Terry Hall

EricTheWeary · December 2022

This is the interview referred to in some of the news articles, Terry talking about his background. Need to start about 8 minutes in.

https://youtu.be/JSvxztG1Lv8

And to post something that isn’t The Specials or FB3 this is Terry’s original version of Sense from his jangly 90s period (later a hit for The Lightning Seeds). Lovely song.

https://youtu.be/cAAtVyox7cI

theatreanchor · December 2022

Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkYOdqQX0AAN6-D?format=jpg&name=medium

Sad day.

CharlieShaw · December 2022

Terry Hall had a real punk attitude that set him apart from the rest of the ska scene. The Specials really captured Britain of that time too. A very important band for me and my friends post punk.

roberty · December 2022

stufisher · December 2022

I wasn't into SKA or Two Tone during the early 80s but I didn't dislike it.

What I did like and do appreciate even more now, 40 years on, are the songwriting and attitude.

TH's contribution is timeless and ironically, looking at our current broken socio-economic landscape, I think The Specials would still be right on-point.

I'm sure there will be some documentaries and TV airings shortly which I'll certainly watch. I wanna learn a bit more about him.

Sad loss indeed

Dominic · December 2022

Ghost Town just brilliant .......it always makes me think of places like Clacton on Sea or Walton-on-the- Naze
Vibrant 50's/60s Kiss me Quick Holiday Utopias that have been dead and deserted for 40 years just decay ,boarded-up houses and shopfronts and abandoned Amusement Parks and Piers that were once alive with Fairground Lights , Candy Floss and Arcades.

axisus · December 2022

I was never a fan of Ska or any of those bands at all, but having said that, The Specials had some really iconic singles back in the day, really good stuff. Sad news, it sounds like he was a really good guy, and 63 is no age at all.

Jalapeno · December 2022

RIP Terry

Truly a generational spokesman ! Some absolutely brilliant tunes and ascerbic lyrics (Much Too Young and Ghost Town in particular).

usedtobe · December 2022

Jesus.. that’s a real shocker! What a talent..

Musicman20 · December 2022

I was due to see The Specials around 4 years ago in Manchester with my Dad, but due to a change of life/buying a house and moving, we sold the tickets as we had so much going on.

Now I regret it.

I always wanted to see them live.

At around 12/13 I hit the 90s punk revival with Green Day, Rancid, etc, and that got me into more underground bands (which is still my favourite scene today) and it also opened my eyes to ska.

I'd heard Madness and I'd probably heard The Specials at that point and not known it (maybe 1994 ish?) but as I got more and more into punk I heard more and more ska/reggae/dub elements and it's a genre I really enjoy, especially live. Obviously I got into The Specials eventually. Their recent few albums have been great as well. It's a shame to hear they were in the process of writing/recording more material...I hope they release some of it even as an EP.

Terry was a great frontman and one of the coolest voices in ska, He will be missed. He looked so healthy and happy....such a shame.

CharlieShaw · December 2022

I went to see The Specials in 1981 at Rock Against Racism festival at Roundhay Park in Leeds. Problem was we were drinking my mate’s home brew before we even got on the coach in Huddersfield. By the time The Specials came on I was throwing up behind the stage! I was 15 at the time. Met my first proper girlfriend that day too. She was a massive Specials fan as well. I remember us both crying once when we played You’re Wondering Now. Think we’d been arguing or something. ‘You’re wondering now, what to do, now you know this is the end.’

darthed1981 · December 2022

Ghost Town was one of the most important pop songs ever recorded. The fact it is now shockingly relevant again proves just how much.

RIP.

CaseOfAce · December 2022

I remember seeing one those video chart rundown shows and Timmy Mattlett choosing The Colourfield's Thinking Of You as one of his faves.

I know being a children's entertainer does not preclude you from having a passion for indie pop, but it seemed a strange juxtaposition at the time for me.

And when I lived in Coventry I remember reading what Coventry town centre was like back in the 80s. Easy to figure out where the inspiration came from for Ghost Town ("Too much fighting on the dance floor").

Tenebrous · December 2022

Actually gutting. What a musical icon, & (relatively) young, too... What a shame.

Offset · December 2022

Awful news - I loved The Specials and Fun Boy Three were just that - fun, but in a dark kind of way.

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as you wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

Snap · December 2022

He was good. His stuff with the Colourfield is worth a listen, as is his solo album Home. Talented bloke.
I remember Ghost Town at the time - it was shockingly off the day, summed a lot up at the time, and how a lot of people were feeling.

LastMantra · December 2022

I was just a few years too late for this kind of stuff but I always found it really intriguing. The post punk, skinheads etc. and the politics and everything seemed a world away from the Madonna, Duran Duran, shoulder pads and yuppies that I grew up with.

I still find it fascinating.

63 is no age at all! RIP

thermionic · December 2022

There’s a very interesting thread on twitter on the recording of Ghost Town. They’d recorded a recent album in a big, expensive studio and wanted to get back to basics. It was recorded in a basement 8-track studio, with the drumkit stripped down for a more minimalist sound, and mixed in the engineer’s living room. And of course the recording was done and dusted well before the riots we tend to associate with the time had started.

RobDavies · December 2022

Beautifully written article by Neil Kulkarni here:

https://thequietus.com/articles/32486-terry-hall-obituary-the-specials

EricTheWeary · December 2022

thermionic said:

There’s a very interesting thread on twitter on the recording of Ghost Town. They’d recorded a recent album in a big, expensive studio and wanted to get back to basics. It was recorded in a basement 8-track studio, with the drumkit stripped down for a more minimalist sound, and mixed in the engineer’s living room. And of course the recording was done and dusted well before the riots we tend to associate with the time had started.

The article that @roberty linked is all about that. Classic Sound on Sound article. I have a vague memory that there is a blue historic sign thingy on the house in Leamington Spa where it was recorded.
Having played Ghost Town in a band there was no lead guitar part to learn as,IIRC, Roddy was too pissed to play anything on the record.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Terry Hall

Comments