English 2 Tone and ska revival band, formed in Coventry in 1977
The Specials’ 1979 single, produced by Elvis Costello and released on their own 2 Tone imprint through Chrysalis, reached number 10 in the UK and became one of the defining records of the ska revival. Their arrangement stayed close to Livingstone’s — and closer than most covers manage, since they hired Rico Rodriguez, the trombonist from the 1967 session, to play the intro again, with Dick Cuthell on trumpet. It is a genuinely great record; the only error is chronological. The band never claimed authorship, and the writer credit on the single is Livingstone’s.