Stereo-Typical: A's B's & Rarities

iTunes Review

With a whopping 46 tracks, this three-disc collection of The Specials (and their related projects) could be all you’ll ever need. The first disc overflows with remastered versions of fan favorite a-sides, mostly culled from the band’s 1979 eponymous debut. “Gangsters” sets the tone with a perfect example of how well British new wave blended with old-school Jamaican ska, before “A Message to You Rudy” (their cover of Dandy Livingstone’s “Rudy, a Message to You”) salutes the band’s illustrated mascot, Rudy the Rude Boy. Some rare gems also surface, like the anti-racist ballad “Why,” as well as a live cover of The Skatalites’ “The Guns of Navarone” and trombonist Rico Rodriguez turning Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” into a ska-jazz hybrid. Disc 2 unearths gems from The Special A.K.A., starting with two versions of “The Boiler”: one instrumental and the other performed spoken-word by The Bodysnatchers’ Rhoda Dakar. With its airtight vocal harmonies and inspired message, “Nelson Mandela” is the standout jam here. The third disc is a fan’s trove of remixes, instrumentals, and the eerily groovy “What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend.”