Remembering The Specials
I wasn’t going to do another newsletter before the end of the year but I woke up to the sad news that Terry Hall, singer from The Specials and Fun Boy Three has died after a short illness.
The Specials were one of those bands I only appreciated years later. At our school, you either liked the whole ska scene or you liked more modern electronic stuff. You couldn’t like both! At that time I was in the latter camp. But when I grew up a bit my musical horizons broadened considerably. There is no doubt The Specials were actually very…special. Great attitude, a social conscience, catchy songs, and a lead singer who was genuinely different. And that was Terry Hall. Whether it was with The Specials, Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield or any of his other projects, Terry was a memorable frontman, songwriting talent and singer.
Live recordings of The Specials in their prime are not common but I did find one to restore almost 7 years ago now. Ironically it was the death of drummer John Bradbury in late 2015 that prompted me to find this to restore. The recording got a revisit and re-polish in 2018.
If you want to play some stuff in his memory today, this is a good way to remember them. A free download of course. Click on the pic to take you to the page: