Specials

Specials

1. Gangsters - Directed by Keef
2. Concrete Jungle - Taken from Dance Craze
3. Message To You Rudi - Directed by Martin Baker
4. Too Much Too Young - Directed by Martin Baker
5. Ratrace - Directed by Martin Baker
6. Do Nothing - Courtesy of the BBC
7. Ghost Town - Directed by Barney Bubbles
8. Enjoy Yourself - Directed by ?

Special AKA

1. Warcrimes - Directed by Jeff Baynes
2. Alcohol - Directed by Jeff Baynes
3. Housebound - Directed by Jeff Baynes
4. Nelson Mandela - Directed by Jeff Baynes
5. Girlfriend - Directed by Jeff Baynes

Liner Notes

'SPECIALS' is not only a musical document of one of the '80s most respected groups, it also stands as a testament to the cinematic ideas of their leader, Jerry Dammers. His contribution, alongside directors such as Jeff Baynes, Martin Baker and the late but sorely missed Barney Bubbles (he directed 'Ghost Town'), gave many of these videos a cutting edge, enhanced by their ironic and dark sense of humour.

The paranoia evoked in 'Housebound' (which cheekily ends on a shot of Buckingham Palace), or the black wit of 'What I Most Like About You' (sic) complement the deeper qualities that The Special A.K.A brought to their later music. On another level, the exuberance displayed in 'Free Nelson Mandela', or some of the earlier Specials footage, testify to the group's energetic and brash appeal to so many people. On the live version of 'Enjoy Yourself' you can hear that Dammers accidently left his drum and organ machine running, out of key and out of time, an accusation that could never be applied to The Specials or The Special A.K.A.

Paulo Hewitt

This Video is dedicated to the memory of Barney Bubbles