The Specials discography
| The Specials discography | |
|---|---|
 The Specials performing live at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, IL in 2013 | |
| Studio albums | 9 |
| Live albums | 6 |
| Compilation albums | 10 |
| Video albums | 5 |
| EPs | 5 |
| Singles | 25 |
| Collaboration album | 1 |
English ska revival band the Specials have released a diverse discography since their debut in 1979, including: nine studio albums, one collaboration album, five live albums, eleven compilation albums, four extended plays, twenty-three singles, and filmed five videos.
Their debut album "The Specials" (1979) and "More Specials" (1980) both achieved Gold status, while their 2019 album "Encore" hit number 1 on the UK chart. The band collaborated with Desmond Dekker on the album "King of Kings" (1993). Their work spans various formats and has seen chart success in multiple countries.
Albums[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][2] |
AUS [3] |
CAN [4] |
GER [5] |
NZ [6] |
SWE [7] |
SWI [8] |
US [9] | |||
| The Specials | 4 | 20 | 21 | — | 5 | 34 | — | 84 | ||
| More Specials |
|
5 | 86 | 49 | — | 28 | 30 | — | 98 |
|
| In the Studio (as the Special AKA) |
|
34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Today's Specials |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Guilty 'til Proved Innocent! |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Skinhead Girl |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Conquering Ruler |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Encore |
|
1 | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | — |
|
| Protest Songs 1924–2012 |
|
2 | — | — | 47 | — | — | 85 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
Collaboration albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| King of Kings (with Desmond Dekker) |
Live albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [12] | ||
| BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert |
|
— |
| Live – Too Much Too Young |
|
— |
| Live at the Moonlight Club |
|
— |
| Blue Plate Specials Live |
|
— |
| Ghost Town Live |
|
— |
| More... Or Less: The Specials Live |
|
109 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||
Compilation albums[edit]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1] | |||
| Singles / The Singles Collection |
|
10 |
|
| Dawning of a New Era (as the Coventry Automatics aka the Specials) |
|
— | |
| Too Much Too Young: The Gold Collection |
|
— |
|
| Best of the Specials |
|
— | |
| Concrete Jungle (as the Specials and Friends) |
|
— | |
| BBC Sessions |
|
— | |
| A Special Collection |
|
— | |
| Stereo-Typical: A's, B's and Rarities |
|
— |
|
| Archive |
|
— | |
| The Best of the Specials |
|
24 |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||
EPs[edit]
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] |
UK Indie [14] |
BEL (FLA) [15] |
IRE [16] |
NL [17] |
NZ [18] | |||
| Too Much Too Young – The Special A.K.A. Live! [A] |
|
1 | — | 11 | 3 | 15 | 47 |
|
| The Peel Sessions |
|
— | 17 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 Tone EP [B] |
|
30 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Too Much Too Young – The Specials E.P. Live! |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Dub Mixes Exclusive |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][19] |
AUS [3] |
AUT [20] |
BEL (FLA) [15] |
IRE [16] |
NL [17] |
NOR [21] |
NZ [18] |
US Alt [22] |
US Dance [23] | ||||
| "Gangsters" [C] | 1979 | 6 | — | — | 6 | 27 | 11 | — | 20 | — | — |
|
Non-album single |
| "A Message to You Rudy" / "Nite Klub" [D] | 10 | 29 | 7 | 24 | 19 | 35 | — | 29 | — | — |
|
The Specials | |
| "Rat Race" / "Rude Buoys Outa Jail" | 1980 | 5 | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | 89 | Non-album single | |
| "Stereotype" / "International Jet Set" | 6 | — | — | — | 12 | 41 | — | — | — | — | More Specials | ||
| "Do Nothing" / "Maggie's Farm" [E] | 4 | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
More Specials
Non-album track | |
| "Sock It to Them J.B." [F] | 1981 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | More Specials | |
| "Concrete Jungle" (live) [G] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dance Craze (soundtrack) | ||
| "Ghost Town" | 1 | 68 | — | 15 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 20 | — | — |
|
Non-album singles | |
| "The Boiler" [H] | 1982 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Jungle Music" [I] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "War Crimes" [C] | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In the Studio | ||
| "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights" [C] | 1983 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Free Nelson Mandela" / "Break Down the Door" [C] | 1984 | 9 | 66 | — | 8 | 6 | 9 | — | 1 | — | 34 | ||
| "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" [C] | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Free Nelson Mandela" (re-recording) [J] | 1988 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Jamaica Ska" [K] | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | King of Kings | |
| "Coz I Luv You" [L] | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Hypocrite" [M] | 1995 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Today's Specials | |
| "Pressure Drop" [M] | 1996 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" [N] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It's You" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | Guilty 'til Proved Innocent! | |
| "Bonediggin'" [O] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sock It to Them J.B." (dub) / "Rat Race" (dub) [P] | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Vote for Me" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encore | |
| "10 Commandments" / "You're Wondering Now" (live) [Q][P] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encore
Non-album track | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Compilation contributions[edit]
| Title | Release date |
Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Specials vs. The Untouchables: Ska's Greatest Stars | 2002 | Big Eye Music |
| 80's New Wave Hits – Rearrangement of The Go-Go's' "Our Lips Are Sealed", with Jane Wiedlin, originally on The Specials vs The Untouchables: Ska's Greatest Stars |
2006 | Big Eye Music |
Videography[edit]
- "Dance Craze – The Best of British Ska... Live!" (VHS)
- "The Special AKA on Film" (1981 VHS & Laserdisc)
- "The Specials: Too Much, Too Young" (2008 DVD)
- "The Best of the Specials" (CD/DVD 2008)
- "The Specials – 30th Anniversary Tour" (2009 DVD)
Films[edit]
- Sixteen Candles (1984) – song – "Little Bitch"
- Natural Born Killers (1994) – song – "Ghost Town" (not included on the soundtrack album)
- Multiplicity (1996) – song – "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"
- Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) – songs – "Pressure Drop", "A Message to You, Rudy" and "You're Wondering Now"
- SLC Punk! (1998) – songs – "Too Hot" and "Gangsters"
- 200 Cigarettes (1999) – song – "A Message to You, Rudy"
- Mystery Men (1999) – song – "Gangsters" (covered by Citizen King)
- A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) – song – "A Message to You, Rudy"
- An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) – song – "Pressure Drop"
- Snatch (2000) – song – "Ghost Town"
- Garage Days (2002) – song – "Ghost Town"
- Shaun of the Dead (2004) – song – "Ghost Town"
- This Is England (2006) – songs – "Do the Dog", "Pressure Drop"
- We Own The Night (2007) – song – "A Message to You, Rudy"
- Vivarium (2019) – song – "A Message to You, Rudy"
Television[edit]
- Father Ted – Episode – Think Fast, Father Ted – song – "Ghost Town"
- Six Feet Under – song – "Monkey Man"
- Misfits (TV series) – song – "A Message to You Rudy"
Commercials[edit]
- The song "A Message to You, Rudy" was featured in a SFR television commercial directed by Bruno Aveillan, with world champion football player, Marcel Desailly in 2001
- The song "Blank Expression" was featured in a Ford Fiesta television commercial in 2003
Video games[edit]
- Dance Dance Revolution – song – "Little Bitch" (remix)
- MLB 2K7 – Song – "A Message To You, Rudy"
- Skate 2 – Song – "Ghost Town"
Notes[edit]
- ^ This EP is credited as the Special AKA featuring Rico. In some countries, such as France and Germany, the EP was instead released as a 7-inch single consisting of "Too Much Too Young" as the A-side and "Guns of Navarone" as the B-side.
- ^ The 2 Tone EP is a various artists EP that features "Gangsters" as the first track.
- ^ a b c d e Credited as the Special AKA.
- ^ Both sides credited as the Specials featuring Rico.
- ^ "Do Nothing" is credited as the Specials featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds.
- ^ "Sock It to Them J.B." was only released as a single in France.
- ^ "Concrete Jungle" was only released as a single in the Netherlands.
- ^ Credited as Rhoda with the Special AKA.
- ^ Credited as Rico and the Special AKA.
- ^ Credited as the Special AKA featuring Ndonda Khuze and Jonas Gwangwa.
- ^ Credited as Desmond Dekker and the Specials.
- ^ Credited as the X Specials.
- ^ a b Credited as the Specials featuring Kendell Smith and Sheena Staple.
- ^ "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" was only released as a single in the US.
- ^ "Bonediggin'" was only released as a promotional single in the US.
- ^ a b Record Store Day release.
- ^ "10 Commandments" features Saffiyah Khan, whilst "You're Wondering Now" is a live version from 2009 and features Amy Winehouse.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Specials | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 519. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 286. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Search – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "The Specials – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "British certifications – Specials". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Type Specials in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "King of Kings" (PDF). Music Week. 30 October 1993. p. 7. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ "Chart Log UK – 2012 + Weekly Updates + Sales 2012". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980–1989. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
- ^ a b "Discografie The Specials - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: DJ S - The System Of Life". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ^ "The Specials – Alternative Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "The Specials – Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2022.