R I.P Terry Hall, gone but will never be forgotten. This song sent me on my life's path. The lyrics spoke to me at the age of 12, and I stayed well away from the Rat Race and prospered.
we must be close to the same age....this video rocked my world. Totally unlike anything out there at the time and Terry like the total anti rock star hero.
@nevada k I first witnessed The Specials and the unmistakable voice of disaffected youth, (2 months shy of 12 years old)in 1979 on the 2Tone tour. With Madness and The Selecter on the bill, that gig opened my eyes and mind. Ska'd for life, as they say. I still get goosebumps thinking about that magical night.
I was born in Feb '63 - these bands made our youth magical & unforgettable!! Thank you! So many favourite Brit bands of the late '70s & early -80s to mention, They gave us a diamond youth we treasure to date!! ❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Lived in the UK back then, though born in Australia. Still remember discovering Ska with a mate when we went to see the epic Ska movie Dance Craze. Highlight bands The Specials and The (English). I can still remember the tough 80s UK where Ska was attempting to unite a fractured, battered, weary nation. They succeeded, and produced so many strong hopeful anthems, and melodies. As for Terry Hall, his stage performances were stellar. He will be sadly missed. Gone way to soon, but finally at peace.
60 years old and I remember this like it was yesterday, I was in college, loved this album. What a unique sound and sadly short-lived band. I think the Specials were not been given the credit they really deserved. Granted in 1980 there were so many post-punk and "new wave" bands, it's often hard to rank them, but the Specials will rise up as future critics look at this time period. See you all in the FUTURE!
The specials where the band that helped bring down Apartheid by making every kid on the planet into an implacable foe of Apartheid and racist govts. I'd say they've definately earned their place in the pantheon of rock and roll heroes.
I'm 72 and these guys have been one of my 2 or 3 fav bands since I brought the album home & heard the first few notes of "A Message To You, Rudy." Friends my age kinda said, "Huh?" I liked how they made anger & alienation & sadness fun & danceable. Too many people hate & stereotype Baby Boomers. It wasn't our fault when we were born. Millions of us have known it's all a bullshit racket all our lives & we've plowed through it & "done our time" with help from bands in each decade in the spirit of The Specials!
The people that hate on baby boomers are self loathing garbage looking to blame anyone for their shortcomings aka the weakest and most fragile generation
RIP Terry Hall. This track always touched me emotionally for reasons I could never properly comprehend. Now it simply emotes as a memory from a lost youth.
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THE SPECIALS WILL FOREVER BE WITH ME!!!... LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! .R.I.P. TO: ALL OF THE SPECIALS MEMBERS THAT HAVE SADLY PASSED-AWAY!!! MAY THEY BE AT PEACE!!! AND!! REST!! GOD-BLESS!!!...
Kinda. I loved a real mix - Duran Duran, The Specials, Madness, The Jam, Soft Cell. You'd never have worked out my taste from my pencil skirt, blouse and stilettos :D
You're right Bill. I remember it just like that. I was into Rockabilly music, although I appreciated other sounds like this one. You had to watch carefully where you went!
Is me today, Bill. 52yr old guy just going the shops, in MA1 green pilot jacket, Treasure Isle t-shirt, turned up Levi 501's and black Doc shoes..Style never goes out of fashion..KTF
@@leeroberts8114 the specials from a time when you had youth culture . Mods, rockers , rockabilly, Ted's, punk, new wave, new romantics, rasta,soul boys, psycho Billy's, ska boys, skins, goths, glam rockers , etc etc where has youth culture gone ?
Terry Hall was a legend, their music was so much a product of its time and still so relevant, they don't make them like this anymore. Rest in power Terry Hall, your love and your enthusiasm and your sheer genius is timeless and will live forever. 💙
💯 i must admit as 13 year old i absolutely loved this tune, but i was so into the jam at the time circ 1980 i didnt fully appreciate the influence the specials had on society at the time. R i p terry hall. Gone far too soon.❤
"I chanced to hear several well-to-do students in conversation. They were discussing the jobs their parents had lined up for them when they finished college.It struck me that their places in college would be better used by students of a less wealthy background, but not everybody understood the song's sentiments. In fact, I was told I was anti-education." -Roddy Radiation
I absolutely love this track . Seeing a very young Brad and Terry here it doesn't ring true that they are no longer with us .I'm 63 now and they both died at 62 and 63 respectively This so reminds me of being in my early 20's and going up to Yarmouth for the weekend and hitting the clubs &pubs and hearing this . Happy days which I miss 🎶🎵
Why are old old vids by the Specials suddenly showing up in my feed? Sometimes the internet does do good deeds. Both songs were ones I didn’t know. Great stuff!
mother: how was school today honey son: well we had a loud ska band perform during a test mother: well how was it son: the music was good probably failed the test though
I didn't even pass my maths test without the specials playing so if they had it might have made my maths test worth something... :) strangley I can now do my sums .. even mental arithmatic, better than some who did pass thier maths test...
@@digger1062 Rolf Harris was the guest speaker at my school graduation, he made everyone really uncomfortable and then when the allegations came out about him a few months later no one was surprised.
Don't know about anyone else, these songs from this era just make me so happy but also quite emotional now (doesn't stop me listening- thank god for RU-vid!) Age has crept up & the lyrics now make sense. Brilliant!
Loved these guys I was just leaving school and looking for work YTs .My first boyfriend bought me the vinyl he's sadly long passed away, but I listen to this and think about all our loved ones who are no longer with us..RIP Terry Hall 🙏💯❤️
Moving comment. The YTS was a disgrace- I think it was about £27 per week in the mid eighties. I never had to do it thankfully as I was fortunate enough to stay in education but I knew of people that did. Employers screwing down pay then and now. Nothing has changed. The minimum wage has always been too low and most people are denied the living wage. I am currently reading Too Much Too Young by Daniel Rachel, about the history of Two Tone. It is a good read and goes into all the detail of what went on really well.
R.I.P Terry wish I could go back to 1979 I was 17 listening to Madness, The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat,Bad Manners and The Bodysnatchers loved it
Mrs H .. This is one of my earliest records I bought ..75p..on a 45.....If I remember correctly... You can NEVER replace Classic songs.. I love you Terry..Goodnight & God Bless
A genius band that brought Ska to many people who would have otherwise overlooked this upbeat tone yet downbeat reflection on society expectations. RIP Terry Hall and John Bradbury. Shout out to the other band members throughout the years.
In the 80's we had names for certain types of music... We called this Genre, Two Tone.. English beat, Madness, The Selector.. We hungered for U.K. Ska /Two Tone music.. We were satisfied..
The piano in this is so well done. I feel this song is perfection. I've met people just like Terry over the decades and they were fine regarding not wanting to be in the rat race.
I love this song forever This is My favorite Specials song. But I love their tunes.. "Hey... I'm Terry and I'm going to enjoy myself First". *Starts singing* 🦓❤️🇨🇦 RIP Terry.. your voice was beautiful
Agreed!Things are considerably worse today-helped a friend move into a 1bed flat after a marital split!Wot a Council shithole-literally round the corner from millionaire homes-such a graphic graphic physical demonstration of "inequality"He works full time in a seemingly well paid job in retail but after bills etc he'll be lucky to have any disposable income for himself-so whilst his Employers have made specctacular profits during Pandemic they are subsidised by Govrnment because they dont pay a Real Living Wage!Thatchers Britain firmly in place!
i know loads of people who say roddy radiation is not that good and overrated but in songs like this, he shows how good he is. amazing band, COVENTRYS FINEST!!
Just heard the sad news of Terry Hall's death 😢 I was 7 when Rat race came out and this was my favourite Specials track along with Ghost Town and will be forever linked to the great singer and frontman Terry was. R.I.P🙁
Remember listening to the specials whilst locked up in norwich prison in the late 70,s and skanking in the cell.Hard to get a radio in those days.Been a good boy since but have fond memorys of the specials.
Passei a minha vida inteira ouvindo esses caras e eu tinha a esperança de um dia ver eles tocando aqui no Brasil, mas infelizmente não deu!!! RIP Terry
Amazing time. I was at school and loved all of their songs. Bringing black and white musicians together while slagging off materialism and the Tories against the backdrop of Thatcher and the race riots. Brilliant
I’m 14 and just got into the specials almost a year ago and I can say there is a new generation of ska kids like me. It might be small but I’ve met people my age who like ska, new wave, punk anything you name it
80,s classic remembering the time at Landbeach marina ark as a Rude Boy in my purple/green two tone suit.....................where did all the years go !!! GOOD TIMES with my brother Mitchell ( now dead).
Mate I’ve just watched Trex sweet,slade an mud wondering where the yrs went. Am 60 in Oct. It seem like only a few yrs ago I was literally bein chased out of school by the crazed headmaster screaming all over the play ground” Don’t even think of comin near this school again bastard I,ll put a fukn knife thru u if u step one foot in here again. Ur expelled HEAR ME BASTARD ex. Fukn spelled” He,d caught me taken a shit in his beloved fish tank I think any grown man who gives names to fish needs a fukn smack doesn’t he though. 44yrs ago that was. The one nice thing about gettin old an lookin bak is all those prick teachers are very probably DEAD now arnt they an no matter how shit life gets that one thort can always put a smile on my face even in the darkest hour.
Always loved this band.so clever and snarky.where as the clash would stick up their middle finger up at the powers that be this group wisely decided to smirk.
