DECEMBER 2007

December's SKAspot Band of the Month is the legendary 2 Tone band,
The Specials. Formed in 1977, the Coventry band is well known for such songs as "Too Much Too Young" and "Ghost Town" as well as covers like Dandy Livingstone's "A Message To You Rudy" and Toots and the Maytals "Pressure Drop".

The Specials were very influencial in shaping the "sights and sounds" of ska throughout the late 70s and into the 80s. The Specials wore clothing typical of the mods and 1960s teen fashion. Band founder, Jerry Dammers, even helped create the famous Walt Jabsco character, a black suit and tie, porki pie hat wearing man, who many regard as an official mascot of the ska genre.

The band has been active off and on in some form or another since the eighties, making appearances on the Warped Tour and other similar festivals and recording a couple of albums. There's even a rumor of another reunion in 2008.

Thirty years later, the legend lives on as the music of The Specials continues to thrive and bands of the third wave look to them for inspiration. Their music can be found in movie soundtracks (like SLC Punk, Grosse Point Blank, and Shaun of the Dead) and if you attend a ska show on any given night, you're bound to find someone two tone clad or sporting a Walt Jabsco pin or patch.

THE SPECIALS LINKS
The Specials Official Website
The Specials on MySpace
The Specials on Wikipedia