Ghost Town

Combining goosed-up, frenzied ska with a punk attitude, the Specials kicked off Britain's ska revival in the late '70s, climaxing as a group with the brilliant "Ghost Town" single in 1981. At first glance this release appears to have all the hits from the group, including "Ghost Town," but closer inspection reveals that this is actually original member Neville Staple in 2000 backed by a bunch of Long Beach, CA musicians doing re-recorded versions of various Specials and Fun Boy Three sides. All well and good, but most folks will prefer to have the original versions by the original lineups. ~ Steve Leggett