“Ghost Town (Extended Version)” (PDF) from The Specials single, Ghost Town

When “Ghost Town” became a 1981 number-one single in the U.K., the future of The Specials was uncertain. The ska-revival band, formed in the shadows of The Clash with a Rock Against Racism ethos, had integrated the traditional music of the post-War Jamaican diaspora with the underground punk sound of England’s working class. While “Ghost Town” reflected on the recession-fueled violence throughout the country, the recording also captured the band’s own inner turmoil in attempting to re-create a Sly & Robbie production.

Following the commercial success of “Ghost Town,” the Cuban-Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez became a more-prominent member of The Specials through his dub-style instrumental solo on the extended version. Having only been a featured guest in its early years, the trombonist assumed the bandleader role as the established front-men left The Specials shortly after the single’s release. Rodriguez utilized his new platform to showcase the traditional sounds of Jamaica’s Alpha Boys School, where he first studied music, to re-enforce The Specials’ influence on American new wave music.

Decades later in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Hot 8 Brass Band adopted “Ghost Town” as an anthem for the revival of New Orleans that addressed the sociopolitical violence of climate change. In a similar and less-reverent fashion, The Specials’ song also found new life as a soundtrack to the COVID-19 lockdown and its effect on the live music industry.

Here is a YouTube video of The Specials appearing on the U.K.’s Top of the Pops, where vocalists Terry Hall, Neville Staple, and guitaist Lynval Golding had already decided to leave the band:

Recommended reading: Ska’d for Life: A Personal Journey with The Specials by Horace Panter. Published by Pan Books.