Protest Songs 1924-2012

What makes a protest song? The Specials should know. First time around, back when the 70s were lurching into the 80s, they sang of racism, war, unemployment and the rough edges of urban life, and never in the same way twice. As the multiracial flagship of the 2 Tone movement, they made a political statement every time they stepped on stage.

It’s fitting, then, that in 2021 the Specials are releasing Protest Songs 1924-2012, an unpredictable collection of unique takes which celebrates the long history and endless versatility of the form, from folk to post-punk, from righteous uplift to biting satire, and from Kingston to Alabama. It’s a potent reminder that there are no fixed rules to templates for a protest song. All that’s required is the combination of something that needs to be said with music that needs to be heard. The urge to rail against what is wrong with the world and suggest how it could be better is as old as song.

Protest Songs 1924-2012 is an idiosyncratic version of that history, born out of extreme circumstances and guided by the personalities of Terry, Horace and Lynval. The story continues. The Specials – Still Pissed Off.