The Specials discography
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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 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
Studio albums
| 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
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| King of Kings (with Desmond Dekker) |
Live albums
| 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
| 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
| 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! Template:Efn |
|
1 | — | 11 | 3 | 15 | 47 |
|
| The Peel Sessions |
|
— | 17 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 Tone EP Template:Efn |
|
30 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Too Much Too Young – The Specials E.P. Live! |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Dub Mixes Exclusive |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||
Singles
| 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" Template:Efn | 1979 | 6 | — | — | 6 | 27 | 11 | — | 20 | — | — |
|
Non-album single |
| "A Message to You Rudy" / "Nite Klub" Template:Efn | 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" Template:Efn | 4 | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
More Specials
Non-album track | |
| "Sock It to Them J.B." Template:Efn | 1981 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | More Specials | |
| "Concrete Jungle" (live) Template:Efn | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dance Craze (soundtrack) | ||
| "Ghost Town" | 1 | 68 | — | 15 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 20 | — | — |
|
Non-album singles | |
| "The Boiler" Template:Efn | 1982 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Jungle Music" Template:Efn | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "War Crimes" Template:Efn | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In the Studio | ||
| "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights" Template:Efn | 1983 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Free Nelson Mandela" / "Break Down the Door" Template:Efn | 1984 | 9 | 66 | — | 8 | 6 | 9 | — | 1 | — | 34 | ||
| "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" Template:Efn | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Free Nelson Mandela" (re-recording) Template:Efn | 1988 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Jamaica Ska" Template:Efn | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | King of Kings | |
| "Coz I Luv You" Template:Efn | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Hypocrite" Template:Efn | 1995 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Today's Specials | |
| "Pressure Drop" Template:Efn | 1996 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" Template:Efn | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It's You" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | Guilty 'til Proved Innocent! | |
| "Bonediggin'" Template:Efn | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sock It to Them J.B." (dub) / "Rat Race" (dub) Template:Efn | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Vote for Me" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encore | |
| "10 Commandments" / "You're Wondering Now" (live) Template:EfnTemplate:Efn | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Encore
Non-album track | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Compilation contributions
| 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
- "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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Dance Dance Revolution – song – "Little Bitch" (remix)
- MLB 2K7 – Song – "A Message To You, Rudy"
- Skate 2 – Song – "Ghost Town"
Notes
References
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