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THE SPECIALS - THE SPECIALS (1979)

A perfect moment in time captured on vinyl forever, such is the Specials' eponymous debut album; it arrived in shops in the middle of October 1979 and soared into the U.K. Top Five. It was an utter revelation -- except for anyone who had seen the band on-stage, for the album was at its core a studio recording of their live set, and at times even masquerades as a gig. There were some notable omissions: "Gangsters," for one, but that had already spun on 45, as well as the quartet of covers that would appear on their live Too Much Too Young EP in the new year. But the rest are all here, 14 songs' strong, mostly originals with a few covers of classics thrown in for good measure. That includes their fabulous take on Dandy Livingstone's "A Message to You Rudy," an equally stellar version of the Maytals' "Monkey Man," and the sizzling take on Prince Buster's "Too Hot." If those were fabulous, their own compositions were magnificent.

Track listing

"A Message to You, Rudy" (Dandy Livingstone) - 2:53
"Do the Dog" (Rufus Thomas, arr. by Jerry Dammers) - 2:09
"It's Up to You" (Dammers, The Specials) - 3:25
"Nite Klub" (Dammers, The Specials) - 3:22
"Doesn't Make It Alright" (Dammers, Dave Goldberg) - 3:26
"Concrete Jungle" (Byers) - 3:18
"Too Hot" (Cecil Campbell) - 3:09
"Monkey Man" (Toots Hibbert) - 2:45
"(Dawning of A) New Era" (Dammers) - 2:24
"Blank Expression" (Dammers, The Specials) - 2:43
"Stupid Marriage" (Dammers, Mark Harrison, Neville Staple) - 3:49
"Too Much Too Young" (Dammers, acknowledgment to Lloyd Charmers) - 6:06*
"Little Bitch" (Dammers)† - 2:31
"You're Wondering Now" (Seymour) - 2:36