The Specials "More Specials" 1980 + The Special AKA "Nelson Mandela" 1984 - 12"/45rpm EP

Less frenzied than its predecessor, but more musically adventurous, More Specials was nearly as popular in its day as its predecessor, falling just one chart place below their debut. It kicked off in similar fashion as well, with a classic cover, this time with an exuberant take on Carl Sigman and Conrad Magidson's 1940s chestnut "Enjoy Yourself."..
...A slower, brooding version with the Go-Go's in tow brings the album to a close, taking the place of the set-sealing "You're Wondering Now," which brought the curtain down on their first set. But there the similarities come to an end. The rest of the album is comprised of originals, including a pair of instrumentals -- the Northern soul-esque "Sock It to 'Em JB" and the Mexican-flavored "Holiday Fortnight" -- as well as a duo of minimally vocalized pieces, the intriguing "International Jet Set," and the overtly apocalyptic "Man at C&A." But fans had already been primed for the band's changing musical directions by the release the month before of "Stereotypes," its spaghetti western aura filled with the group's more mournful mood. It's an emotional despair taken to even greater heights on "Do Nothing," as the group futilely searches for a future, but musically stumbles upon a cheery, easygoing rhythm more appropriate to the pop styles of the English Beat than the angrier sounds the Specials had made their own. But to prove it's no fluke, there's the equally bright and breezy "Hey, Little Rich Girl," boasting fabulous sax solos from Madness' Lee Thompson. However, it's an immortal line from "Pearl's Cafe" that Terry Hall and the guesting Bodysnatchers' Rhoda Dakar deliver up in duet that best sums up their own, and the country's pure frustration: "It's all a load of bollocks, and bollocks to it all." It was an intensely satisfying set in its day, even if it wasn't as centered as their debut. The group seems to be moving simultaneously in too many directions, while the lyrics, too, are not quite as hard-hitting as earlier efforts. - Review by Jo-Ann Greene
traxfromwax:
1 Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) 2 Man At C & A 3 Hey, Little Rich Girl 4 Do Nothing 5 Pearl's Cafe 6 Sock It To 'Em J.B. 7 Stereotypes / Stereotypes-Pt. 2 8 Holiday Fortnight 9 I Can't Stand It 10 International Jet Set 11 Enjoy Yourself (Reprise)
Ripped from Vinyl by RYP with Audacity 3.2.1 : Thorens TD 318/Audio-Technica 95E - Yamaha A-S301 - Q Acoustics 3020i / Yamaha NS-SW050

The Special AKA "Nelson Mandela" 1984 - 12"/45rpm EP
"Nelson Mandela" (known in some versions as "Free Nelson Mandela") is a song written by British musician Jerry Dammers, and performed by band The Special A.K.A. – with lead vocal by Stan Campbell – released on the single "Nelson Mandela"/"Break Down The Door" in 1984. It was a protest against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela by the apartheid South African government, and is considered a notable anti-apartheid song. The backing vocals were performed by Molly and Polly Jackson, two girls the band's drummer John Bradbury had "met in a bar in Camden", while the chorus was performed by session singers including Claudia Fontaine and Caron Wheeler, who later went on to appear with Soul II Soul. Unlike most protest songs, the track is upbeat and celebratory, drawing on musical influences from South Africa. The song peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart and was immensely popular in Africa. In December 2013, following the news of Nelson Mandela's death, the single re-entered at number 96 on the UK Singles Chart. - wiki
traxfromwax:
1 Nelson Mandela (Extended Version) 2 Break Down The Door! (Extended Version)
Ripped from Vinyl by RYP with Audacity 3.2.1 : Thorens TD 318/Audio-Technica 95E - Yamaha A-S301 - Q Acoustics 3020i / Yamaha NS-SW050