Day 0475 - More Specials

The Specials "More Specials" (1980)

 
The Specials had helped launch the ska craze in the UK. The label 2-tone records, started by Specials keyboardist and songwriter Jerry Dammers would go on to release music from artists such as Madness, the Beat, and Elvis Costello (only one single for EC though).

The band were exhausted from touring and were hoping to make a few changes for their second album in order to keep things interesting.

The first few tracks stick to the ska/reggae formula, but towards the middle of the album you start to get the kitschy sing-along of "Pearl's Cafe" and hard funking of "Sock it to em JB". The album works with passages of exotica and some noodling around with different keyboard textures. The mix of styles would go on to influence the 90s trip-hop explosion through artists like Portishead, Massive Attack and others.

 

Day 0370 - Trans-Europe Express

Kraftwerk "Trans-Europe Express" (1977) got it

 
I'm actually reading about Kraftwerk and their ideas (among other things) at the moment in a brilliant book called 'Culture club'.  A few critics initially found it hard to accept their 'robot music' and the move of purposely removing the emotional/human component of their music... an anathema for a lot of pop and rock artists and musicians in general.

They fold in elements of musical loops, musique concrete, and signpost the rise of the role of machines in music (electronica etc).  This vibe was picked up by DJs who sampled the group's robotic sounds.

Great album that manages to its machine-like frame in a modicum of mood and melody.