2 Tone: Race, Music, and Pop Culture in Thatcher’s UK
2 Tone found a sweet spot between punk anger and pop sensibility that mirrored the myriad poles they were trying to bridge in their band members and audiences.
the specials
The Loud Warning of Ska Concert Film ‘Dance Craze’ Must Still Be Heard
Dance Craze, the legendary concert film about the ska revival in Britain, brilliantly captures the performers’ sweaty, frantic, animated energy and the warning in their music’s message.
The Day the Specials Kicked Their Doc Martens Against the Door
The ska revival kicked to life by the Specials blended previous subcultural styles in their own Cuisinart: Kingston, Jamaica, Mod, Skinhead and Jamaican rude-boy.
Staring at the Rude Boys: The British Ska Revival 1979-1989
Cherry Red’s latest superb compilation, Staring at the Rude Boys, highlights big hits and lost tracks from the British ska revival.
The Deep and Distant Roots of the Ska-Punk Hybrid
Many only recognize ska-punk as a fad of 1990s US pop music, but its emanation and roots run much deeper and spread far wider than one may think.
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Coronavirus Tunes: A Brief Playlist for Our Times of Self-Isolation
As coronavirus spreads throughout the world and many of us hunker down with online media, we offer eight songs that share our feeling of seclusion.
Neville Staple: Ska-Crazy
This time front and centre, former Specials member Neville Staple reveals a harder, no-nonsense approach to a variety of Caribbean music.
Save Ferris: Checkered Past
Save Ferris' first release in 18 years is enjoyable but not exactly a triumphant return for the third wave ska act.
The Specials – “A Message to You Rudy” (1979) (Singles Going Steady Classic)
"A Message to You Rudy" is simply ska music at its purest -- and most enjoyable -- level.