The Special AKA

As punk faded, the Coventry-based Specials used punk energy to reinvent old Jamaican ska in invigorating dance style. Clad in pork pie hats and mohair suits, they used the 2 Tone name of their label to define a new music rooted in reggae yet laced with modern social commentary. Main architects Jerry Dammers, Terry Hall and Lynval Golding created an infectious sound which developed into its own youth cult with Too Much Too Young - lead track on their chart-topping The Special AKA Live EP. Dammers' 1981 song Ghost Town defined the frustrations of a generation blighted by unemployment in the Thatcher era and the band had seven consecutive UK Top 10 hits between 1979 and 1981 before Hall, Golding and Staple split to form Fun Boy Three. Led by Dammers, the Specials had another iconic hit in 1984 with protest anthem Free Nelson Mandela, sung by Stan Campbell. After a long period of inactivity, they successfully reunited in 2008 without Jerry Dammers.

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