"?

Definitely "The Specials" all the way for me but the singles from "More Specials" were great.

"Special Beat Service" is fun, much better and more consistent than "Wha'ppen" but the debut is still the best. SBS is almost like a different band with it's new wave vibe. "Save It For Later" is monstrously good, though.

'Drowning' off Wha'ppen would have fitted nicely on More Specials

My favourite track on Special Beat Service is Sole Salvation - just seems so effortless like all their best stuff.

Love that Blur track, by the way.

Songwriting credits on "The Great Escape" are kind of "blurred" in that they are all credited as writers of all songs, but I would guess Alex James had more input on "Face Away" than most other non-instrumentals.

Blur's credits usually ran "Lyrics Albarn, Music Albarn, Coxon, James, Rowntree"

Excepting stuff solely written by Coxon or James...

Mark is right. Albarn got nearly all the songwriting credits but shared 50% of it with the rest of the band.

is the new one worth hearing at all?

Sure, it has its moments, and is an enjoyable listen, but it doesn't add to their legacy or anything.

It's up on Spotify if you have any access to that.

Another vote for "enjoyable but inessential"

I couldn't really tell from hearing it on Spotify whether there was a single backing band line up throughout. Or the 3 original Specials who've been doing various interviews recently plus various pick up backing members depending on the track.

They get further into funk than I think they did previously.