Rest In Peace Terry Hall, beloved son of Coventry. 2-Tone forever. Much love to his family, the rest of the band and all his fans out there.

@Tedward-dh2no

6 ай бұрын

Forever a two tone band of my youth. Rip terry.

This song was written at a time when the uk was in a terrible period of decline , poverty , and social disintegration. This song reflected their experiences from their hometown of Coventry in the English Midlands 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@danielwatson3273

Жыл бұрын

I was twelve in the UK, it totally hit the zeitgeist.

@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering

Жыл бұрын

@@danielwatson3273 I hear exactly what your saying Daniel , I was 19 and thinking wtf am I gonna do for a job ? Britain was being ripped apart by that ….. Thatcher woman !! I’m not sorry to see the back of those days but glad it spawned such a unique and drama filled hit 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@anuvabastidanakist2437

Жыл бұрын

Jay MacGee no change there then (I was 17 when this song came out)

@planetcampervan

Жыл бұрын

Looks like its due a return then...

@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering

Жыл бұрын

@@planetcampervan your not wrong , big time !

This is my era the 80s there was a lot of tension in some parts of England at the time this song suited the time well also a great tune 🇬🇧

@norFlondonGooner

Жыл бұрын

Judge dread was written in this era too. Both in protest of Margaret Thatcher! 😝

@derekharrison1582

Жыл бұрын

Hard to believe that songs 41 years old,and sadly even though it got to number one, THE SPECIALS split up afterwards.That song is so relevant today as it was in 1981.A terrible Conservative government,like today,a living crisis,like today,nationwide rioting,and they’re coming,rest assured,especially if this living crisis continues and finally we could have Margaret Thatcher Mark 2 in power on Monday,Liz Truss, a pathetic Thatcher wannabe!😡SO SPOOKY!!!👻

@penderyn8794

Жыл бұрын

There still is tension

@sorryrocco

Жыл бұрын

@@penderyn8794 what where

@bigfrankfraser1391

Ай бұрын

to me the thatcher years will always be fondly remembered as the reason i dont vote tory

Terry Hall from the Specials Just passed away. It was so heartwarming to see this reaction vid right now. It was amazing watching people hear The Specials for the first time, and it would be to see you do a few more of his songs in tribute. Maybe even a few more from his other band Fun Boy Three. It's good to see this music live on in new fans. He wasn't just a hero to his fans for his amazing music. He was also very adamantly vocal about his anti racist ideals, he was also one of the first male celebrities to openly discuss surviving CSA

Very necessary to check out "free Nelson Mandela" (by The Special AKA, which is the same group).....it was released well before Nelson Mandela was freed and made a lot of people in the world aware of the injustice the freedom fighter was enduring....but....you'd better make sure you guys don't crash into each other 'cuz you're gonna dance to this jam.....it's a banger!

@lovedc4ever678

Жыл бұрын

A better song is "Mandela Day" by Simple Minds but I do love the Specials song as well!

Shawn & Mel, you'll love their "A Message To You Rudy", :Rat Race" and "Nite Klub"!! Ska!

@iriscrowley4140

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget Guns of Navarone!

@theoderich1168

Жыл бұрын

and "Pressure Drop" ...... kzread.info/dash/bejne/pHlmzMWtmcqaeKw.html

@davidsamuel2303

Жыл бұрын

The message to Rudy … is a class song . And RUDY isn’t a woman … Rudy is in reference to the Rude boys

@freyml

Жыл бұрын

YES!! Rudy!

This was life in England in the early 80s for the majority of people. It was absolutely bleak and grim, with massive unemployment rates, urban decay, housing problems, gang violence and race riots. This song captures the mood of the time perfectly

@fredr4513

Жыл бұрын

Basically America today

@cbjcolourblindjim6160

Жыл бұрын

Uk in decline in the 80s under Tories.

@Bobmudu35UK

Жыл бұрын

​​@@cbjcolourblindjim6160You don't remember the 70s do you? The 80s saw huge financial growth. I left school in 82,the 70s were dire. Strikes, rubbish piling up which caused a rat infestation.blackouts, people's loved ones not being picked up for days if they died at home. It was socialism that destroyed the UK. Like the rest of the world,it was capitalism that took people out of poverty. And I'm not even that political. But I have a good memory growing up on a council estate in inner London.

@cbjcolourblindjim6160

Жыл бұрын

@Bobmudu35UK I was born in 70s I grew up in 80s... power outages war, negative equity, 2 recessions, and high unemployment sewage in the water.. polarisation. School money cuts, public sector cuts, strikes. High homelessness, roits, minors strikes. Privatisations, Yuppies, I 'I am all right Jack' attitude. Gutter right rag press ruling the roost. Etc etc And my parents would be reminiscent about good old days of the 60s.. walk from one job to another labour 60s. No one ever talks about labour 60s do they? and also The tories were in power for half the 70s and Labour had a minority government... so no I dont conceed. Based on facts. Tories near ruined the country in 80s early 90s and are doing the same now.

@brendanm6921

11 ай бұрын

​@@Bobmudu35UKit was a socialist government that rebuilt this country after the war and gave us the NHS, which the tories are now destroying. The tories are the ones who love to sell everything and leave poor people with nothing. If capitalism brings people out of poverty then please explain to me why since 2010 we've seen a big increase in homelessness, unemployment and food banks plus the cost of living crisis all while massive businesses like BP have been raking in some of the biggest profits they've ever seen yet small businesses are going under all over the place and all whilst we have an unelected, tax avoiding millionaire prime minister.

This was a genre of music called ska/two tone and included bands like Madness (The Prince), Bad Manners (Lip up fatty) , The Beat ( Mirror in the bathroom) and The Bodysnatchers (Let’s do rock steady)

@richardctaylor79

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget The Selecter with On My Radio... amazing band

@juliemartin4267

Жыл бұрын

@@richardctaylor79 I saw them play last year when they were supporting From the Jam

@DjAlanBarratt

Жыл бұрын

Well Scar was around before these brit bands and the specials mainly covered old jamaican scar

@sorryrocco

Жыл бұрын

@@DjAlanBarratt yea prince buster, the ska king.

@michaelgrabner8977

Жыл бұрын

Actually it is not "Ska" but "Rock Steady"...not every track of the Specials or any "socalled Ska Band from back then" were played in "Ska- style"...."Ska" is a fast tempo single strum off beat (= 4 off beat single strum pattern per bar = 4 strums = 1 per off beats ) and in "Ghostown" is clearly a slow tempo single strum Off Beat (= 2 off beat single strum pattern per bar = 2 strums = 1 per off beat ) and that is called "Rock Steady"....By the way Reggae is a mixture of both = slow tempo off beat but played with 4 strums/double strum/2 strums per off beat (= 2 off beats per bar like Rock Steady but 4 strums like Ska BUT played as double strum = 2 strums per off beat) Sounds a bit complicated on paper but easily to understand when you hear it..as like it is shown here in that almost 3 minutes vlog kzread.info/dash/bejne/dWSNpaWhfa-Wg5c.html

I had this on repeat walking the dog during lockdowns 😂 love me some ska!

RIP Terry Hall.Lead singer with the "Specials "and" Fun boy three"passed away aged 63:

Have a listen to ‘Too much too young’ by the Specials to hear how Ska fused with punk, which were both prevalent in the UK at this time.

@paulmidsussex3409

Жыл бұрын

You're married with a kid when you should be having fun with me.

Clicked so fast!! Thank you for the suggestion! One of my favorite bands.🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤

These brothers were talking about some very rough years over here back in the late 70s early 80s . I was only about 10 then, but the older people were really suffering with mass unemployment, the wickedness of the government, indifference to the poor, police brutality etc, and the Specials hit the bullseye with this track. Unfortunately, the bad old days are coming around again - and the youth are getting shafted once more!

This was a big hit in the UK. The West Indian influence on the youth in UK They are speaking of a town in the UK that was high in unemployment and discontent , it was tough for alot of people , The specials have some great songs. SKA music. Listen to "Rudy"or gangster's

@donhue4546

Жыл бұрын

its 2tone skinhead reggae,and rudys a rock steady tune

This is "Ska" music. It came after "Disco" in the late 70s early 80s. "A Message To You Rudy" has to be next by these guys. They were soo "Special" 🎵🇬🇧

@paulstarskey1012

Жыл бұрын

To much to young it has to be surely

@kimcutts6153

Жыл бұрын

@@paulstarskey1012 Yep. Or that one..... Actually, I think I like that one better. 👍🎼🇬🇧

@firecracker187

Жыл бұрын

LETS SKANK

@brendanm6921

Жыл бұрын

Rudy isn't by The Specials, their version is a cover.

@russbillington6291

Жыл бұрын

And Too Hot..

At the time, this song gave me the chills, it was so accurate about UK life. Maggie days. Poverty and no one caring. Thanks - it's one of my fav tunes.

Classic two tone track from the truly great band The Specials. Still sounds amazing today all these years later. Good reaction guys.

Ska in the uk will never die thanks for this reaction you two 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😊👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

their you go black and white brothers!! making good music!!!. love the reaction. ; )

they were very big in the uk ,they were one of the first multicultural bands in the uk

@catman2629

Жыл бұрын

Lots of 80s band multicultural , it was a great time bands included Culture Club , Blow Monkeys , Wham , Style Council

@paulqueripel3493

Жыл бұрын

@@catman2629 the equals, 1965. Hot chocolate 1970.

@antonyberry1632

Жыл бұрын

WRONG

@AnonEyeMouse

Жыл бұрын

Not the first but certainly one of MY first. I think it might have been these guys who sparked the 'is that unusual, then?' conversation in my house. My mother tried to teach me not to be racist, but I had no concept of racism because I was 5. So my mother had to explain the concept of hating people because of skin colour, then told e it was bad to do it. I was like... 'then why'd you bring it up? It hadn't even occurred to me that it was a thing!' I can see the point now, but back then l was confused as hell. It felt like I was be told off for something I hadn't done. These days, I love seeing multicultural bands because so much of music seems to fix on a particular culture or ethnicity. I'm mostly a goth and metal head but my tastes are broader than that, but I get flutters in my tummy when folks from other backgrounds pop up in my music or media.

I think the only song of theirs that made it to the US was "A Message To You Rudy" which was big in the early days of MTV. I loved that song. Still have it on my phone. 😁

Ah Ska ! This was the music of my youth- thanks for not interrupting! The Specials were part of the ska / two tone revival in the late 70s early 80s - a fun but realistic expression of living in a country, an empire- in decline. Where all you could do to combat that sinking feeling was express your frustration in music and style. Very real, political and of the moment.

I was in London at the time, 1980... love Ska... Gwen Stefani& No Doubt , a little bit later, started off as a ska band

Taken me back to when I was nine years only, way back in 1981. I had never heard anything like this at the time. Still enjoy listening to it now.

If you like this, check out the spin-off band from The Specials named Fun Boy Three. You are sure to like The More I See (The Less I Believe), The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum, and their version of Our Lips Are Sealed.

@Napur70

Жыл бұрын

Our lips are sealed ist richtig gut....

The specials best British ska band ever they come from Coventry England rest in peace Terry and brad

Yes!!! 2nd Wave Ska Music!!!

Ghost Town was in the soundtrack of the British movie "Shaun of the Dead". Its a really good zombie movie.

Music from my neck of the woods! (I live just a few miles out of Coventry). I was just about two years out of school when this was released, and yep, that's how most of us felt back then. Certainly captured the spirit of the times!

One of the greatest bands of all time. Ska brought people together back in the early 80’s. They taught us to groove and think.

They were from Coventry (my home town) they wrote this about the city, there was high unemployment at the time. The band performed this on TOTP and split up straight after the performance. Some of the members reformed and became Fun Boy Three. Their cover of the song OUR LIPS ARE SEALED is great. Another great ska/ two tone band from Coventry is The Selector - their most well known hit is ON MY RADIO.

@tomraffell1923

Жыл бұрын

A fellow Coventrian!

@MummyBrown

Жыл бұрын

Oh wow, I had no idea part of them were Fun Boy Three!

@eyesofisabelofficial

Жыл бұрын

@@tomraffell1923 Same here :)

@tomraffell1923

Жыл бұрын

@@eyesofisabelofficial PUSB!

My number 1 band. I love, love, love the Specials. Rest in Power Terry Hall 🖤🤍🖤🤍

I love this song

This was a great era listen to the Jam Town called malice Paul Weller voice is amazing

One of my favourites, when it was number One. Still like it!

RIP Terry Hall

This came out soon after the Riots of 81 where we had several months of riots in cities all over the country. It was a sign of tension towards the authorities with high enemployment, police brutality much of it racial and many cities were crumbling. The tension towards the riots really increased with the investigation into a house fire at a party in SE London where several black youngsters died, they had also been a lot of Racial attacks form the National Front at the time. The results of the investigation (more like none investigation) was the fuse that sparked several months of riots, intially starting in Brixton SE London then spreading nation wide.

Came out at the time of widespread UK riots in the summer of 1981 & became the soundtrack for it.

Just got to love the Specials, great Ska band, love this song, great atmosphere and music.......

The back scenes seem mainly around london - I cannot place them all , the beginning is Barbican Estate / Bank of England up toward Liverpool Street, Barbican Tunnel, then poss Rotherhithe tunnel , not certain if is bits of Bethnal Green Road or down at Sands End, Fulham and part of Clapham Junction

Yeah…love how music transports you back to your youth in a split second 😁

Appreciating this from Ellicott City, MD! Thank you both !

Not their best song or most typical of their style. They're usually a lot more upbeat, in keeping with the Ska sound. But it's timing was perfect. Number one in the charts for ages in the UK, as every major town and city in erupted into riots during the summer of 1981. England was a very angry place at the time, and this song became it's anthem.

@donhue4546

Жыл бұрын

only sounding ska when dick and rico played,top tune was stupid marrage

What a great choice. The Specials. For a more up beat song, with a message, please try The Specials " Too Much Too Young"

@donhue4546

Жыл бұрын

there was a slow version

best reactors on KZread, they appreciate all genres of music

This song never gets old!

One of my all-time favorite songs!

Love this 43 years on Long live The Specials to also being Fun boy Three in the Early 1980s,Think Shaun of the Dead when this was used in 2004 ,Love the reaction also 🤟🤣🇬🇧❤️🇺🇲

Loved your reaction. The Specials 1981. 42 years ago!

Hahaha that was great guys you had smiling the whole way through! The specials were a big Ska/reggae band big in the UK in the 80’s

@donhue4546

Жыл бұрын

skinhead reggae

Rip terry hall🌤️

Ska Music on the Two Tone Label.

As I coventrian, I remember talking to these guys in the dog and trumpet in the city centre. I had a very long conversation with Lynda whilst walking down beake avenue

Kia ora hello from Aotearoa new zealand hay the last time i saw THE SPECIALS when the intro for this song GHOST TOWN started about five thousand people turned to each other with the BIGGEST SHIT EATING GRINS AND IT WAS ON SKANKING HAPPY FEET

Loved this song when it came out 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Check out UB40 another great band from Birmingham.

one of the more unique 80s songs! So good! ♥

Rest in peace Terry Hall. His band made the UK a better place to live in especially for non-whites. Salute to him and family 🙏

Ahhhh the days of ‘Thatcherism’ in Britain. I was only 7 or 8 years old when this came out in Britain, but I vividly remember run down areas and massive unemployment. This song captures the essence of the early 80’s in Britain. Bangin tune👌🏼😎✌🏻

@stommx

Жыл бұрын

That decline was caused by Labour and the Unions. Thatcher actually stopped the rot and got people back working.

This song reminds me of my late teenage years and early 20's

Next you should check out their song Message To ayou Rudi.

There are so many great Specials songs Enjoy yourself, Too much to young, Gangsters, Message to you Rudi and many more. They are from Coventry England not Birmingham. The Specials were the sound track to my youth. Steve UK

@donhue4546

Жыл бұрын

they were not specials songs,they were covers,lloyde charmers done a tune called birth controll ( 2 much 2 young)

I recommend that people listen to "The Boiler" by Rhoda Dakar & The Specials. It's about a woman who knows she's not much to look at, she calls herself an old Boiler several times during the song. Rhoda describes how a man chats her up, buys her new clothes and takes her to a Nightclub. He insists that she stay the night at his place, she resists, then gives in to his demands, he then drags her along at a brutal pace up a lane way. It's then that Rhoda Dakar gives one of the more convincing vocal performances in music history. If there was an award category, then she would win it. She paints a picture that I don't want to visualise

This was the very first single i ever bought

Filmed 2 miles from where I was born and raised and that was The Rotherhithe Tunnel, South East London. I moved 11 miles away 39 years ago and my new next-door neighbour has just moved from 1/2 a mile from there to the edge Of S E London and Kent..

The specials!!!! One of my favorite SKA groups of all time!! Madness, General public, The Beat, The Skatalites are the best!!! The original reggae music SKA late 1950’s. We were apart of the early 1980’s SKA scene we were called Rudeboys n Rudegirls there was a look, music and SKA dances we did. Keep on Skankin!!! The group Madness “Our house”was probably the most popular ska song then 1983 they used to play it all the time on MTV then! Also Boy George n Culture club was popular then with “karma chameleon” he was from the uk not ska but did put reggae in his music. His other famous sing was “Do you really want to hurt me”

Madness, Bad Manners, The Specials. Ska was the sound in the early 80s. lots of fun.

What a special band and special song. I grew up to this soundtrack, my music teacher would play The Specials and other bands in class he wanted to inspire the kids with the different genres.

Dude, you’ve got the RIGHT hat on!! Well done, sir.

While most of the Specials music was 2tone Ska...they said GHOST TOWN was more Rocksteady (early Reggae) influenced.

SKA, uniting the disaffected youth of a nation. A great time for music.The ghost towns were the industrial city's mainly of the Midlands and northern UK a dreadful era of unemployed, and social division and deprivation. Ska was a voice for the youth to get behind, it was a big unifier of the black and white, the north and south, communities coming together through music

Imagine how we all felt when we first hear this in the UK??? Hook line and sinker magic

ABSOLUTE CLASSIC

Subscribed just for y'all representing the O's.

This song is about the strife that the thier native Coventry was going through during Thatcher reign in UK during the late 70's and early 80's. ( I lived there during that time....it was the same thing happening in Reagan 's America during the same time.) Also it was a reflection of the internal strife that went on in the band at the time....This song is relevant now as it was back in 1981....Finally, this is not reggae, but ska which was its predecessor in Jamaica back in the 60's but it was very big in post punk UK with bands such as the Specials,, The Selectet , Madness and The Beat.

The ska sound that others have pointed out was in its second incarnation here, originally a sound from the mid 60s.

They're from Coventry (a wholly forgettable and minor - best avoided - suburb of my hometown, Birmingham..... THAT will upset the Coventry numpties - LOL). Next Specials performance I'd recommend is "Too Much, Too Young" but there's a huge catalogue of brilliantly original stuff to be discovered of theirs.

RIP Terry Hall 🙏

you two groove so smooth🔥

We love Shawn We love Mel If you don't love them Go to hell!!

@ajruther67

Жыл бұрын

Well said!

Lol i love your reaction!

One of the best bands of the New Wave. You should watch their live performance of You`re Wondering Now with Amy Winehouse who was a huge fan of the band.

That keyboard by Jerry Dammers are so great

recently seen these guys live in a castle when they played this the Atmos was just brilliant.

The Specials came from Coventry in England. The Wiki page tells the whole story of this track. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Town_(The_Specials_song)

Great reaction to a great song. One of the first records I ever bought.

the tunnel scene they drive thru, is 5 mins from where i live, near london bridge. its been used in various music vids and tv shows

I am getting my sleeve of Ghost Town signed by only the founder Jerry Dammers! he wrote all the music and lyrics to the song. A timeless record. C '23

All from Birmingham England.

@neilmurray7330

Жыл бұрын

Coventry actually.

The music that the Specials do is call Ska. I believe Ska comes from Jamaica or Trinidad? It comes from the Carribean but I don't know which island? The Specials are from England but some of their parents were from the Carribean. Please react to the Specials song called A MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY. It is their best song and the video is great. It is from 1979.

Love these guys!

the specials at their finest

I was 12 when this came out in the charts in the early 80s, it was played at the school discos. Its one of my all time favourite songs, you need to check out more of their stuff, they're one of many great Ska bands from the time

Welcome to the world of SKA guy...grew up listening to many of SKA bands in the late 70s early 80s. Saw the Specials live in 2010 I think it was in Manchester UK, best gig I've ever been to, Specials did some great songs, Too Hot is one of my favourites. But check out The Beat, The Selector, Bodysnatchers ect...you won't regret it..

The sound of my youth, RIP Terry .

So this is called 2tone, it is considered the second wave of SKA, the original was created in the 60s Jamaica, where musicians there would copy what they heard from US radio and records, but put the SKA sound, which is where Reggae comes from, Ska does predate. Some great 2tone bands, the specials being one of them, others are Madness, The Slektor, Bad Manners The English beat. Some great music, THere was a 3rd generation SKA in the NY area in the 1990s early 2000s. Original SKA is amazing, sounds like island big band music. Have fun

Welcome to the wonderful world of British Ska!

R.I.P TERRY HALL! Gone but never forgotten.

The music style is Ska, a music for all colours, especially in the working classes!!!!

just a totally perfect record, the smiles on your faces say it all