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Specials / 2CD deluxe reissues

By Paul Sinclair

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35

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2 Tone Records/Warners Catalogue will release special editions of the three Specials / Special AKA albums released in the 1980s.

These reissues of Specials (1979), More Specials (1980), and In The Studio (1984) will all be two-CD deluxe sets and include all the band’s EPs, non-album singles and B-sides, as well as a new-to-CD 1979 concert performance (at the Paris Theatre), John Peel Sessions and instrumentals of some tracks from third album.

These 2015 special editions have been newly remastered (by Tim Debney at Fluid Mastering) and issued in conjunction with, and approved by, the founder member Jerry Dammers.

All three special editions include new sleeve notes by Lois Wilson, and rare and unseen Chalkie Davies  photos of the band.

The Specials deluxe editions are due to be released on 30 March 2015.

Track listings

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SPECIALS (2 CD Special Edition)

CD 1 :
The debut single and original album by The Specials:
1. Gangsters
2. A Message To You, Rudy
3. Do The Dog
4. It¹s Up To You
5. Nite Klub
6. Doesn¹t Make It Alright
7. Concrete Jungle
8. Too Hot
9. Monkey Man
10. (Dawning Of A) New Era
11. Blank Expression
12. Stupid Marriage
13. Too Much Too Young
14. Little Bitch
15. You¹re Wondering Now
CD 2: EXTRA SPECIALS

Too Much Too Young EP (live) by The Special AKA:
1. Too Much Too Young
2. Guns Of Navarone
3. Skinhead Symphony
a) Long Shot Kick The Bucket
b) Liquidator
c) Skinhead Moon Stomp

BBC In Concert At the Paris Theatre (15/12/79) by The Specials:
1. (Dawning Of A) New Era
2. Do The Dog
3. Rat Race
4. Blank Expression
5. Rude Buoys Outa Jail
6. Concrete Jungle
7. Too Much Too Young
8. Guns Of Navarone
9. Nite Klub
10. Gangsters
11. Medley:
a) Long Shot Kick The Bucket
b) Skinhead Moonstomp

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MORE SPECIALS (2 CD Special Edition)

CD 1: The original album by The Specials:
1. Enjoy Yourself (It¹s Later Than You Think)
2. Man At C&A
3. Hey, Little Rich Girl
4. Do Nothing
5. Pearl¹s Café
6. Sock It To ŒEm J.B.
7. Stereotypes/Stereotypes – Pt. 2
8. Holiday Fortnight
9. I Can¹t Stand It
10.International Jet Set
11.Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)

CD 2: MORE EXTRA SPECIALS

Singles, b-sides and rarities by The Specials:
1. Rat Race
2. Rude Buoys Outa Jail
3. Stereotypes Pts.1 & 2 (John Peel session)
4. International Jet Set (single version)
5. Rude Boys Outa Jail (version) (featuring Neville Staples aka Judge Roughneck)
6. – Do Nothing (single version) (featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds)
7. Maggie¹s Farm
8. Raquel
9. Why? (extended version)
10. Friday Night, Saturday Morning
11. Ghost Town (full version)
12. Sea Cruise (John Peel session) (featuring Rico)
13. You¹re Wondering Now (Kid Jensen session)

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IN THE STUDIO (2 CD Special Edition)

CD1:
The original album by The Special AKA:
1. Bright Lights
2. Lonely Crowd
3. What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend
4. House Bound
5. Night On The Tiles
6. Nelson Mandela
7. War Crimes
8. Racist Friend
9. Alcohol
10. Break Down The Door

CD2:
Rarities by The Special AKA:
1. The Boiler ( Rhoda and The Special AKA )
2. You Just Can¹t Get A Break
3. Jungle Music ( Rico and The Special AKA )

BBC Peel Session 12/09/83 by The Special AKA:
4. Lonely Crowd
5. Alcohol
6. Bright Lights

Instrumentals by The Special AKA:
7. Break Down The Door
8. Racist Friend
9. War Crimes
10. Theme From The Boiler
11. Bright Lights
12. Nelson Mandela

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morespecials

inthestudio

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35 Comments

35 thoughts on “Specials / 2CD deluxe reissues”

  1. Dig the ‘Break Down The Door’ instrumental. Unique mix and not just the extended version sans vocals as I expected. ‘Nelson Mandela’ instrumental is also good and differs from released versions. ‘War Crimes’ instrumental also unique but more similar to 12″ version. ‘Can’t Get a Break’ is extended version from the ‘…Girlfriend’ 12″ vs shorter 7″ edit. Would have liked US 12″ remix of ‘Mandela’…

  4. Missed opportunity alert (I’ve only purchased In the Studio):

    – No 12″ version of Free Nelson Mandela
    – No extended version of Bright Lights (I think this might be pretty rare as I have only ever seen it a free LP that came with a short-lived LP based magazine – can’t recall the name).

    Sure there is a lot of other stuff that could be on these.
    The remastering sounds good so far though.

  6. Pingback: Out This Week / 30 March 2015 | superdeluxeedition

  7. Listening to the 2002 remasters and they are crap. I so hope these new R/M’s sound good. These are 3 of the greatest albums and deserve serious attention! Fingers crossed!! No mistakes would be welcome as well!!

  8. WOWHD have ‘Specials’ and ‘More Specials’ listed at £9.99 each, reduced to £8.69 in a 13% off promotion until midnight 15 March.

  9. Once again the typo-eejits get the title STEREOTYPE wrong, repeatedly. In the 2 disc sound and vision [CD/DVD] release a couple of years back, it was also listed as STEREOTYPES.
    I just hope that when the official release appears it drops that totally incorrect plural because that was the title of a BLUR single in 1995 for fucks sakes!! Yes, I am nitpicking but c’mon, a bit of fucking quality control for every time we have these 2CD deluxe editions wouldn’t go amiss would it? I can’t think of a single one that is blunder free these days. [e.g. Jorchestral Manouvres [sic] In The Dark ] Can anybody else??

  10. Amazon UK dumped down the price of the first disc to 11.99 so be patient for the other two.

    My experience with the Pretenders was that they offered a short window at 10.50 each which made them very attractive for shipping to Detroit Michigan.

    1. £9.99 on Amazon now.
      Does anyone know why these ridiculously high pre-order prices are listed on Amazon, only to come down to normal on release?

  12. For those chatting about the price …… I too wouldn’t pay these prices.
    It don’t stop me adding to pre-order though …. If the price dont drop, remove them from your orders before the release date.

    If the price does drop, even for an hour, you pay lowest price :P

  13. It is cheaper at 11.99 each at Wow HD – But will wait for Amazon prices to drop as they offer a free auto rip which is well worth hanging on for but not for £21+

  14. The concert on the first album is actually not new to CD, it was released alongside The Selecter’s set from the same night on the 1992 CD “BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert”, though there is one song on this current issue that was cut from the original release (“Guns Of Navarone”). Overall a very disappointing collection, just a handful of new to CD tracks across the 3 albums (“In The Studio” featuring most of the new to CD tracks, it will be the only one I bother with).

  15. Isn’t there a different version of Concrete Jungle which was on the other side of the Racquel 45?

    I wish they’d release an expanded Dance Craze as a 2CD/DVD…Surely the rights can’t be totally insurmountable!

  16. More Specials had a free 7″ with ‘Braggin’ And Tryin’ Not To Lie’ b/w ‘Rude Boys Outa Jail (version)’…I think these 2 tracks appeared on cassette versions of the album…

    It’s amazing that the 2CD can’t find space for Braggin’….but does include the other track…

  21. Love the Specials.
    I would really like to replace my original CD’s of the first two albums (and pick up the third which I have only heard a couple of times but I recall really liking ‘Bright Lights’).
    However £21.52 each (£64.56 for three if my maths is correct) is too much to ask :-(

    1. God do you people not know how the pre-ordering works (or doesn’t work in most cases). It’ll drop just wait. According to Amazon all three have different release dates one being out, back in January 2015.

  24. Dropping March (3 or 30?) , these packages need slightly less robust pricing and then will be heading to the USA. Was always fond of In the Studio so very pleased its part of the Reissue.

  25. Yep, all good, prolifically good material across these albums and singles. Doesn’t seem too long age the previous deluxe reissues came (including video content) but it probably was ten years. Anyway they deserve the new attention the reissues will bring….

  26. I’ll be having the first two albums. Both look good to me, I’ll only be replacing my existing CD copies anyway. The second album is the best by them I think. Quite like the third but not enough to repurchase it.

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