Wednesday, February 16, 2011

THE FRIDAY CLUB WINDOW SHOPPING



This single was in fact the last thing ever recoded for the Two Tone label. JB's All Stars' Alphabet Army was recorded before Window Shopping, but not released until after.

THE BODYSNATCHERS THE ALBUM DEMO'S

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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

THE SPECIALS STAND UP/GUILTY TILL PROVED INNOCENT

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This album was released in 1998. It was the first studio album of new songs by the group since 1984.

THE MAYTALS 54-46 WAS MY NUMBER

THE SPECIALS STEREOTYPE ( PEEL SESSION)

THE SPECIALS ILLUSTRATED SONGBOOK

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THE SPECIALS STEREO-TYPICAL

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Stereo-Typical: A's, B's and Rarities is an official 3 disc compilation album of The Specials. It contains many A and B sides and some rarities. The tracks are variously credited to The Specials, The Special AKA, and other versions of the band's name.

Tracklist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereo-Typical:_A's,_B's_and_Rarities

Friday, February 11, 2011

THE SPECIALS LIVE AT THE MOONLIGHT CLUB

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This gig was said to have been secretly recorded by Decca Records who had an office next door to the famous Moonlight Club in Hampstead, London and then somehow made its way into the hands of the bootleggers. Chrysalis gave the album an official release in 1992 but the bootleg recording had been doing the 'rounds for over 20 years.

Monday, February 7, 2011

THE SPECIALS GHOST TOWN (EXTENDED)

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http://www.discogs.com/Specials-Ghost-Town-Extended-Version/release/755107

The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart overall. The track was recorded at the Woodbine Street Recording Studios in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
Despite being a song about Coventry,the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets. "Ghost Town" was a hit at the same time that riots occurred in British cities. Guardian critic Alexis Petridis states that "Ghost Town captured the political mood".
The club referred to in the lines "All the clubs are being closed down" and "Too much fighting on the dance floor" was The Locarno, run by Mecca Leisure Group and later renamed Tiffanys, which was also the club setting the scene for the b-side song, "Friday Night Saturday Morning". It is now Coventry Central Library

EARLY SPECIALS TOUR POSTER

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JOHN SIMS ARTWORK

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WALT JABSCO

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A man named David Storey was just one of a team who created the fantastic 2-Tone style. The hands-in-pockets version of “2-Tone Man” (also named Walt Jabsco, after a bowling shirt) was originally drawn by Jerry Dammers, keyboard player of The Specials.
John Teflon” Sims designed many of the most iconic 2-Tone graphics, under Jerry Dammers’ creative direction. Examples include the Walt Jabsco “Nutty Dancer” version and The Specials “Rat Race” single graphics (for which he won a D&AD Award in 1981).

Friday, February 4, 2011

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

THE BEAT - MIRROR IN THE BATHROOM

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The Selecter - On My Radio

Madness: The return to Los Palmas 7.

Bad Manners - Walking In The Sunshine

The Beat - Hands Off She's Mine

The Specials - Madness

THE SPECIALS - LIVE AT THE LYCEUM BOOTLEG

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http://www.discogs.com/Specials-Live-At-The-Lyceum/release/1970614

THE SPECIALS - THEN & NOW

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The Specials Rat Race HQ Lyrics

The Selecter - The Selecter

The Two Tone story (Documentary - Prologue)

THE SPECIAL AKA - LIVE! 1980

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http://www.discogs.com/Special-AKA-The-Featuring-Rico-Too-Much-Too-Young/release/1491852

Renowned for their live shows, The Specials released a 5-track live EP in January 1980 as the third single by the band. The EP featured "Too Much Too Young" (originally recorded on the album Specials) with "Guns of Navarone" recorded live in London; and "Skinhead Symphony" - a medley of "Long Shot Kick De Bucket", "The Liquidator" and "Skinhead Moonstomp" - which was recorded at Tiffany's in Coventry.

THE BEAT - I JUST CAN'T STOP IT

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http://www.discogs.com/English-Beat-The-I-Just-Cant-Stop-It/release/399652

I Just Can't Stop It is the debut album by UK 2 tone band The Beat. The album was released in 1980 via Go Feet Records in the UK. It was released the same year in the US on Sire under the name "The English Beat".