Scootering Words & Sounds

Encore (Island)

The best of scootering words and music as reviewed by Nik & Sarge

Before I start, I’ll admit to being a member of the ‘no Jerry, no Specials’ camp when it comes to this band, and wasn’t holding out any great hopes for this album. Sometimes it’s good to admit that you’ve been wrong about something, this release is much, much better than it had any right to be. It isn’t vintage 2-Tone Specials, but then it was never going to be, with half of the original lineup retired, and the brilliant John Bradbury taken before his time, but that just allows for other musical directions to be explored. With all that in mind, what do we have? I was a bit concerned as the opening two tracks played. Black Skin, Blue Eyes owes a lot to disco, BLM has strong funk vibes, but then the opening single from the release – Vote For Me – comes forth. This sounds like Ghost Town-era Specials with a hint of Madness, cynical lyrics celebrating career politicians. Expect to hear this at the more openminded scooterist events next year. Moving on, the band revisit the Fun Boy Three classic The Lunatics…, a song as relevant now as it was back in the early Eighties. Prince Buster takes a quick one-two with the band’s belated answer to his Ten Commandments, featuring Saffiyah Khan (the girl made famous for standing face to face with EDL supporters while wearing a Specials shirt). I’m in two minds about this, not solely because the band have dubious form on the subject of misogyny with Little Bitch and Stupid Marriage, but also because the topic was done better a few years back by Sonic Boom Six. Embarrassed By You, on the other hand, is something of a masterpiece of ‘telling it how it is’, with Lynval expressing his disgust at the way the work that The Specials did in building bridges between communities has been consigned to the dustbin by gangs and knife-wielding moped riders. You can feel his pain. “We never fought for freedom for nasty little brutes like you” indeed. There’s been a lot of media discussion about Terry Hall and his fight against depression, and the causes of it. He lets it all go in The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Depression). A call to be more supportive and understanding, the miserable persona that he is known for suddenly makes more sense. Finishing on We Sell Hope says it all. They’ve not done the ageing rock star thing, they’ve kept their feet firmly planted in 2019 and, 40 years on from their debut, they remain largely as relevant as ever.