The Specials - Gangsters 1980 Saturday Night Live

[quesondriac]

Tight. Really tight. Unlike anything you see today.

[65lindap]

love it luv terry hall!!!!

[bcarman14]

SO CLASSY

[namfamily2202]

modern songs no longer emit energy such as this.

[LJfromIB]

GODDAMN I LOVE THEIR ENERGY THEY LOOK SICK AS HELL!

[alienshe0]

i want to skank

[chitownlefty1]

These cats were the SKA band standard!!! long live The Specials!!!

[trewerew]

No one knows what the Rude Boy knows

[BWM206]

the soundman got it right, you got to punch that bass up thru the roof man

[SuperMeowingtons]

I cannot wait, off to see them in hull on the 16th!

[ribarraatx]

killer guitar solo!!

[worldcoup]

This is ska. Pure, Simple, Timeless, and Brilliant.

So fck off all you smelly old nonces pretending to be 14. And if you are a young one..great.. good luck to you..but don't keep telling us wiser dudes how immature you are. Just enjoy ffs

[sdmestayer]

It can't be underestimated how fresh and different this sounded in 1980.

[LONGBEACHPUNKROCK]

‎2nd Generation!

I Saw This (in 8th Grade) Gettin' Ready To Go See Some Bands in LBC!

I Was Hooked!

SHOCKED & Wanted More..,

I Traded My Leather Jacket for a Bomber,

Shaved My Liberty Spikes & GOT Me Vespa!!!!!!!!!!!!

[daypeshmodd]

They invented the word cool! Terry, Roddy, all of them!

[dkgdbr]

whats that organ Jerry is playing? its not a Super Continental, is it?

[bschlotz]

I'm imagining them planning this out. "Neville, your job will be to run around the stage randomly with a machine gun.

[TheGreenpointer]

YABAI.

[stormin300]

The best British band of all time!

[TheMimifur]

The eerie voice of Terry Hall just is that whole era. Just hear Ghost Town.

[tomeeeee1]

Excellent guitars.

[backwalk]

What 1 person got here is...failure to communicate. Some listeners you just can't reach. So you get 1 dislike, which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don't like it anymore than you men.

[rubntizzug]

ahhh thats rite rude boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ashetonpop]

I´m going to see them!!!!! yeahhh!

[TheOrbitfan]

@ashetonpop me to at the ricoh arena coventry next month cant wait

[YOUENNNN]

1 guy is not a gangster

[anacondanoir]

...this was the day that I KNEW that New Wave was here to stay(& in particular SKA). The Specials were all the buzz with a couple of my friends in The San Fernando Valley, and after seeing them on SNL...I knew that they had arrived & definitely had the goods. Classic performance of The Lads at their peak. 

[flaxonx3]

Can't imagine what half of America made of this in 1980. REO Speedwagon, Journey & poodle perms it isn't

[sacomuna1]

BEST BAND + BEST SONG EVER !!!!!!!!!!

[HammerOvThor]

So awkward when he walks out and yells that shit with the gun.

[skoi45]

Mehr geht nicht,hurra see you at St.Pauli 25.sep 2011-live on the Reeperbahn-Große Freiheit 36- old skins never die!!!

[stevieVantanna]

hes got a gun on stage! can't get away with that anymore

[TheMagmagoblin]

Wow wow wow wow wow 

[jhnm156]

Dam! Great stuff here!

[quesondriac]

Tight. Very tight. Thanks for posting.

[peza38]

Geezers! Terry Hall now paints pictures of the Jackson 5 but not on stage just pottering around the garden. I met terry in my mates house a top Man United fan. Nice one

[verysilvery445]

I love it this fast

[TOMSTAN100]

BERNIE RHODES KNOWS DON'T ARGUE!!!!

[AmyPhetamine]

that's a lot of lads dancing on a very small stage.

[JA2NJ]

where can I buy suites like that, i looked all over Macy's and Sears...

[dkgdbr]

@JA2NJ seriously, maybe they arent sold in america. i couldnt even think of a place that sells them

[crapple009]

@dkgdbr The whole mod look was based on what's known as Ivy League fashion, which originated in the north-east United States and really took off in early-mid 60's Britain. Not many people realise this but look it up. Your best bet in finding suits like this would be in second-hand/ thrift shops which is where I went to in the 80's for my cool mod/ 60's clothes. Talk about the fun spending the day hitting all the thrifts!

[dkgdbr]

@crapple009 cool, thanks

[gazebbs123]

@crapple009 erm, this isn't mod music?

[crapple009]

@gazebbs123 au contraire, it most certainly is. Definitely.

[prunch72]

@crapple009 'Dead mens suits' we called em in Ireland. It was the only way you could get original 60's suits and stuff was at the markets, and then the taylor or your Mum had to alter them to fit properly. Nothing worse than seeing young people nowadays wearing really bad fitting suits at formal functions. At liest from my experiences of being into Mod/Ska in the eighties I still have an eagle eye for a good suit, made well and fitting well. Too much baggy this n that with kids today

[crapple009]

@prunch72 Exactly- I took mine to a tailor/ seamstress who was wonderful. Narrow and tapered is the only way. Even if one is not rail thin like he used to be, suits can still be narrowed to a degree to get that desired look. Baggy has always sucked. I've pretty much deep-sixed, rejected and wrtten-off most of what's going down in the 21st century while keeping my flag flying high.

[crapple009]

@JA2NJ You gotta hit the thrift stores for that stuff- you'll be surprised what you can find in those places!

[crapple009]

@JA2NJ You gotta hit the thrift stores for stuff like that. You'll be surprised what you can find in those places!

[95AnnieAnnie95]

what has this world come to?? by the way, the song is more fun this fast

[Schmidthorst69]

1 guy has a small dig!



[hapakek1]

isn't it a lil bit too fast? but still, it's terrific!

[marcfedak]

I remember seeing this on SNL and running out the next day to buy the Specials debut album. They were by far my favourite of the 2nd generation ska bands. They were not only entertaining to watch, but tight, energetic musicians.

[jimdevo]

@marcfedak wow same here. watched it that nite and bought the ablum next day. by far one of my favorite albums of all time.

[clintxoxox]

that was awesome!

[daypeshmodd]

This must be the only version where Terry (who is usually still) dances like that. Love to watch it! Many great versions to this song.

I also love to watch Gangsters in 09 at Jools Holland's show: it's insane the way Lynval (who's 60) & especially Neville (late 50s) dance while playing!!!!

Either way, never get tired of either version & never get tired of Specials, ska and Terry!!!!

[misssweetviolet]

@daypeshmodd I dont think I've ever seen Terry so active !

[daypeshmodd]

@misssweetviolet Isn't great?! Are you a major Terry fan like me?

[tortelli]

marvelous!

energetic as fuck

[maninamack]

wow,, what great memories!!

[SuperBeanson]

god, that knackers me out just watching it

[jmg94j]

I watched this live back in 1980. Didn't have a clue what ska was. I was Instantly hooked and have been a rude boy ever scince.

[kirkwallboy]

Terry Hall and Robert Smith. A pair of dour, miserable looking men. Their voices don't match their looks, their vocals being all high and youthful and upbeat. And very few can match their sad, reflective and just life affirming punk rock spirit.

[philthemod]

well dressed skinhead's another word's late woking class mod's .....i'm 14 and i'm a young mod just got my lambretta,yeah i know long time till 17,and i love this kind of music,ska,late 60's reggae,garage punk,and RnB ,not all this crap from 2day yeah i admit the arctic monkeys did some good stuff and The Hives did some rather garge punk stuff on early but the old stuff's the best stuff wich had influenced all music 2day and by the sound's of the stranded of it 2day they have made a mockery...

[TheMagicKristian1]

This was back when SNL pushed the creative envelope as far as musical acts go. Never was feeling SNL as I am a SCTV fan. Johnny LaRue !!!!!!!!

[95Anguiano]

hell yeah

[dennycraneBCN]

they're dancing all around like possessed rude boys, but they never stomp on the hat!!

[memangakupoyo]

they danced on a tight space...

[sisterdiggins]

I remember WAITING for this appearance on SNL. It was a BIG deal.

[TheArai64]

Of all the versions recorded the keyboard on this one's the best - awesome!

[charliegrs]

Fuckin real ska here!

[finmarc]

thumbs up, what a great version

[FinallyunderstandU]

very special post, Chad, puts another meaning to let's go to the hop !!

[FinallyunderstandU]

nice post, Chad, puts another meaning to let's go to the hop !!

[katoness]

First time I heard this I thought, well heres something original.

[MrJockstar1]

fucking nutters get in there...

[jimmaschio]

Sickest Song by the specials...check out free grizzly bear rides if you like ska... myspace / freegrizzlybearrides or right here on youtube

[fraink7]

dig that drummer in the tuxedo!

[eklektro68]

"Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue!"

[Scotslover86]

Fantastic stuff!!!!!

[totomorris]

Fantastic energy and excellent performance.

[falcorn1117]

badass solo



[theskafest77]

To jest dopiero kurwa telewizja!!!

[5jerry1]

I have always thought this was an excellent band, and I used to take a lot of flack for it, because songs like "Gangsters" sound cartoonish, and the band has a strange look and image. Seriously, I took a lot of ball-breaking for liking them.

[floppybollox3]

@5jerry1 Just you reading out ofcontext they werea very British band, nothing cartoonish about them, but you had good taste, better than REO speedwagon!

[5jerry1]

@floppybollox3

I used that term because of the unusual energy of the performance. My first impression of The Specials came from the black&white original video of this song. It has this kinetic energy and an exaggerated mood to it, quite unlike anything else I have heard or seen before it. It had a weird mood to it, and in my circle I was one of two people who appreciated it in any capacity; as everyone else just hated them.

[floppybollox3]

@5jerry1 Well you were thinking right out of the box and well ahead of your time, you obviously had a sensitivity and perception that most of your peers lacked. As I said The Specials were a very British band with a very British mood and energy, it's good to know that you and the SNL audience could fully appreciate that.

[thellamacandance2dis]

@5jerry1 Especially now that it's cool to hate ska. I here ya. I LOVE THE SPECIALS! I encourage anyone who likes this to search for Desmond Dekker, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, the Skatalites and even Toots & the Maytals. Ska KICKS ASS!

[casestudyification]

@5jerry1 Screw those idiots. The Specials were fantastic.

[Papafishband]

If you like ska/reggae, check out or band PapaFish out of Southern California USA. Let us know what you think : )

[volcanostudios]

This gets better everything I see it.

[floppybollox3]

@volcanostudios You know that!

[daniel44ska]

AWESOME , VERY NICE, WHY I WASN'T BORN THERE FUCK!!!

[agincourtdb]

you know, there really aren't enough live shows that feature a machine gun...

[1965sgtrock]

OK, this is THE reason I bought black loafers and white sox. Dance Craze! 

[auggdogrules]

the specials were special,great ska music nobody could match today.thanks for download

[prunch72]

The lads are dressed up well alrigh, that blue suit is the business

[ethanizabunny]

nowadays if someone braught a gun onstage theyd be called a terrorist and shot

[Keijz74]

Nice good morning song. 9:03 here

[bonzerbrother]

I watch SNL all the time and it has been years since a performance could come close to that. Even with better sound systems and auto tune, artists these days are just copies of those from yesteryear

[BuzbyWuzby]

I really wouldn't of thought that the yanks liked this sort of music. Try the 12" (ELP) version of "Ghost Town" - it's on youTube somewhere (look for the skeletons)

[Ibber]

@BuzbyWuzby And why wouldn't US yanks like 2-tone ska? I'm still waiting for the next Madstock. The last one was in 2009. Not everyone stateside is a stupid berk.

[BuzbyWuzby]

@Ibber

I didn't imply that Americans were 'stupid berks'. Are you (that's you personally not American's generally by the way) paranoid, neurotic or hyper-sensitive?

[Ibber]

@BuzbyWuzby I'm not paranoid. I know everyone is out to get me. It's not my imagination.

Laugh a little. It was just my subtle way to let you know that you came off sounding like a little kid. Not all Americans are berks. Then again... not all Americans are yanks either. I also fail to see why being a yank would have anything to do with musical tastes.

Yes, I may be sensitive. However, there are many who are not sensitive enough.

[crapple009]

@BuzbyWuzby I know quite a few Brits who are more "American" than I am- totally into safe crap like Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. Go figure.

[67roko]

@elstroshitnonstop, fair play to you fella, i know there are some clued up kids out there. unfortunately they are a minority but respect to the youngsters that take time to find out about music from a different time and not just accept all the commercialised bollocks that is force fed to them daily.

[drsplatterthrash666]

Hell yeah!

[67roko]

the kids of today don't know what their missing.

[yornocm]

@67roko Sure they do, but we have to teach them.  My 5-year old son and 8-year old daughter request the Specials in the car all the time. I think my baby has developed an oddly-Americanized British accent. It's quite the thing to hear.

[elstroshitnonstop]

@67roko trust me, specials are one of the groups that go back more than a decade that most young people like and i have all the two tone records. theres too much misunderstanding of young people. most of us arent missing anything, our knowledge of music spans far, the problem is we have too much shit being fed to us through the airwaves

[vsister]

i cannot believe this awesomeness

[Trex100]

LOVE IT. Great version.... Wonderful reckless abandon!!!

[67roko]

this version is the dogs. got my tickets for the ally pally in november. can't wait

[earinsound]

first time i've seen this...WOW

[mdc848]

wow, i've never seen this before! INCREDIBLE! :o

THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING!!

[Trevor9849]

YAY!

[Skarebel69]

I thought this was gonna be al capones guns for a moment!

[codelocator]

Perfect. Thanks very much. 

[TheSilverDubber]

My days!! \o/

[crapple009]

@Thegreen007 Nerd.

[vsister]

Can't believe how GOOD this video is. love it

[amaerachi3]

greatest specials performance eveer lol

[wrestlingwomanfan]

Who was that guy that introduced them?

[pazzensutra]

I saw this back in the day, waited til NOW to see it again! Thanks for posting. I love the Specials!

[psycho4334]

this shit hits the ceiling with explosiveness with some epic sauce on it!

[billiejoequantown]

the singer face remember me about sitcom titled malcom in the middle..hahaha

[auggdogrules]

great performance and live,specials were the real original ska band !

[xXIbanezJamesXx]

Fucking briliant - what more can be said? Too much too young...

[thejim789mac]

excellent amazing when you think what they are today just as great.

[deluxe853]

Gotta get on of those YC45D Yamaha organ's!!!

[tony671]

sharp clothes, short hair and great dance music. wot more do u need?

[starchmonkey]

Lynval's hat falls off at 1:27, just before camera changes

[wsr216]

I have been in love with this version of this song forever! Thank you for posting this!

[charliegrs]

I love the energy of the 2 tone ska era!

[trvwatson]

Lead singer is hot, bit like boy george without the wig.

[raphithegreat]

back in the days my father used to listen to the specials and i couldnt stand them..but now years later i stumbled over some of their videos on you tube and im loving it..this is good shit

[electricore1]

q grandes the specials, desde mexico, un saludo

[uani69]

when it comes2 music uk win hands down everytime

[rodchristopher]

Great to see the lads back together in 2010. I really thought thier was no coming back!

[skakid71]

THIS IS EPIC!!!!

[mymgftube]

still an incredible song

[kagtastic]

Ive never seen a drummer sit that strait

[Moonalongmyhead]

Woa! Where those thirty years went to? Anyways.. they're still rockin' and skankin' the place.

[poughkeepsiejohn1]

I remember watching this episode of "Saturday Night Live". I was nineteen years old at the time. Didn't know a thing about ska music until I saw these guys.

I was struck as to how so many musicians could dance around like that on such a small part of the stage. It was amazing.

By this way, The Specials aside, this wasn't a very good SNL episode. In fact, the host Strother Martin died just a few months later. What a shame.

Bernie Rhodes knows, so don't argue!

[hairycub69]

@poughkeepsiejohn1

A 61 year old Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke) introducing the coolest band in the UK at the time (Apr 1980) The Specials...amazing performance. They look and sounded so different to what was in the American hit parade at the time. (o; Bearhug Tx

[2tonecrombie]

still 2 c abetter band than this VERY SPECIAL.

[bluecheckeredhat]

Thanks for puttin' this up! I've seen clips of this performance in documentaries, but I've never been able to find the whole performance.

Frig, bands on SNL today don't have half this energy.

Look at Nev and Lynval flailing around like madmen! What a band!

[MaxwellSkaPunk]

SOOOO GOOOD!!

[Tigsy2010]

Love this....!!! :)

[RuffnreadyLondon]

Truly one of the greatest ever live performances, made even better by the fact it was in a tv studio. 

[angreemike]

Never heard of this band. Never heard this song before. It is awesome.

[velocitymurder]

That shit's the shit!

[phillydog17]

Magnifico!

[4alarmer]

holy shit what a great performance !! oi oi oi

[phillydog17]

I'm so glad to find this performance. Ranks up there with the best on you-tube.

[swingsforthefence]

JUMP...JUMP...JUMP...JUMP...JU­MP!!!!

[phillydog17]

Fucking fantastic performance!

[circlejerk77]

fucking epic

[mrska1]

Seen em 3 times in my life brilliant! ska ska ska Rude boyzzzzzzzzzzzz

[evanparker]

the quality of sound and the video is awesome! this is better than the album version!

[heandmefunk]

kurvajoooooo!!

[husbydaftpunkey]

Wow OMFG what a perfect fucking performance

[cajojaUribe]

efrem1 the biggest reason the Specials didnt catch on at the time of 1980 is that they were ahead of there time, later in 1984 you had fisbone,the untouchables.... Also, I lived in long beach, lakewood ca. in 1980 short hair was heird everybody had long hair and listend to the cars, van halen, led zepplin, and punk rock. the specials will always be my favorite ska band.

[acitonj]

Nearly 30 years later, a girl by the name of Ke$ha who fancies brushing her teeth with whiskey would perform on the same stage the Specials played on. Culture is dead.

[4578a]

Awesome spectacle of live cast of characters.

[StanleyWiddos]

so fucking cool, anyone else notice the drummer looks a bit like ted bundy :P