30 years ago today ...

[Gwylan]

... this was released. Has there ever been a more era-defining song?

[yt]1WhhSBgd3KI[/yt]

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

And here's Auntie Beeb's link that I was reading when you posted that.

BBC News - The Specials: How Ghost Town defined an era

 

[Jesus Gul]

Remember buying the 7" in Crawley town centre which was rather apt.

 

[generation x]

Bought the 12" extended single when it came out. Great song and remember the video of them on TOTP driving round Coventry? in an old Vauxhall Velox. Haunting stuff.

Where did those 30 years go?

 

[fork me]

... this was released. Has there ever been a more era-defining song?

Never:

 

[Skinthead]

Just cant quite believe it was 30 years ago! I was young lad of 21, about the same age as those in the video! now Im a bloody grandad! wheres that gone?

 

[The Modfather]

Quite possibly the greatest record to ever get to No.1

 

[Gritt23]

Great song and remember the video of them on TOTP driving round Coventry? in an old Vauxhall Velox. Haunting stuff.

Where did those 30 years go?

Naah, sure they're driving round London, not Coventry.

 

[Taybha]

could be newhaven

 

[Buzzer]

Interesting that it is said to have defined an era. To me it defines the end of an era. In my opinion it rather fittingly marked the end of the mod/skinhead revival and the end of the Specials specifically.

I was too young to properly understand the message but I guess that it spoke to people at the time in the same way that (having grown up in Worthing) Morrissey's "Everyday is like Sunday" did for me.

Am I right in thinking Ghost Town was only ever a single because I'm sure it never appeared on 'More Specials'?

 

[User removed 4]

Bought the 12" extended single when it came out. Great song and remember the video of them on TOTP driving round Coventry? in an old Vauxhall Velox. Haunting stuff.

Where did those 30 years go?

Its the city of london they're driving round.

 

[The Modfather]

Am I right in thinking Ghost Town was only ever a single because I'm sure it never appeared on 'More Specials'?

Correct. It never appeared on an album.

 

[Jimbo.GRFC]

Remember buying the 7" in Crawley town centre which was rather apt.

It was the first record I stole from from a certain store in London Road, Brighton Their record dept was upstairs and never any staff there. I don't for one minute condone it but I had the Top 40 for nearly 2 years

 

[osgood]

was that woolies or the co-op jimbo ?

dont worry im not trying to collar you...

 

[Gwylan]

Interesting that it is said to have defined an era. To me it defines the end of an era. In my opinion it rather fittingly marked the end of the mod/skinhead revival and the end of the Specials specifically.

When I said era, I was talking about the political era. It struck me as apposite timing that a song expressing anger about the economic situation hit number 1 just as the inner cities erupted in riots.

 

[Peter Grummit]

I was 18 just about to go off to Uni in Coventry, and a huge Specials fan to boot. Apt.

PG

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Ironic that it also reflects the legacy of Brown & Blair