What's the best track on The Specials' debut LP?

Right, no-one vote "Blank Expression" !

Oh, and Gangsters shouldn't be on there.

Lately I've been fond of "Too much Too Young".

"It's Up to You"

"Stupid Marriage" got me through a lot of dumb "woe is me, I is single and unwanted" bullshit from my younger years. (note: I never got married, but substitute marriage for LTR, and the song still works.)

It's all classic. I love "Nite Klub", "Little Bitch", and "Concrete Jungle", but "Stupid Marriage" wins.

"Gangsters" isn't on the original album -- it got amended for the U.S. version I think.

(The 2002 remaster restored the original track listing.)

Message to you Rudy.

Great album, but the second one is even better.

Message to you Rudy.

In high school a friend gave me a copy of "Lifes Rich Pageant" that he'd taped over a copy of this Specials album, so that right after the end of "Superman" you'd come in halfway through "Little Bitch," and I was completely captivated by this amazing half-song, which it was two years before I learned what it was and bought the record. So: "Little Bitch," though at other times I'd have said "Nite Klub" or "Stupid Marriage" or even "You're Wondering Now," surely one of the best ever album-closers.

"You're Wondering Now," surely one of the best ever album-closers.

well said, Guayaquil.

Little Bitch, although I don't think I've ever hear this or any other special's album as an album. Pretty sure I've heard everything on the album, though.

"Gangster". Most of this album is a bit too fast and nagging for my taste (prefer "More Specials" a lot), but "Gansters" has some of the mood found more often on later Specials material.

"Gangsters", I mean

I've always liked "It Doesn't MAke It Alright". Don't know why, it's quite long and boring on closer inspection.

too much too young would have been better if it had been a lot shorter.

too much too young would have been better if it had been a lot shorter.

I guess that is why the faster and shorter live version became the single hit.

Funny, I'd been listening to this a lot circa a month ago after many years' absence and was thinking it would have been a perfect album without "Gangsters." Not that I don't like the song (I do), but after the preceding run of masterpieces it's a letdown.

I think "Too Much Too Young" but it could be any of them, really. All I have to do is hear the first two notes of "A Message To You Rudy" and my mood is improved 1000%.

Funny, I'd been listening to this a lot circa a month ago after many years' absence and was thinking it would have been a perfect album without "Gangsters." Not that I don't like the song (I do), but after the preceding run of masterpieces it's a letdown.

I like it much better than the rest, but it doesn't quite fit in. Whereas the rest of the album is fast, aggressive and furious, "Gangsters" is more of a melancholic afterthought that might have been fit better on the (IMO way superior) followup.

gangsters wasn't on the original vinyl album i've got, so it dosen't quite fit for me either. It's a great single.
voted 'Dosen't Make It Alright', though I think A Message to You will walk this.

Hmmm. Yes, I know 'Gangsters' doesn't really belong in this poll. That will teach me to copy and paste track listings from Wikipedia.

Thread also seems incomplete without an image of the (superb) band photo on the sleeve.

http://www.recordstore.co.uk/images/covers/specials-specials300.jpg

Concrete Jungle!

yeeah i love that cover.

please nobody vote Too Much Too Young, the album version of the song is excruciating to listen to (if you havent heard it, it is six minutes long and gets slower and slower until it finally dies a long-awaited painful death.) the live takes are wonderful, though!

NITE CLUB!

"Too Much Too Young" eats the shit out of everything this band ever did.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

This was fast! I would've voted "It's Up to You."

Woke up and thought, "This ain't exactly heaven"
Oh shit, this is area seven!!!

I had no idea Gangsters wasn't on the original version. It's on my (UK vinyl) version, but I bought that in 1989 so it must be some kind of reissue.

It Doesn't Make It Alright

Anyone hear the expanded edition that came out last year?