Terry Hall: An Appreciation

Hearing the Specials for the first time was one of those "Lightning strikes" moments. The first few weeks of college were tough for me, but discovering new music eased things. The first Specials album is an all time great. Though I was well immersed into the British punk scene, I had missed out on the Specials. For the benefit of one person who may be reading this, I can tell you I bought this at the Record Store that used to be by Quatros in Carbondale, Illinois I had listened to the Clash, the English Beat and (album producer) Elvis Costello, but nothing quite prepared me. The album from start to finish is amazing. Terry Hall was the perfect frontman. He sang as if it was a chore, as if he was “put out” or bored (Bernard Sumner is another vocalist who sounds like this) but the rest of the band was partying around him and somehow the contrast made everything more powerful. (Wikipedia suggests that I am on the right track by telling us that the vocals were taken from two vocal takes - a "bored" one and an "angry" one.) My version of the first record is the American version which adds “Gangsters”. Both that song and its follow up “A Message to you, Rudy” are perfect songs with accompanying fantastic videos. The music axiom of breaking up early instead of carrying on like The Rolling Stones (or U2) is in play here. Somehow, Jerry Dammers walking away from the Specials has cemented a certain legacy for him, but Hall continued to make music. Like Paul Weller, fans might not appreciate the pivot to more poppy music and The Colourfield and Fun Boy Three don’t carry the same gravitas. This plays out in the disappointment that Dammers didn’t join the recent Specials reunion. Then it is to Hall (and gang)’s credit that those two records were great additions to the band’s canon. Sadly, we didn’t get the third album from this incarnation which was supposed to be reggae influenced. I can hardly think of more iconic videos than “Gangsters” even if it’s just the band. The black and white striking out. Hall only occasionally maintaining eye contact, Neville Staple being a force of frenetic energy, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter jumping around while Roddy Radiaton provides his guitar heroics, and Dammers stealing his scenes by being a bit of a smart aleck. It is probably impossible to calculate the effect the album had on American punk and ska. Additionally, think of the influence passed on in artists as varied as No Doubt, Damon Albarn and Tricky.