@@paulholmes5240 well said. He still hasn't worked out that this was most probably setting us up nicely for what's happening now. I feel I was fooled anyway. That's why I sold all my old ska records. Kept the Punk stuff 😝
I was a Black child growing up in a suburb in Chicago in the 1970s/1980s. British Ska was my outlet, my escape from the mundane American Top 40 music that was played constantly on the radio. I had my Walkman and British import cassettes. I would sit on my bedroom floor with my headphones on rocking out to British music The Specials, The English Beat, Madness, and various British New Wave groups like ABC. I didn't know at the time that I was a 2Tone, but I was...an American 2 Tone. My favorite song by the Specials was Stereotype Part 2. I loved all the songs, really.
I'm a child of the 70's and early 80's, the Racism I went through is something that can never be healed. Yet the music of The Specials was my a great part of my life & Gangsters was the song I learnt to fight back with. Once a Rude Boy, always a Rude Boy & 2Tone will live in my Heart Forever! Rest In Peace Terry.
Looking back, especial today, that was the most natural and loving unity of people I ever experianced. Without official agenda or program. So easy and selfunderstanding. This spirit to me is still the ultimat of how everyday-people should be as one kind.
The impact of the movement on me as a young lad cannot be underestimated. Growing up in the North East of England in the 70s unlike other areas of the country our estates were almost exclusively white, the NF were taking a foothold, high jacking the skinhead movement and making it something it never was. First heard the Specials on John Peel and they blew me away. Somehow managed to scrape the money together to follow them on the 2 tone tour, making new black mates for the first time. Totally shaped me politically, got me involved with the Anti Nazi League at the time that lead to a life long commitment to the fight against racism. 2 Tone was a revival movement. I think given the situation politically in the UK today and the swing to the right in general another revival is long overdue! RIP Mr Hall, too much too young indeed.
I'm sorry for the horrible way that you and many people have been treated because of race. I would think some scars never issue. Thank you to all who made sacrifices to bring this wonderful music and many cultural delights. Many of us love and are grateful to those having to surpass tremendous ignorance as they made life richer with fun and character.
I grew up in Los Angeles , California. I was never the same after discovering The Specials in my youth.I was a little black kid in the late seventies and walked past the TV one late summer night, and there they were, black and white for all to see.The perfect mix of reggae, punk, ska and groove.Each musician contributing to their best.I loved Terry Hall's " dead pan" attitude and limited wardrobe. Sparse at best, all of them. Look at Dance Craze everyone for the experience. The Specials, led me to The Selecter which I also loved.I grew up playing ska too in band's and eventually got a record deal with a band on Capitol in the 90s. After that band, got into another band on Capitol, and by lucky circumstances, got to meet Jerry Dammers, and some of the guys from Madness.Great memories yal.I wish I could run a Rude Boy academy here in Compton, for my life's ambition is to be a Rude Boy.I played bass and drums, by the way.Ska taught me well, 2 tone taught me tolerance in life.Peace.😇🙏👌🤟👀👍
Cool story mate 👍👍👌👌❤️❤️ I was born in 69,played drums & guitar in bands over the years,I tell my 2 sons ( who play multiple instruments ) that if you are born with a love for music,your life will be so much better & fulfilling,peace to you brother ,R.I.P. Terry Hall,your legacy will last for eternity,❤️❤️
Thank god for LA in the early 80s. I took a visit there and being from NYC it just wasn't a ska ready place compared to the clubs in CA in the early 80s.
I have to add my 2 cents here. I was a college kid in middle America and was introduced to this infectious music in 1981 - thank the lords! It hit me hard and got me on the dance floor like no other. Moved to Boston after that and didn't wear jeans for like 10yrs. I had my version of the style. Can music make a difference? Your damn right and Jerry and the boys proved it. Peace to all the rude boys/girls out there!
Caught the zeitgeist back then, what's depressing today is no younger band want to touch on these issues because they're so controlled by their paymasters it would be career suicide to do so hence why music today is anodyne and unoriginal.
I grew up in Cov during that era.I can’t express how much SKA shaped me. You can take the lad out of Cov, but you can’t take Coventry out of the Lad. Rest in peace Terry Hall. Love Love Love.
I am in my 60s now from Earlsdon Cov the first time I saw Terry Hall was on Hearsall Common when he was lead singer with a punk band called Squad. Terry stood out clearly a future star . A couple of years later a mate told me about a great new local band Special AKA we went to see them and there was Terry . The next thing you know 2 Tone is launched and COV is the place to be. Fantastic memories RIP Terry Hall. The Specials were far more than just a band x
I got a lot of joy out of listening to all the 2 Tone music back in the day. Thanks for the music Terry Hall. I was very sorry when I heard of your passing. May you R.I.P.
All these big name, old time characters dieing off? Times are bad enough nowadays, what we going to do when all that's left is the Justin Biebers, the Kylie & Jasons, & Steps?? Help!!
I myself lived in Coventry in 2013 and got to know about 2tone and The Specials when a friend of mine visited me there who himself lived in Coventry during the 80s. Ultimately, in 2013 we both went to the 2tone museum and he kind of introduced me to the 2tone music and the attitude that comes along with. Since then I have been falling in love with the music, the city and the working class and progressive attitude. However, today I am very sad, but also grateful that Terry Hall has left footprints that probably will last forever. Rest in power.
Jerry Dammers was the brains and force behind 2 tone. But alot of people forgot this earlier in the week. Without Dammers .....no Specials or any of them. A true legend.
We lived this era from 79-85-ish ...it was a great youthful experience from buying the vinyls to the pin on badges the crombies the doc martins the staypress trousers 2tone suits brogue shoes the dance craze movie and album the dancing the sense of belonging Thank you everyone for a great youth
The Specials should at least have been granted a Nobel Peace Prize, which they wouldn.t have accepted, but I consider them as that important! Thanks Specials, I was a young lass at those days and loved ska, saying hi from Holland
I absolutely loved this documentary. Makes you really proud to think of all the amazing musicians and music that was born here in the uk. Rest in peace Terry
I wish I could give every comment a thumbs up,thank you for the music ❤️❤️👌👌 R.I.P. Terry Hall 💔💔& to every rude boy,every single person who feels the music,I love every single one of you ❤️❤️ Peace & love always ❤️❤️
I've been thinking about 2Tone since my wife told me about Terry Hall last night. It's made me think back to my mates James, Mark and Terry. The period 1977-81 was a real foundation for me. Thanks for posting this. Cheers!
as someone who was inspired, moved, and motivated by the 2 Tone Movement in 1980-1981, to the point of emulating it at points during our set....i'm just amazed at Jerry Dammer's not only genius in helping shape and form this movement and then taking it one last step farther at the end...i also bow to his sense of grace, good humor, and his humility. god bless...thank you for this document. and of course RIP Terry Hall.
Coventry born and bred and despite living the other side of the world now, that will never change. This movement, the music, the lyrics and the culture undoubtably shaped me for the better as a young man growing up in Coventry. Still have many ties back in the City and there are a lot of ppl hurting today. RIP Terry and thank you
Well said Paul. I'm a Derby lad, knowing how underrated a place Coventry can be. I can only imagine your huge pride coming from there. I'm in the US Midwest these days. Hoping to re-settle in the Midlands some day, the Two Tone museum will be high on my To Do list.
Thanks for posting this, as a spotty lanky outcast young lad in Wellington, NZ, feeling like I was at the arse end of the Universe, Two Tone gave me a view into a much greater world. Lucky to have seen many of the bands later when based out of London. Rest in Power Terry, Rankin Roger and all the others who improved this odd wer planet
Such very sad news. Terry was a true legend in spite of the torment he suffered in his youth. He STILL stood as tall as he could, said the things that needed saying & brought us the sounds that made a generation. "The Specials" was the first LP I ever bought. Still got it a few feet away & it still sings to me whenever it can. Saw Roddy Radiation supporting The Beat in June this year. Rod played several Specials songs but in spite of the fact he'd written them, I could only hear Terry's voice singing them. If that's not a true legacy, I don't know what is. So sad to see how he passed. Surely he had enough torment in his formative years. RIP Terry. Rest easy. I'm sure Brad has a cold beer waiting for you. 😎😎
With out a doubt this has to be the best documentary I've seen in years .I can relate to every part of this as I was 15/16 when all this hit the scenes .Brilliant ,excellent and full of memories thanks to you all .And god rest Terry RIP pal
2Tone was the first dance music that I could take seriously - the energy, the attitude, the unity was something I'd never heard before. The Specials, Selecter and The Beat just swept me up. I learned to play music playing Madness bass lines on an old acoutsic guitar.
I am a Coventry Kid, this was my soundtrack as I grew up. Here's to the many bands who made Cov such a great place to be in the late 70's and early 80's. Special mention to 'The Wild Boys'...fabulous group who deserved to have made it big....
incredible history, that needed to be documented in this lovely format. long live rude boys and rude girls and g-d bless Terry Hall and all the 2 Tone artist who promoted love, peace and unity. Love LOVE love.
The impact of 2Tone and The Specials, et al, was massive in the late 70's and early 80's, ska music just lived in so many ways after the fanfare died down. Thank you and RIP Terry, you were a true innovator!
Just gorgeous. I got to see the Specials in Pomona, California and we were treated to an almost mystical night. The crowd was there because the Specials meant something to us as well. The Southern California punk/ska scene has always held the Specials in highest regard. A night I will never forget.
I was born in Cov and a teenager when all the 2 Tone and Specials kicked off. It was an amazing time for the City. I remember going to HMV down the town and buying Too Much Too Young with me pocket money. Still got it. And the Sent From Coventry Album. Great times. Remember going to see The Squad in about 78 ish, think it cost 25p to get in 😂
Two Tone was a Happening that I as a mixed lad from Brum was fortunate enough to be at the right age to really appreciate , lucky enough to have met Jerry Dammers during his AAA venture!❤️🌹🏴
What a gift the entire Two Tone experience was and is… and what a gift this documentary is to those who lived through it while it was happening in real time and those who are experiencing it for the first time. Terry Hall you will never be forgotten Jerry Dammers…thank you for doing so much for music and beyond Enjoy yourself…
I grew up in Coventry and was around at the height of the Specials. They were my first band. I used to beg my Mum to take me to a concert but as I was only 8 that was deemed Inappropriate. Fast forward 30+ years and I finally saw them in sunny California a couple of years ago. It was a boyhood dream and I am glad I got to see them with the sad passing of Terry. RIP cool dude.
RIP Terry, and thanks for everything you did to put happiness and joy in a dreary world at the time until the 2 Tone/ Specials gave all of us a positive outlook and a voice for our humanity.
Thank you for posting this, RIP Terry. Got a chance to see em here in Los Angeles 2018, amazing. Watching this it was so interesting to see how musically advanced you guys were when all we had was X and The Germs here in Los Angles at that same time Specials, Selector and Beat were rocking out.
God, watching this makes me so emotional. I LOVED 2-Tone! I was 18 here in Brooklyn NY and back then, certain radio stations played imports (and clubs like Dancteria and Mudd Club) and I still remember hearing "On My Radio" and "Gangsters" and "Stand Down Margaret" when they came out, then seeing them when they debuted here around 1980. Terry passing just gutted me, still so sad. It was a magic time, and I still love all these bands to this day.
Born in 58, middle of London ,I went to school with black guys and girls and they, with my eldest sister had me into ska and reggae from a very early age, ,due to a tragic loss in our family my mum moved us to Norfolk in 1972 ,my eldest sister stayed in london, the village we moved to, their was 2 mixed race families, no racism at all, what happened in London during the late 70's ,early 80's left me totally confused, my love for SKA & Reggae never changed , i have been to Jamacia twice ,Robert Nester Marley is my musical hero . two tone was/is brilliant, music for everyone.
Great tunes. Great packaging. Great fashion sense. I recall attending grades 7/8 in London, Ontario, Canada in 1980, and a kid moved to our school from England and told me there was a huge musical movement going on in the UK. By coincidence, around that time, I heard Specials, Beat on local radio (and bands like The Clash and The Jam) for about six months to a year, and then they were gone. ( I figure it was because of Western University students requesting it and then losing interest. ) Everything on radio in that city seemed to go back to the standard rockin' bonehead music of the era. Like many in North America, I got truly interested in ska a few years later and have never stopped liking 2-Tone or the 60s originals. And of course, as we did a revival of the revival, we'd sometimes hear the "I was into that before you were" static from people who became Deadheads etc. Oh, and in 1990 in Toronto, I got a chance to speak to Brad for 30 minutes at the bar before The Special Beat show. Nice man, generous with his time (I'm sure he would have rather chatted to some of the ladies haha). RIP to Terry and Brad.
i laughed, i sang along to every song, ... also i cried... and danced about my room like i was 17 again! jerry and terry wat weaponised excellence they created. RIP Terry
2-Tone travelled the world. I was 16 in Vancouver, Canada when a Malaysian friend who had been to public school in Britain, introduced me to the Specials in 1981. (We were always a few years behind Britain) We had one imported records shop in my city and 2-Tone quickly became the music of my youth. Thank you Jerry for your vision and disruptive message. Rest in Power, Terry.
It was a great time to be a kid buying 45's . Used to get enough pocket money to buy a single every couple of weeks. If it was on 2 Tone I bought it. Much love to Terry Hall's family and friends at this very sad time. Don't think about what you have lost, think about how lucky you were to have him in your life. God bless him always. x
Fantastic documentary. Loved this music when I as a kid growing up in Ireland. Mostly I was too young to get the political message, I just loved the energy and rhythm. As I got older the message came across and I loved it even more. God I wish I still had my two tone ska jacket. Great stuff.
Really interesting how different the 'Dawning of a New Era' demo was from the release. Jerry Dammers...not only musically gifted and speaks well, but naturally funny, too: "DJs are DJs because they can't dance..."😂Thank You for uploading this informative and entertaining documentary, Matt
To "Matt" (the uploader): thank you for putting this fab documentary back up (previous copies have been deleted by YT). Like many others here, I was in my 20s when 2-Tone arrived, and The Specials were foremost for me. Britain in the early 1980s was not an easy place to live if you weren't flush with money, but that time brought about some of the best music and bands and musicians of my life. All of us who loved your stuff will miss you Terry, and those of us who were there at the time perhaps even more so.
i am in and born in coventry i am not very far off age of the specials and selector that was the defining moment from my history we all bonded with musical taste reggae and punk now they are hitting ages they are atm thanks you guyz and gals for all that briilliant music rip terry hall
One of the best shows on TV or TH-cam. Brilliantly captured and put together. The feel-good factor gauged hit max within seconds and stayed for the whole show. Thanks for downloading. Packed with delight. I just sent it to my 19 year old daughter, life as her dad experienced it at that age. Thank you, thank you.
So sad that time was called early for Terry Hall. Ghost Town was a very memorable track to me growing up. Such a musical trail Terry has left behind him, changed the musical history track
The Specials taught me as a 8 year old laddie in Edinburgh how damm stupid racism is and have kept those values my entire life. Rest well Terry.
A few years back I got absolutely pissy drunk with Roddy#
@Frank-Ska yeah cos we are all racist in the uk aren’t we 🤔
Born in 71 and happy to say it gave me those very same values, great comment, thanks mate 👍
Legacy for life. Respect.
@@paulholmes5240 well said. He still hasn't worked out that this was most probably setting us up nicely for what's happening now. I feel I was fooled anyway. That's why I sold all my old ska records. Kept the Punk stuff 😝
I was a Black child growing up in a suburb in Chicago in the 1970s/1980s. British Ska was my outlet, my escape from the mundane American Top 40 music that was played constantly on the radio. I had my Walkman and British import cassettes. I would sit on my bedroom floor with my headphones on rocking out to British music The Specials, The English Beat, Madness, and various British New Wave groups like ABC. I didn't know at the time that I was a 2Tone, but I was...an American 2 Tone. My favorite song by the Specials was Stereotype Part 2. I loved all the songs, really.
Rest in power Terry ♥️
I'm a child of the 70's and early 80's, the Racism I went through is something that can never be healed. Yet the music of The Specials was my a great part of my life & Gangsters was the song I learnt to fight back with. Once a Rude Boy, always a Rude Boy & 2Tone will live in my Heart Forever! Rest In Peace Terry.
Looking back, especial today, that was the most natural and loving unity of people I ever experianced. Without official agenda or program. So easy and selfunderstanding. This spirit to me is still the ultimat of how everyday-people should be as one kind.
100% agree
👏👏❤️❤️
The impact of the movement on me as a young lad cannot be underestimated. Growing up in the North East of England in the 70s unlike other areas of the country our estates were almost exclusively white, the NF were taking a foothold, high jacking the skinhead movement and making it something it never was. First heard the Specials on John Peel and they blew me away. Somehow managed to scrape the money together to follow them on the 2 tone tour, making new black mates for the first time. Totally shaped me politically, got me involved with the Anti Nazi League at the time that lead to a life long commitment to the fight against racism. 2 Tone was a revival movement. I think given the situation politically in the UK today and the swing to the right in general another revival is long overdue! RIP Mr Hall, too much too young indeed.
I'm sorry for the horrible way that you and many people have been treated because of race. I would think some scars never issue. Thank you to all who made sacrifices to bring this wonderful music and many cultural delights. Many of us love and are grateful to those having to surpass tremendous ignorance as they made life richer with fun and character.
Rude girl from the Philippines here! Spent university listening to this music & admiring this subculture. Hope to come to England soon!
nearly 50 years to late girl, but it was fun at the time,
@@sicks6six Never too late!
I grew up in Los Angeles , California. I was never the same after discovering The Specials in my youth.I was a little black kid in the late seventies and walked past the TV one late summer night, and there they were, black and white for all to see.The perfect mix of reggae, punk, ska and groove.Each musician contributing to their best.I loved Terry Hall's " dead pan" attitude and limited wardrobe. Sparse at best, all of them. Look at Dance Craze everyone for the experience. The Specials, led me to The Selecter which I also loved.I grew up playing ska too in band's and eventually got a record deal with a band on Capitol in the 90s. After that band, got into another band on Capitol, and by lucky circumstances, got to meet Jerry Dammers, and some of the guys from Madness.Great memories yal.I wish I could run a Rude Boy academy here in Compton, for my life's ambition is to be a Rude Boy.I played bass and drums, by the way.Ska taught me well, 2 tone taught me tolerance in life.Peace.😇🙏👌🤟👀👍
Cool story mate 👍👍👌👌❤️❤️ I was born in 69,played drums & guitar in bands over the years,I tell my 2 sons ( who play multiple instruments ) that if you are born with a love for music,your life will be so much better & fulfilling,peace to you brother ,R.I.P. Terry Hall,your legacy will last for eternity,❤️❤️
@@zolfodor4835 👍😇🙏✌
Harvey G....you are a real one, bro!!!! I heard and felt every friggin' letter you said/typed!
Thank god for LA in the early 80s. I took a visit there and being from NYC it just wasn't a ska ready place compared to the clubs in CA in the early 80s.
Yeahhhhhh. Great times…great memories for sure.
This Doc is awesome. …Rip Terry
L.A rocked the 2Tone Era big time…..
As a kid in Belfast at the heights of the Troubles, the Specials meant so much to me. 40 years on nothing has changed.
Terry Hall, thank you.
All the best from Sweden, mate.
Sad that British Whites get all the blame for the 'r' word in this country though! 😢
I have to add my 2 cents here. I was a college kid in middle America and was introduced to this infectious music in 1981 - thank the lords! It hit me hard and got me on the dance floor like no other. Moved to Boston after that and didn't wear jeans for like 10yrs. I had my version of the style. Can music make a difference? Your damn right and Jerry and the boys proved it. Peace to all the rude boys/girls out there!
Pauline - she is such a disciplined professional. Made hard things look effordeless.
Great musician, Role-model and wonderful singer.
Her autobiography is absolutely amazing
Essex girls eh..😎
yeah i was totally in love with Pauline from seeing that first top of the pops appearance she special
god bless you Jerry...
The best time ever for me as a 16 year old in 1979
Why was that not older enough to drink😱🥃🍺🥶
As an 18yo in the US in 1979, listening to The Specials, Selector and Madness was a huge influence. The message is still needed, we are one.
what an effen beautiful trip down memory lane...respect due!!!
I was 16 in 1979. The specials and two tone changed my life forever
Ghost town should be the national anthem, it is for many
Caught the zeitgeist back then, what's depressing today is no younger band want to touch on these issues because they're so controlled by their paymasters it would be career suicide to do so hence why music today is anodyne and unoriginal.
@marcusmaher-triskellionfil5158 only Ian Brown making that type of music
I grew up in Cov during that era.I can’t express how much SKA shaped me. You can take the lad out of Cov, but you can’t take Coventry out of the Lad. Rest in peace Terry Hall. Love Love Love.
Me too went to same school as Terry - was one of the first Asian Punks at the age of 14 -Strummer n Terry together
Spon has an end ...
I am in my 60s now from Earlsdon Cov the first time I saw Terry Hall was on Hearsall Common when he was lead singer with a punk band called Squad. Terry stood out clearly a future star . A couple of years later a mate told me about a great new local band Special AKA we went to see them and there was Terry . The next thing you know 2 Tone is launched and COV is the place to be. Fantastic memories RIP Terry Hall. The Specials were far more than just a band x
Canley lad here...entirely agree with you. Special time to be from Cov....
2 Tone was my growing up, still listen to the music still wearing the clothes bigger sizes! Still loving it Britan at its best
I got a lot of joy out of listening to all the 2 Tone music back in the day. Thanks for the music Terry Hall. I was very sorry when I heard of your passing. May you R.I.P.
All these big name, old time characters dieing off?
Times are bad enough nowadays, what we going to do when all that's left is the Justin Biebers, the Kylie & Jasons, & Steps??
Help!!
I myself lived in Coventry in 2013 and got to know about 2tone and The Specials when a friend of mine visited me there who himself lived in Coventry during the 80s. Ultimately, in 2013 we both went to the 2tone museum and he kind of introduced me to the 2tone music and the attitude that comes along with. Since then I have been falling in love with the music, the city and the working class and progressive attitude. However, today I am very sad, but also grateful that Terry Hall has left footprints that probably will last forever. Rest in power.
My big brother met Terry Hall on a train , possibly after a gig , and he said he was brilliant, an absolute gentleman.... Good to hear...RIP Terry 💙
Jerry Dammers was the brains and force behind 2 tone. But alot of people forgot this earlier in the week.
Without Dammers .....no Specials or any of them.
A true legend.
I recall the rest of the band used to call him The General.
Talented bloke, Jerry Dammers.
Absolutely true -- he was the visionary.
I had no idea about Jerry until recently
Jerry Dammers was and always will be The Specials, the other band members were his instruments.
2tone makes one proud to be British 🇬🇧
Very cool comment
WOW!!!! When music meant something. This genre has inspired numerous artists and should be in the hall of fame.
We lived this era from 79-85-ish ...it was a great youthful experience from buying the vinyls to the pin on badges the crombies the doc martins the staypress trousers 2tone suits brogue shoes the dance craze movie and album the dancing the sense of belonging Thank you everyone for a great youth
I was the sound & light engineer at Top Rank in Birmingham when they played in 1979/80. Great times
Great night club
We drank in the Swan Yardley and the bull great nights ska bluebeat all night.
Blues fans mostly
The Specials should at least have been granted a Nobel Peace Prize, which they wouldn.t have accepted, but I consider them as that important! Thanks Specials, I was a young lass at those days and loved ska, saying hi from Holland
I absolutely loved this documentary. Makes you really proud to think of all the amazing musicians and music that was born here in the uk. Rest in peace Terry
Rest in peace beautiful Terry Hall ❤ xxx
I am sure The Specials / Terry Hall shaped the way I think about the world. Thanks
One hundred percent this, mate - 2-Tone most definitely shaped me as a person.
Excellent documentary.. Brought back a lot of memories.
I wish I could give every comment a thumbs up,thank you for the music ❤️❤️👌👌 R.I.P. Terry Hall 💔💔& to every rude boy,every single person who feels the music,I love every single one of you ❤️❤️ Peace & love always ❤️❤️
I've been thinking about 2Tone since my wife told me about Terry Hall last night. It's made me think back to my mates James, Mark and Terry. The period 1977-81 was a real foundation for me. Thanks for posting this. Cheers!
Thank you for sharing this! I'm in Southern California and couldn't get it anywhere. I'm so sad about Terry, may he RIP.
as someone who was inspired, moved, and motivated by the 2 Tone Movement in 1980-1981, to the point of emulating it at points during our set....i'm just amazed at Jerry Dammer's not only genius in helping shape and form this movement and then taking it one last step farther at the end...i also bow to his sense of grace, good humor, and his humility. god bless...thank you for this document. and of course RIP Terry Hall.
WELL SAID
The soundtrack to my youth! Thank you! Rest In Peace, Terry. 🙏🏼
Coventry born and bred and despite living the other side of the world now, that will never change. This movement, the music, the lyrics and the culture undoubtably shaped me for the better as a young man growing up in Coventry. Still have many ties back in the City and there are a lot of ppl hurting today. RIP Terry and thank you
Well said Paul. I'm a Derby lad, knowing how underrated a place Coventry can be. I can only imagine your huge pride coming from there. I'm in the US Midwest these days. Hoping to re-settle in the Midlands some day, the Two Tone museum will be high on my To Do list.
Were you still in cov for...The Eclipse...?
Thanks for posting this, as a spotty lanky outcast young lad in Wellington, NZ, feeling like I was at the arse end of the Universe, Two Tone gave me a view into a much greater world. Lucky to have seen many of the bands later when based out of London.
Rest in Power Terry, Rankin Roger and all the others who improved this odd wer planet
Such very sad news. Terry was a true legend in spite of the torment he suffered in his youth. He STILL stood as tall as he could, said the things that needed saying & brought us the sounds that made a generation. "The Specials" was the first LP I ever bought. Still got it a few feet away & it still sings to me whenever it can. Saw Roddy Radiation supporting The Beat in June this year. Rod played several Specials songs but in spite of the fact he'd written them, I could only hear Terry's voice singing them. If that's not a true legacy, I don't know what is.
So sad to see how he passed. Surely he had enough torment in his formative years.
RIP Terry. Rest easy. I'm sure Brad has a cold beer waiting for you. 😎😎
With out a doubt this has to be the best documentary I've seen in years .I can relate to every part of this as I was 15/16 when all this hit the scenes .Brilliant ,excellent and full of memories thanks to you all .And god rest Terry RIP pal
Saw The Specials in October 1980 in Brighton ,loved it this documentary is such good memories.
2 Tone changed my outlook on life and still influences me today.
2Tone was the first dance music that I could take seriously - the energy, the attitude, the unity was something I'd never heard before. The Specials, Selecter and The Beat just swept me up. I learned to play music playing Madness bass lines on an old acoutsic guitar.
I am a Coventry Kid, this was my soundtrack as I grew up. Here's to the many bands who made Cov such a great place to be in the late 70's and early 80's. Special mention to 'The Wild Boys'...fabulous group who deserved to have made it big....
As an American soldier my dad was in Coventry during WW2. He couldn't believe how badly it was bombed. Really devastated.
this is pure gold. thank you bbc and thank you terry hall for the great times you painted in your band's music. it lives and breathes still.
I was 16 in 1979, London born and bred, love 2Tone then and ever since!
I was 16 then too 😀
Brilliant Doc. RIP Terry. Gone too soon. 💔
incredible history, that needed to be documented in this lovely format. long live rude boys and rude girls and g-d bless Terry Hall and all the 2 Tone artist who promoted love, peace and unity. Love LOVE love.
The impact of 2Tone and The Specials, et al, was massive in the late 70's and early 80's, ska music just lived in so many ways after the fanfare died down. Thank you and RIP Terry, you were a true innovator!
Just gorgeous. I got to see the Specials in Pomona, California and we were treated to an almost mystical night. The crowd was there because the Specials meant something to us as well. The Southern California punk/ska scene has always held the Specials in highest regard. A night I will never forget.
I loved 2 Tone (and still do). I'm only a couple of months older than Terry Hall and was gutted to hear he's gone. Thank you for putting this up.
Brilliant documentary about something VERY Special’s. ✌️
I don't know how to express how much I love this documentary. Thank you to all involved.
I was born in Cov and a teenager when all the 2 Tone and Specials kicked off. It was an amazing time for the City. I remember going to HMV down the town and buying Too Much Too Young with me pocket money. Still got it. And the Sent From Coventry Album. Great times. Remember going to see The Squad in about 78 ish, think it cost 25p to get in 😂
Shame Terry has gone, never forgotten, i was born in 61 from Birmingham, these really were the best times to be growing up
Two Tone was a Happening that I as a mixed lad from Brum was fortunate enough to be at the right age to really appreciate , lucky enough to have met Jerry Dammers during his AAA venture!❤️🌹🏴
What a gift the entire Two Tone experience was and is…
and what a gift this documentary is to those who lived through it while it was happening in real time and those who are experiencing it for the first time.
Terry Hall you will never be forgotten
Jerry Dammers…thank you for doing so much for music and beyond
Enjoy yourself…
Gonna miss you Terry. You were a legend
Gutted about Terry’s passing! Thank you for the music, massively important in our lives growing up!
I grew up in Coventry and was around at the height of the Specials. They were my first band. I used to beg my Mum to take me to a concert but as I was only 8 that was deemed Inappropriate. Fast forward 30+ years and I finally saw them in sunny California a couple of years ago. It was a boyhood dream and I am glad I got to see them with the sad passing of Terry. RIP cool dude.
Just recently stumbled upon the music of the specials…had to buy their first album..no regrets
The Specials and 2Tone major influence on my life 🙌🙏
RIP Terry, and thanks for everything you did to put happiness and joy in a dreary world at the time until the 2 Tone/ Specials gave all of us a positive outlook and a voice for our humanity.
RIP Terry, an iconic frontman and an essential actor in Britain's great musical heritage
Thank you for posting this, RIP Terry. Got a chance to see em here in Los Angeles 2018, amazing. Watching this it was so interesting to see how musically advanced you guys were when all we had was X and The Germs here in Los Angles at that same time Specials, Selector and Beat were rocking out.
God, watching this makes me so emotional. I LOVED 2-Tone! I was 18 here in Brooklyn NY and back then, certain radio stations played imports (and clubs like Dancteria and Mudd Club) and I still remember hearing "On My Radio" and "Gangsters" and "Stand Down Margaret" when they came out, then seeing them when they debuted here around 1980. Terry passing just gutted me, still so sad. It was a magic time, and I still love all these bands to this day.
Thank you Jerry. I was a 14 year old girl and you changed my life and made me who I am. Rip Terry..... You were the best x
Fantastic documentary about one the greatest ever UK musical/political movements!
Disappointed that the recent Sky Arts doc about the Specials all but airbrushed out Jerry Dammers (albeit for a brief passing mention).
It was a total disgrace…. And really badly made.
Watching that Sky Arts documentary and the way it was edited you would think Terry Hall formed the Specials and wrote all the songs.
I refused to follow the specials after the way they treated Jerry
Really? What do you expect from a Right Wing station?
Born in 58, middle of London ,I went to school with black guys and girls and they, with my eldest sister had me into ska and reggae from a very early age, ,due to a tragic loss in our family my mum moved us to Norfolk in 1972 ,my eldest sister stayed in london, the village we moved to, their was 2 mixed race families, no racism at all, what happened in London during the late 70's ,early 80's left me totally confused, my love for SKA & Reggae never changed , i have been to Jamacia twice ,Robert Nester Marley is my musical hero . two tone was/is brilliant, music for everyone.
Great tunes. Great packaging. Great fashion sense. I recall attending grades 7/8 in London, Ontario, Canada in 1980, and a kid moved to our school from England and told me there was a huge musical movement going on in the UK.
By coincidence, around that time, I heard Specials, Beat on local radio (and bands like The Clash and The Jam) for about six months to a year, and then they were gone. ( I figure it was because of Western University students requesting it and then losing interest. ) Everything on radio in that city seemed to go back to the standard rockin' bonehead music of the era.
Like many in North America, I got truly interested in ska a few years later and have never stopped liking 2-Tone or the 60s originals. And of course, as we did a revival of the revival, we'd sometimes hear the "I was into that before you were" static from people who became Deadheads etc.
Oh, and in 1990 in Toronto, I got a chance to speak to Brad for 30 minutes at the bar before The Special Beat show. Nice man, generous with his time (I'm sure he would have rather chatted to some of the ladies haha). RIP to Terry and Brad.
i laughed, i sang along to every song, ... also i cried... and danced about my room like i was 17 again! jerry and terry wat weaponised excellence they created. RIP Terry
10:55 Seeing Terry roll one up, then Jerry playing You're Wondering Now, got to me RIP
“We enjoyed ourselves enormously. Very much so.” Warms my heart.
2-Tone travelled the world. I was 16 in Vancouver, Canada when a Malaysian friend who had been to public school in Britain, introduced me to the Specials in 1981. (We were always a few years behind Britain) We had one imported records shop in my city and 2-Tone quickly became the music of my youth. Thank you Jerry for your vision and disruptive message. Rest in Power, Terry.
What a great movement and great style. Loved the 2 Tone scene. RIP Terry a true legend. ❤
Rest in peace terry absolute legend
"Hello I'm Terry and I'm going to enjoy myself first"
Taken from this World far to early but the music is here for ever.
All YOU my 2Tone Heros!!! Thanks for the Music! 45 catalan skinhead from barcelona living in peru.
Love & Respect!
It was a great time to be a kid buying 45's . Used to get enough pocket money to buy a single every couple of weeks. If it was on 2 Tone I bought it. Much love to Terry Hall's family and friends at this very sad time. Don't think about what you have lost, think about how lucky you were to have him in your life. God bless him always. x
Fantastic documentary. Loved this music when I as a kid growing up in Ireland. Mostly I was too young to get the political message, I just loved the energy and rhythm. As I got older the message came across and I loved it even more. God I wish I still had my two tone ska jacket. Great stuff.
Best doco on the tube
Summed up my teenage years in brum
The violence the football the music
The humour !!
Ghost Town written by Jerry Dammers. Perfect song in every way. Thank you.
RIP Terry.
Beautiful documentary about two tone in Coventry... Grown up with the music in the late 1970's and early 1980's... Put Coventry on the map... 👍🎵🎷🎤🎺
OMG that recording on the cassette. I was a huge Specials fan right from the start and never heard that .... priceless.
Thank you for sharing, couldn't get this otherwise in Greece. r.i.p. Terry. Good man.
I love seeing Neol’s excitement when he puts The Selecter on in the beginning. My favorite two-tone group hands down.
Really interesting how different the 'Dawning of a New Era' demo was from the release. Jerry Dammers...not only musically gifted and speaks well, but naturally funny, too: "DJs are DJs because they can't dance..."😂Thank You for uploading this informative and entertaining documentary, Matt
Much appreciated for uploading this. Pauline Black doesn't age! RIP Terry Hall.
now that was a Special 😎 time, i was 16 in my stay press smoking some serious greenery dancing all night in a club just off Stoke Newington high road.
This is so great! I wish I had been there! Right age, wrong place.
R.I.Power Terry.
Pauline is still in my heart today...
What a brilliant documentary
To "Matt" (the uploader): thank you for putting this fab documentary back up (previous copies have been deleted by YT).
Like many others here, I was in my 20s when 2-Tone arrived, and The Specials were foremost for me. Britain in the early 1980s was not an easy place to live if you weren't flush with money, but that time brought about some of the best music and bands and musicians of my life. All of us who loved your stuff will miss you Terry, and those of us who were there at the time perhaps even more so.
A throwback to my blunder years... too young... RIP Terry Hall
i am in and born in coventry i am not very far off age of the specials and selector that was the defining moment from my history we all bonded with musical taste reggae and punk now they are hitting ages they are atm thanks you guyz and gals for all that briilliant music rip terry hall
priceless 🙏 Thank you Jerry Dammers and all of the 2 tone family
One of the best shows on TV or TH-cam. Brilliantly captured and put together. The feel-good factor gauged hit max within seconds and stayed for the whole show. Thanks for downloading. Packed with delight. I just sent it to my 19 year old daughter, life as her dad experienced it at that age. Thank you, thank you.
So sad that time was called early for Terry Hall. Ghost Town was a very memorable track to me growing up. Such a musical trail Terry has left behind him, changed the musical history track