Specials (studio album) by The Specials

Specials by The Specials
Year: 1979
Overall rank: 875th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 451 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1979 (15th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (189th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (875th)
Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
THE SPECIALS Poster Terry Hall Two Tone Ska Coventry March 1979
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
The Specials The Best of the Specials (Vinyl) 12" Album
Condition: New


eBay
eBay
The Specials - Specials (40th Anniversary Half-speed Master) [New Vinyl LP] Expl
Condition: New


  My favourite store:  

The Specials bestography

Specials is ranked as the best album by The Specials.

The Specials album bestography « Higher ranked This album (875th) Lower ranked (3,569th) »
-SpecialsMore Specials

Upcoming concerts

May
11
Sat
20:00
Reik - Panorama Tour
Hard Rock Live Orlando, Orlando, United States. United States
Tickets from $78.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Mar
20
Wed
18:00
SAMSARA, Autumn Rhythm, Mildly Allergic
Mercury Lounge, New York, United States. United States
Tickets from $14.55 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
May
04
Sat
19:00
Ladies R&B Kickback Concert - Part 2 Pre-Mother's Day Edition
Atrium Health Amphitheater , Macon, United States. United States
Tickets from $40.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to Specials on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

Specials track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

Sort by
#
Track
Rating/Comments
2.
Rating: 79 (65 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
3.
Rating: 79 (59 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
4.
Rating: 80 (66 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
6.
Rating: 80 (64 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
7.
Rating: 77 (57 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
8.
Rating: 80 (65 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
10.
Rating: 77 (58 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
11.
Rating: 77 (56 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
13.
Rating: 78 (60 votes)Comments: 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify

Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Specials rankings

Specials collection

Specials ratings

Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 451 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 451 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
40/100
 Report rating
02/28/2024 22:41 Proto  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 62442/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
02/21/2024 14:59 JamesMowbray  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,88470/100
 
65/100
 Report rating
02/10/2024 04:32 Gendjar  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 4,69856/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
02/06/2024 02:40 JoeyJ  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 16089/100
 
75/100
 Report rating
02/04/2024 01:03 sszwalbenest  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,62476/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.0/100, a mean average of 76.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

Specials comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 20 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
60/100
From 08/23/2022 22:16
This is quite a monotonous and repetitive listen that felt rather slow for me. The instrumentals seem very similar from track to track and none of them really hook me into the record. It does blend some interesting styles together and this fusion is maintained pretty well throughout but it just gets boring after a while. If you picked out individual tracks and gave them an isolated listen they would sound superior but with them in an album context it just doesn't work and I find myself getting drawn out of the album quite a lot. Also, I find the instrumentation to be a bit simplistic and I feel like the record could do with some more experimentation and flare. Overall, this album really lacks a punch for me and after the many listens I have given it, I still haven't grasped the record or understood the hype surrounding it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 06/15/2022 21:31
I like more punk tunes and this is definitely original, but I can't stand big part of this record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/13/2022 08:19
Ska is pretty boring music if listened to this many songs in a row. Put the best tracks on a mixed playlist,. then it will be okay. Fun music and well-executed and produced,
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 11/04/2021 18:14
fun ska. gangsters epic
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 07/23/2019 18:32
Favorite Tracks:Nite Klub, Blank Expression, Little Bitch
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/17/2018 21:32
Very consistent, high energy album and a great introduction album for anyone wanting to get into 2-tone which mixes Punk with Ska.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/27/2018 21:21
Fun, energetic and great production provided by Elvis Costello. If there is one ska album you should have in your collection it's this one!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/19/2018 20:34
There are a few really good tracks on this album but most are just good. I like ska but when they split and formed fun boy 3, i thought the music went to a higher level.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/13/2018 16:25
Pretty much what a ska album produced by Elvis Costello would sound like.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 07/30/2017 20:37
This is ranked outside the top 500 albums! Incomprehensible!! This is a real classic- so much energy, humour and personality. This album is a joy. So many classics including their peerless cover of "a message to you Rudy". The pace never lets up and the tracks simply burst out of the speakers. Highly recommended.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for Specials

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this album by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this album.
Best Albums of 1979
1. London Calling by The Clash
2. The Wall by Pink Floyd
3. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
4. Fear Of Music by Talking Heads
5. Entertainment! by Gang Of Four
6. Breakfast In America by Supertramp
7. Off The Wall by Michael Jackson
8. Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
9. Highway To Hell by AC/DC
10. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
11. Reggatta De Blanc by The Police
12. Damn The Torpedoes by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
13. Metal Box by Public Image Ltd.
14. The B-52's by The B-52's
15. Specials by The Specials
16. Armed Forces by Elvis Costello And The Attractions
17. Singles Going Steady by Buzzcocks
18. 154 by Wire
19. Setting Sons by The Jam
20. Y by The Pop Group
Back to Top