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The Specials

Started by Satchmo Distel, May 11, 2019, 01:51:26 PM

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To what extent was Jerry Dammers the 'Brian Wilson' of The Specials, the creative heartbeat? Fun Boy Three were pretty good and the non-Dammers Specials put on a great show, but the songs on The Specials classic albums seem to be Dammers creations in the main.

chocky909

My Dad once decorated Jerry's London flat. Ages ago mind so no selfies!

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on May 11, 2019, 01:51:26 PM
To what extent was Jerry Dammers the 'Brian Wilson' of The Specials, the creative heartbeat? Fun Boy Three were pretty good and the non-Dammers Specials put on a great show, but the songs on The Specials classic albums seem to be Dammers creations in the main.

It was Jerry's vision for sure, but most of the first album is covers or refitted versions of old sixties ska records. Their second album is more indicative of originality. The other members' input cannot be underestimated. That underestimation dragged the band into court in 1981.

poodlefaker

Well it would be great if there were 30 years' worth of unreleased Dammers material waiting to come out. What does he do all day?

Jockice

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on May 12, 2019, 07:54:14 PM
The other members' input cannot be underestimated. That underestimation dragged the band into court in 1981.

Yeah? That's the very first I've heard of that one. Royalties row I take it?

I love The Specials (Gangsters was the first single I ever bought, More Specials is my second-favourite album ever, I think Terry Hall is the coolest man in the history of music, and one of my top three gigs of all time was when I saw them with the everyone but Dammers line-up a few years ago) BUT I haven't got round to hearing the new album yet (I thought that Vote For Me single was okay but nothing more) and they played locally a few days ago and I didn't go. I've heard from attendees that it was brilliant but I dunno. It's just not the same for me. Maybe it's like Neil Kulkarni on the Chart Music podcast loving Hypnotised by the Undertones so much that he never bothered with their later material. Although he was very wrong about that.

phantom_power

Apparently they are great live at the moment. I really like their new album. Has anyone heard Hall's shocking revelations (sorry, that sounds really tabloidy) about his childhood kidnapping by a paedophile gang?

SpiderChrist

Quote from: phantom_power on May 13, 2019, 12:50:37 PM
Apparently they are great live at the moment. I really like their new album. Has anyone heard Hall's shocking revelations (sorry, that sounds really tabloidy) about his childhood kidnapping by a paedophile gang?

It's not exactly news, to be fair - check out "Well Fancy That" off the second FB3 album "Waiting":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfSqTO5pV0o

Shaky

I didn't really like the song they performed on Graham Norton and now they're down to 3 original members I was very dubious about them doing new stuff, but the recent album is actually really good.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: poodlefaker on May 13, 2019, 11:45:02 AM
Well it would be great if there were 30 years' worth of unreleased Dammers material waiting to come out. What does he do all day?

He DJs reggae or easy listening sets. Jerry put together a Sun Ra tribute thing a while ago under the moniker, The Spatials AKA but seemingly burnt out years ago by the music biz.  This was his last decent recorded offering and even that was decades ago.  He's done enough and doesn't owe anybody anything, really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvju0ZxsoWs