‘From The Specials & Beyond’, Staple takes us back to the very beginnings of his career, paying homage to his former band, The Specials, by revisiting two smash hits, ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Monkey Man’.

In addition, Staple invited some of his early inspirations to contribute to the new album, including legendary foundation deejay Clint Eastwood and ska/rocksteady icon Derrick Morgan. Furthermore, Neol Davies of the Two-Tone revivalist outfit The Selecter and British actor/musician Gary Shall join in the fun. It’s an incredible group effort that could only be led by enormously talented Neville Staple.

‘From The Specials & Beyond’ is available on all formats starting December 10. The CD version comes in a sleek digipak while the vinyl version will be pressed as a limited edition black & white splatter pattern on Cleopatra Records.

“A celebration of my journey through the years, through 2-Tone”

Thanks for taking your time. How are you coping with the pandemic as an active musician?

Neville Staple: Worst thing to happen to me and the band! Being away from fans, performances and the buzzing crowds has been surreal. We had about 21 months with no proper shows! That’s the longest time since I started my career. It was horrible. Thankfully we got lots of other TV and music projects done, some talks and seminars, plus the recording and production of lots of new material. Some singles and now this exciting new album.

Your new album, ‘From The Specials & Beyond’ was recorded during lockdown. What was the original idea behind it? How happy are you with the result?

I am extremely proud of this one. It is a celebration of my journey through the years, through 2-Tone. Each song has a special meaning that relates to my life or the lives of those around me. The songs will make you want to sing along or dance. The lyrics will be relatable to everyone.

<a href="https://nevillestaple.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-specials-beyond">FROM THE SPECIALS & BEYOND by Neville Staple</a>

Sugary wrote and co-produced the album and new material with me, we invited each member of the band to do some writing too. The result is brilliant! You can really feel the mix of styles in the songs, but all gelled together in that fun and danceable 2-Tone way. There’s a few very special covers that I just had to do, but the rest are all new, and we polished and finished it all with the brilliant Tom Lowry in Coventry, before Cleopatra Records did the super mastering. It’s a real blinder!

Can you share some further details on how it was recorded?

We did lots of writing and sampling at home, plus a lot of files were sent via email links too. Once the studios reopened we jumped on it and spent several months of weekly bookings to get it all done properly. There were still many restrictions causing delays, so Sugary and I did a lot more instrumental work ourselves and also did lots of different backing vocals on some songs, as we couldn’t get everyone to the studio as much as we’d have liked. The album was due to be completed and released by the beginning of 2021, but was hit by the mass vinyl production delays.

You selected incredible musicians to be part of your album, including your wife. It must feel special to have your wife besides you in the studio?

I am so lucky that the band are not only phenomenal musicians, they are also brilliant friends. I think that really shows in our recordings and our live shows. But even more special is that Sugary is my wife, my manager, my best friend and she performs upfront with me. She is an unsung hero at times, and a real gem. So talented and artistic and she works tirelessly for me and the band. The best!

You decided to include two hits by your former band, The Specials. How did you decide on that?

I was always going to do a special 12inch mix of ‘Ghost Town’, to celebrate 40 years since I first recorded the lead vocals on our biggest hit. That was in 1981. One of my other lead vocals signature songs was ‘Monkey Man’, so as a tribute to us sadly losing Toots Hibbert, it made sense to do an extended mix to celebrate the great man. He did a show with my former band, but said he was upset when he realised I wasn’t there with them. He called me “Mr Specials” and thanked me for making the Specials version of ‘Monkey Man’, my own, “giving it a new energy and vibe, that..” (all his words), “is copied all the World over, even more than his original version!” Wow!

And how did Clint Eastwood [deejay], Derrick Morgan, Gary Shall and The Selecter come into picture?

Eastwood is a longtime friend of mine. We used to hang out in the 80s and have always got on. He’s looking to do some new stuff, so we invited him to get back in the swing of it with us. He’s still got that nice easy listening style, so it worked so well.

Gary Shail is a good friend of Sugary’s. I think they met through their acting work and her Skamouth Festival, where he does ‘Quadrophenia’ appearances with others from the film. He’s a great guy with top talent, and really down to earth and savvy.

Neol Davies (pronounced Neil but spelt with an “o”) lives locally, is a good friend and is one of the best guitar players in 2-Tone. He often tours with us.

Last but not least, Derrick Morgan is our great friend, who also happens to be The King of Ska. When he heard our recorded version of ‘When I Call Your Name’ (Stranger & Patsy classic), he said he would be honoured if we did one of his duet songs. Sugary suggested he chose the song and performed on it with us, to make one of her dreams come true. He loves it and gave it a gold seal of approval.

What was the energy working with these artists?

These guys were all keen and excited to work with us, and we found them so easy to get on with. Real professionals.

Was it difficult to get all the material together?

At times it was. We had to rely on others to get files through to us, but not every musician is rehearsed in internet file sharing. Getting files from across the UK, from Jamaica and so on, was not always easy.

What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?

I think all the early Jamaican ska artists like Derrick Morgan, Prince Buster and Stranger Cole, were early influences, singing about their lives on the streets, and survival, but with music to make you move. Then later some of the 70s UK punk artists had a big influence on my performance attitude. But I had already been a big follower of U-Roy from my early sound system days as a teenager, when I toasted over my song selections just like him, but with an original Jamaican/British rude boy spin! [Smile]

A tune that you heard and you instantly knew that you want to become a musician?

I have performed on sound systems since my school days, won a Pete Waterman teen dance competition by dancing to ‘The Horse’, and sung, danced and toasted a whole show for Ray King (me performing with his Soul Band), when he was too sick to sing. Things like that and seeing Desmond Dekker sing ‘Israelites’ on TV, were definitely influential, and these were all long before my time as a Frontman to The Specials.

“I put the authentic street and Jamaican rude boy ingredient to The Specials”

I have to ask you about the first two albums by The Specials; what are some of the strongest memories from recording and working on the songs for 1979 ‘Specials’ and 1980 ‘More Specials’?

Putting a Jamaican flavour to the recordings is my strongest memory. Like other Jamaican artists, I did not originally learn my craft from academic schooling. Instead I would know the beat, feel the vibes, connect a melody line, and write songs by feeling the sound and rhythm. I have to feel it. Then the lyrics would mostly come instantly, especially any toasting. You didn’t write it down, you just did it. Jerry Dammers has previously said that I put the authentic street and Jamaican rude boy ingredient to The Specials. I like that.

There are many definitions of what “2 Tone” is. What’s your interpretation?

I would say: A mix of skanking original Jamaican street ska and reggae, with British punk rock attitude and music kicks, all combined with the ultra-smart rude subculture fashion, anti-racist stance, and tough socially aware lyrics.

Your finest moment in music?

Two years ago I celebrated 10 years with Sugary, 40 years in 2-Tone music, several successful remasters and box sets of classics, and an Arden University Honorary Doctorate of Music, all within a couple of months of each other! A very fine year. I hope I have many more finest moments and really do thank all the agents, especially Midnight Mango and PRL, the venues, labels, promoters, acquaintances and managers who I’ve worked with, but especially a massive thanks to all the brilliant fans who are always there, and always appreciated. Cheers!

Klemen Breznikar

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