Now Available: The Best of The Specials

A few weeks back, you LP lovers out there were given the thrill of being able to listen to The Specials’ sophomore effort, More Specials,on 180-gram vinyl, but just in case those of you who prefer CDs have been feeling left out, you’re in luck: this week, just for you, we’ve released The Best of The Specials…and just in case you’re concerned, yes, that does include The Special AKA, too.

If you’re a longtime Specials fan, however, you may be wondering how this CD differs in content from the 2008 release of the same name that also included a DVD. The answer is that it’s the exact same album, except that there’s no DVD this time around. This is good news for those of you who cared enough to buy early, of course, because it means that you can laugh smugly and say, “Ha-ha, I got the DVD and you didn’t,” but if you don’t know the Specials well enough to be upset by the loss of the DVD and are really just looking for a nice sampling of their work in order to find out more about this punk/ska band that all of your cool friends have been talking about for so many years, then, hey, you win, too!

The 20-track collection includes “Gangsters,” “A Message to You Rudy,” “Nite Klub,” “Concrete Jungle,” a live version of “Too Much Too Young,” “Blank Expression,” “Doesn’t Make It Right,” “Rude Boys Outa Jail,” “Rate Race,” “Man at C&A,” “Do Nothing,” “Stereotype / Stereotypes (Part 2),” “International Jet Set,” “Friday Night, Saturday Morning,” an edited version of “Why?” and an extended version of “Ghost Town,” and then closes out with four tracks by The Special AKA: “What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend,” “Racist Friend,” “War Crimes (The Crime Remains the Same),” and “Nelson Mandela.” In another words, it’s awesome, and you should buy it post-haste…if you don’t have it already.