Name: Ghost Town (40th Anniversary Half Speed Master)
Brand: The Specials

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

5060516096787

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2021-06-18

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

Total Cap

1 / 12" / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

5060516096770

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1 / 7" / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

The Specials

Genre US

Label US

Chrysalis

The Specials were the first band of the 2-Tone era in Britain during the late '70s and early '80s. Led by keyboardist Jerry Dammers, the band consisted of Terry Hall on lead vocals, Neville Staple on vocals and percussion, Lynval Golding on rhythm guitar and vocals, Roddy "Radiation" Byers on lead guitar, Sir Horace Gentleman (aka Horace Panter) on bass, and John Bradbury on drums.

During their active years from 1979 to 1981, The Specials released seven singles, two of which ("Too Much Too Young" & "Ghost Town") reached #1 in the UK charts. However, amidst widespread street violence in major cities across the country, they disbanded when "Ghost Town" topped the charts on July 11th, 1981.

Afterwards, Jerry Dammers and John Bradbury continued as The Special AKA until 1985. Horace Panter also remained involved to some extent. Roddy Byers left but made a guest appearance on one single. Meanwhile, Terry Hall, Neville Staple, and Lynval Golding formed Fun Boy Three.

New Wave / Post Punk

Back In Stock

The Specials are one of the defining bands of the late 70’s / early 80’s along with Jerry Dammers iconic label Two Tone Records. They combined Jamaican ska and Rocksteady mixed with the energy of punk and launched a whole Ska Revival which paved the way for fellow likeminded bands Madness, The Beat and The Selecter to release their first singles.

Having had seven top 10 singles and two Gold albums over the course of two years, the band released Jerry Dammers’ Ghost Town in June 1981, backed by Lynval Goldings’ Why? and the Terry Hall penned Friday Night Saturday Morning. The beginnings of the song were written around the closure of the Larcano dancehall in Coventry, but also reflecting what was happening in other towns and cities with urban decay, unemployment and ongoing racial tensions of the period. Themes which are still relevant today.

The single, which was recently voted the second greatest UK single of all time by Alexis Petridis in the Guardian, reached Number One in the UK singles charts and stayed there for a further 3 weeks, becoming one of the biggest selling singles of 1981 and has remained one of the classic UK singles of all.

This 40th Anniversary Edition has been mastered and cut at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios using the original production tapes for optimum audio quality. 

Ghost Town (40th Anniversary Half Speed Master)

Music US