In the Studio

The third album by 2 tone ska stalwarts the Specials is an odd release, partly because the band’s lineup had changed significantly by this point, leading to the album being credited to the Special AKA. Singer Rhoda Dakar had joined the group, though the harrowing single “The Boiler,” which she recorded with them earlier, was not included on the album. In the Studio yielded a hit in the form of “(Free) Nelson Mandela” and went further than the group’s previous two albums in exploring non-ska sounds — though the frank and direct “Racist Friend” would have fit comfortably alongside anything on the Specials’ debut album.