My in car commute CD today was More Specials, the second album by The Specials.
A good album but not one that really compares to yesterdays. I thought at times, ah a more darker album, and then there were really really light moments to it. When I also think ah, they are moving away from their roots, they put together something like Stereotypes Pt 2.
It was an alright CD though, just alright, not bad, pretty good, but not excellent, and as it was only The Specials second CD, it should have been excellent? No?
What it did bring though was a few childhood memories, notably being in class at Donnington Wood Junior School, quietly singing to myself the words to Pearls Café, notably “it’s all a load of bollocks” and being sent swiftly to Mr Weaver for the slipper. Ouch. And the second memory was first year of secondary school and our class were doing the assembly, some girls in the class needed the rich baritone of a Neville Staples, unfortunately they got the tenor of a castrated Aled Jones, this was all for a rendition of Do Nothing with words altered to fit in with the life of a child at The John Hunt School. The song was dreadful, and I suspect the only reason that I did it was to be around some girl or other that I hoped had a liking for spotty greasy boys that had a voice like a castrated Aled Jones. Inevitably they didn’t.
Highlights from this disc are the aforementioned Stereotypes and Pearls café, but also the International Jet Set and Hey Little Rich Girl. Unsure about the guilty pleasure that is Enjoy Yourself, at times it verges on comedic, maybe that’s its intention? Who knows? But as the week finishes, 7 out of 10. You get a bonus disc tomorrow as Villa re at home to Bolton.
Pearls Café by The Specials
Showing posts with label Sublime S's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sublime S's. Show all posts
Friday, 6 November 2009
Thursday, 5 November 2009
The Specials
Today’s commute CD helped me get over the disappointment of yesterday in The Specials self titled debut. For the shit Dammers produced on In The Studio, he redeems himself in spades on this album.
I am a late starter with The Specials, although my older brother and sister were big fans, as were their friends, it only rubbed off on me slightly as a 9 or 10 year old. My music taste was entrenched in Abba and The specials and their ilk were purely for the big kids. Not to say I wasn’t aware of them at the time and more so as I grew up, it was difficult in the early eighties not to go to a youth club and not listen to Ghost Town or Too Much Too Young.
Fast forward to a year or two ago, and am out looking for a new book and Horace Panters book catches my eye, at the end of it, as is often the case when I read a music biography, I felt the need to investigate further. Amazon were selling their albums cheap and so I bought their 2 studio albums, The Specials and More Specials.
The debut is part Dammers songwriting, part reggae and ska covers. The Dammers element is exceptional, lyrically amazing, musically fantastic. The band capture the time perfectly, utterly perfectly. This was released in 1979, the year Thatcher came to the throne, a time that was so completely grim. The Specials sing on New Era, “This aint exactly heaven” little did they know what was to come.
You’re Wondering Now is so damn forlorn, you wonder how they can possibly have the energy in their live show for which they became famous, but it isn’t a forlorn that has its head low, its in its own place, evoking something, not joy, not sadness, just something inbetween that isn’t ennui.
They take on other classics, extremely well known ska, reggae and blue beat anthems, I am certain raised eyebrows at the time of its release, but time has made them songs their own, be it A Message to You Rudy or Monkey Man, its difficult to hear the latter and think of Toots, and the former, for me, is the only version. That all said, my view of West Indian music is extremely limited.
So the album, as you will kind of expect was marvellous, very very good and in the pissing rain, traffic jam ridden roads it made me feel that my journey wasn’t a long one and really I could go once more round the block.
10 out of 10. Easily.
You’re wondering Now by The Specials
I am a late starter with The Specials, although my older brother and sister were big fans, as were their friends, it only rubbed off on me slightly as a 9 or 10 year old. My music taste was entrenched in Abba and The specials and their ilk were purely for the big kids. Not to say I wasn’t aware of them at the time and more so as I grew up, it was difficult in the early eighties not to go to a youth club and not listen to Ghost Town or Too Much Too Young.
Fast forward to a year or two ago, and am out looking for a new book and Horace Panters book catches my eye, at the end of it, as is often the case when I read a music biography, I felt the need to investigate further. Amazon were selling their albums cheap and so I bought their 2 studio albums, The Specials and More Specials.
The debut is part Dammers songwriting, part reggae and ska covers. The Dammers element is exceptional, lyrically amazing, musically fantastic. The band capture the time perfectly, utterly perfectly. This was released in 1979, the year Thatcher came to the throne, a time that was so completely grim. The Specials sing on New Era, “This aint exactly heaven” little did they know what was to come.
You’re Wondering Now is so damn forlorn, you wonder how they can possibly have the energy in their live show for which they became famous, but it isn’t a forlorn that has its head low, its in its own place, evoking something, not joy, not sadness, just something inbetween that isn’t ennui.
They take on other classics, extremely well known ska, reggae and blue beat anthems, I am certain raised eyebrows at the time of its release, but time has made them songs their own, be it A Message to You Rudy or Monkey Man, its difficult to hear the latter and think of Toots, and the former, for me, is the only version. That all said, my view of West Indian music is extremely limited.
So the album, as you will kind of expect was marvellous, very very good and in the pissing rain, traffic jam ridden roads it made me feel that my journey wasn’t a long one and really I could go once more round the block.
10 out of 10. Easily.
You’re wondering Now by The Specials
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
In The Studio
The loosely alphabeticised journey was incredibly loose today as I hit an S, in Special AKA’s In The Studio. The 1984 album put together by founding member of The Specials, Jerry Dammers.
Noted primarily for the single (Free) Nelson Mandela, but also containing Racist Friend and What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend.
The personnel on this album, as well as Dammers, includes Specials drummer John Bradbury and the Specials horn section in Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthell. A steller line up only aided by Rhoda Dakar, Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine. On paper, a great album.
But books are on paper, albums were on vinyl, CD and cassette, and the facts are that remove Nelson Mandela, this is an incredibly weak, pop jazz funk album that is only bolstered by the inclusion of (Free) Nelson Mandela.
The songwriting, lyrically is not pleasant, tedious rhymes, lazy clichés, appalling really. Also in Stan Cambell, whether unintentionally or at the request of Dammers, attempts to pull off Terry Halls styling on a number of songs and that makes for difficult listening.
On the whole it reminded me of mid eighties jazz funk artists like Matt Bianco, which is a dreadful comparison and one not to be took lightly.
I know why I bought this album, pesky Amazon recommendation and a low price tag, not a good reason at all to buy an album.
2 out of 10
(Free) Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA
Noted primarily for the single (Free) Nelson Mandela, but also containing Racist Friend and What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend.
The personnel on this album, as well as Dammers, includes Specials drummer John Bradbury and the Specials horn section in Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthell. A steller line up only aided by Rhoda Dakar, Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine. On paper, a great album.
But books are on paper, albums were on vinyl, CD and cassette, and the facts are that remove Nelson Mandela, this is an incredibly weak, pop jazz funk album that is only bolstered by the inclusion of (Free) Nelson Mandela.
The songwriting, lyrically is not pleasant, tedious rhymes, lazy clichés, appalling really. Also in Stan Cambell, whether unintentionally or at the request of Dammers, attempts to pull off Terry Halls styling on a number of songs and that makes for difficult listening.
On the whole it reminded me of mid eighties jazz funk artists like Matt Bianco, which is a dreadful comparison and one not to be took lightly.
I know why I bought this album, pesky Amazon recommendation and a low price tag, not a good reason at all to buy an album.
2 out of 10
(Free) Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA
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