Released: 22/11/24
Formed in mid-1970s Coventry by Jerry Dammers, The Specials blended punk energy with Jamaican ska, championing a multi-racial band vision. They rose with the 2Tone movement, scoring hits like "Too Much Too Young" and "Ghost Town." After key members left to form the Fun Boy Three, Dammers, Bradbury, and Panter rebuilt the band as The Special AKA, adding new members and releasing the bold 1984 album In the Studio. Though not a major commercial hit, the album combined lounge, soul, reggae, jazz, and Arabic rhythms with strong political themes. It featured classics like "Free Nelson Mandela" and "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend," and has since become a revered lost classic.